Chief Executive Officer

What is your current role?

I am the Chief Executive Officer of a tutoring company. 

Tell us a little bit about your career journey

I founded a tutoring organisation, and that was my first full-time job.

From age 8 to 18, I was a professional actor. I wanted to go to Rada drama school, but my school year group was the first to be affected by the £9000 per year tuition fees. I was on free school meals and couldn't afford to pay those fees. So I tried to find a part-time job to help me save up. I was studying for my A-Levels, and despite having high GCSE grades, I couldn't get a job anywhere because I didn't have the experience.

I realised I had to create my own job and used the only experience that I did have, which was education; I was a natural academic. So I drafted a plan to try and create a service where I could help young primary school pupils struggling with their academics and create tutoring jobs for university students and A-Level students like myself, so they’d never go through what I went through.

I ran a year-long pilot in my final year of A-Levels, and it was very successful. I employed five university students, and we tutored 80 primary school pupils. I then secured funding and a few contracts, and the rest is history, as they say. Now it's an organisation that tutors over 700 pupils a week, across 55 different locations, and over 120 people work for the organisation. Ten years later, what was a big problem in my life (i.e. not being able to get a job), has ended up being a bit of a magical gem and is now an organisation that helps other young people into education and employment.

If you could go back and do anything differently on your career journey, would you change anything?

I wouldn't be as precious as I was with my idea when I was starting out. I slowed myself down a little bit because I was scared that other people would steal my idea, or maybe try to copy me and get it done before me. If I continued full steam ahead, and was not fearful of whether anyone else wanted to replicate my idea, I think I would have been able to achieve things a lot quicker.

What do you think are the secrets behind getting to where you are today?

1. Being bold, not being afraid to make mistakes and recognising that they are a part of the process and learning journey. It's impossible to learn without making mistakes.
2. Being curious and eager to find out more, and being eager to challenge myself to do more and be better.
3. And most importantly, working with other people and being willing to learn from others.

What does an average day look like for you?

There is no average day, and that's the beauty of it. One day could be split between meeting external clients and working in the office with the tea, and on another day, I could be doing presentations and pitches all over London. Many people have a stake in the organisation: clients, beneficiaries, external stakeholders, corporates and funders. 

My role is about managing all of those different relationships, making sure that the organisation is strong, that we're generating enough income, and that we have good governance. So naturally, no day is the same.

What do you love the most about your job?

The people make it all worthwhile to me. I have a wonderful team, who I like and enjoy working with. We have a fantastic bond; we really care about the people we work with. 

What has been the highest point of your career? 

In 2019 when I won the Rising Chief Executive of the Year award in the Third Sector Awards. That was a fantastic achievement because so many other incredible charity CEOs were up for nomination. That was also a landmark year for me because we started our expansion to the Midlands. The award was not only a big win for me, but for the whole team. It was a big reflection of the results that the organisation had produced and showed how far we had come from our humble beginnings.

How do you continue to recreate that feeling?

I continue to relive that moment by creating achievement boards. Anytime I have a win or achieve something, it doesn't matter how small it is, I'll make a note of it on my iPhone. When it comes to the end of each year, I can look back and see what I've accomplished. It helps me not to downplay my accomplishments as well.

What books audiobooks or podcasts are you currently reading or listening to for personal development, and why?

I'm reading Start with the Why by Simon Sinek. I picked it up because it's a renowned book for inspiring the next generation of leaders. It's about becoming a values-based leader and starting with your ‘why’, which is really important. All of us should have a reason for everything we do – a larger 'why'.

Who or what inspires you?

I'm inspired by the problems that I want to tackle. So for example, I’m really passionate about educating young people, and equality among young people and their counterparts, so I'm driven and inspired by the possibilities of tackling the issues surrounding young people.

My grandparents also inspire me. They came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation in the 1950s with nothing. Despite all of the obstacles they faced: racism, economic challenges, etc., they built an incredible life for themselves and their nine children, who eventually were able to join them. That huge family coninues to grow, develop and do fantastic things in the world.

What advice would you give to a young person starting out? What first steps could a young person take towards your role?

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You only live once, so go for it! Whatever you want to do, do not let anyone or anything hold you back.

If you're not too sure where to start, consider mentorship. You can ask someone to mentor you through an idea, your career path, or a project or goal. Your mentor could be a parent, a family member, a teacher, or one of your friend's or family's colleagues. It could be anyone who you are inspired by, or you think has information to guide you. Use your networks and be relentless with what you want to achieve.

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