Our wonderful and committed Board members volunteer their time and brilliance to support Team Future in making our Youth Zone the success it is. We are proud to have such skilled and experienced people helping us build a better Future for the young people of East London.
Chair
Mike Yates is co-Portfolio Manager at AKO Capital. The AKO Foundation supports causes that improve education, promote the arts, or mitigate climate problems. The Foundation has to date made charitable grants in excess of £125 million, with OnSide’s Network of Youth Zones, including Future Youth Zone being a grateful recipient of its generosity.
Board Member
Simon is Future’s OnSide Nominate Trustee. He caught the OnSide bug when he went passed Future Youth Zone, near where he grew up. He’s excited to now be part of the Future Board and to connect more deeply to the amazing team at Future. Simon is a professional fundraiser who started life at the youth charity Centrepoint, enjoyed a very successful 14-year spell as Campaign Director at the London School of Economics, and finally on to OnSide Youth Zones where he leads on creating happy national partnerships.
Simon is also a regular volunteer at Future, helping the music session on a Monday, and does the occasional fundraising challenge for Future too. Favourite Future experience so far? Taking the Jack Petchey Foundation on a tour when a Young Leader, Katie, took them off his hands and not only done a better job of the tour but also treated them to a live performance!
Board Member
Ashkan is the Chief Financial Officer at Fospha, where he plays a key role in driving financial strategy and supporting growth initiatives. He has over a decade of experience across finance leadership, commercial strategy, and business transformation.
Before joining Fospha, Ashkan held senior finance roles at Blenheim Chalcot, Pollen, AllBright, and Avado, covering everything from FP&A to venture finance and commercial leadership. Ashkan holds deep expertise in scaling high-growth businesses and aligning financial performance with strategic goals.
Board Member
Kay is the Executive Director of Agilisys, and has more than two decades of global IT and Business Services experience. Kay also works to support key initiatives across the Blenheim Chalcot group.
Prior to working at Agilisys, Kay spent 13 years at Perot Systems and three years as Executive Director for Local Government at Liberata. Kay holds a first class degree in Mathematics and an MBA.
Board Member
After spending over a decade at Channel 4 in various roles including Creative Content Partnerships Business Manager, Jade joined Little Dot Studios in 2018 and is now MD of Brand Strategy. Jade’s expertise in digital creative production, understanding of audience engagement, and brand building saw the development, build, and leadership of the agency’s brand offering.
Board Member
Sarah is currently Executive Vice President, Head of Marketing EMEA at PIMCO, a role she has held since 2021. With more than 25 years in investment management, her work spans digital, product, content, and strategic marketing across leading firms. She holds a degree from the University of Birmingham. Sarah enjoys family life and watching her children play a variety of sports.
Board Member
Sal is currently employed as the Director of Strategy and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. He has held senior positions across various local authorities and brings a wealth knowledge around strategy, equality, engagement, data and communications. Sal is passionate about tackling inequality and improving life chances for the young people of Barking and Dagenham.
Associate Board Member
Board Member
Councillor Saima Ashraf is Deputy Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, where she leads on community engagement, culture and leisure.
Councillor Ashraf oversaw the council’s cooperation with the community and voluntary sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Cost of Living Crisis, launched the council’s partnership with Leeds Credit Union in Barking and Dagenham, invested more than £20 million in parks and green spaces, and has delivered an ambitious effort to build capacity among community groups through over £1 million of funding via the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy, faith engagement, and the establishment of BD Giving.
Board Member
Cathy is currently the headteacher of Mayesbrook Park School and has worked in education for over thirty-five years, with the last fourteen years in Barking and Dagenham. She is passionate about ensuring that children and young people are given the best possible experiences and opportunities to be successful in whatever way suits them. Cathy is keen to support Future Youth Zone in whatever way I can going forward.
Associate Board Member
