Introducing our 2020/21 Fellows, the thirteenth cohort. This group of 19 future social entrepreneurs are joining the programme at a unique and pivotal time in the UK as we navigate a pandemic and social innovation is needed more than ever.
As all Fellows before them, they will spend five months embedded in frontline services across London, while learning to apply service design and social entrepreneurship to some of the toughest issues facing the country.
Follow their progress on their ten month journey over on Instagram and Twitter.
If you’re interested in applying to join a future cohort, register your details. We run two programmes each year.
AMINA AHMAD
Amina is a non-executive director at The Social Investment Business and previously launched innovation accelerators for the banking sector and co-founded her own platform in the US.
ZAHABIYA ABIDALI
With a focus on assisting refugees to rebuild their lives, Zahabiya has worked in development, policy and legal research in Sri Lanka since 2015.
HOLLY KHAN
Holly is a facilitator, composer & multi-instrumentalist. Delivering workshops for award-winning charities, she believes in the performing arts as a tool to connect people.
NISH SAMANI
Nish joins us from six years as a tech consultant, most recently at PwC. He previously launched One Globe Studio and other ventures.
NAOMI MUNROE
With a background in design for aerospace technology and a Masters in Aeronautics, Naomi joins Year Here from her current role at a fintech startup.
JESSICA REDMOND
A former policy analyst for the Bank of England, Jessica is a public policy specialist who studied and researched at the Harvard Kennedy School in the US.
MICHAEL AUSTIN
Michael is returning to the social enterprise world after six years at tech startups in product management, operations and growth roles.
ZAREEN ALI
Zareen joins us from a career in product management and user research for startups. She holds a Masters in Education specialising in neuroscience.
EMILY HORTON
Joining us from Dow Jones, Emily is a financial journalist, who has worked on national campaigns to tackle loneliness and the isolation of elderly people.
RHEA FOFANA
With a degree in Biotechnology and Enterprise, Rhea joins us from a career as research and development scientist and sustainability strategist.
FELIX DE GREY
Felix has been a consultant and researcher for development strategy for towns and campuses. He holds a Masters in City Design and Social Science.
SARENA SHETTY
Originally trained as a chemist, Sarena has worked in operations for various early stages startups and has previously launched her own platform for designers and makers.
ALEX CAWTHRON
Alex spent the last three years in education, working with children across a range of ages and backgrounds. She is a mental health volunteer and Teach First Ambassador.
SIMON JARVIS
Simon joins Year Here from a career in hospitality management with the Soho House Group and as an independent food and beverage business consultant.
RAFI SPANGENTHAL
Rafi is an artist and graphic designer who believes there is a wealth of untapped creativity to be harnessed to solve social problems.
ROMANA KHAN
Romana worked in commercial finance at Sky Media and was a co-founder for the community initiative, Ramadan Tent. She is a trustee of Muslim Youth Helpline.
SENTHAN BALACHANDIRAN
Senthan is a Sri-Lankan born Australian and a former chartered accountant who left the sector to focus on tackling social issues.
CAITRIONA SNELL
Caitriona joins us from her role as global marketing lead in the technology industry and is committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities.
