Alumni Leadership Council

The Alumni Leadership Council was established to enhance the youth-led nature of the Foundation. The Council will contribute to the overall thinking and direction of the charity, with a focus on ensuring and increasing community engagement. In particular, as Patchworkers and programme alumni, the intention is for Council members to bring their own diverse lived experiences to inform the Foundation’s operations.

Hannah Kaufman, Chair

Hannah is an experienced consultant at leading political consultancy firm Lexington, where she supports clients across corporate affairs, ESG, financial services and healthcare. Prior to this, Hannah interned at several political think tanks and national campaigns, and holds a BSc in Government from the LSE. Whilst at university, she was elected President of the Jewish Society at LSE and was also appointed Student Ambassador for the Council of Christians and Jews, and the Joseph Interfaith Foundation. Hannah is a trustee of the Naz Legacy Foundation.

Marcos Gold, Vice-Chair

Marcos Gold is the BID Director for Central District Alliance and Hatton Garden Business Improvement District. Marcos grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the United States to pursue an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Sociology at Arizona State University where he graduated with honours. Marcos came to the UK to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Westminster graduating with Distinction. He then spent three years working for the Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP and Deputy Prime Minister in the Houses of Parliament working across policy areas including foreign policy, justice, legislative procedure, and Cabinet Office. Marcos moved into political consultancy at Four Public Affairs where he advised a variety of clients ranging from charities to medical technologies companies including Business Improvement Districts.

Amie Sleigh

Amie is a UK Civil Servant with experience in international trade policy and domestic social policy. Amie is from Staffordshire and is passionate about social mobility and ensuring broader access to politics.

Makedah Simpson

Makedah was a graduate of Patchwork’s Masterclass programme in 2016 and currently works for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in the Smart Metering Implementation Programme on Consumer Protection. As an advocate for better mental health provisions in the UK, she is also a trustee for the mental health charity, SAIE. Prior to working in BEIS, she worked for the Health and Safety Executive and for the Confederation of British Industry.

Mustapha Ogun

Mustapha is a graduate of Patchwork’s 2019 Masterclass programme. He is passionate about social mobility and transforming the lived experiences of our future generation. Currently, Mustapha works in Deloitte’s UK Risk Advisory practice, specialising in Global Booking Model & Controls. He has supported several global banking organisations with initiatives relating to their legal entity strategy, reputation risk management, booking model and trading control frameworks.

Dr Parnyan Ashtari

Parnyan has been a part of the Patchwork Foundation since 2018. Outside of Patchwork, she is a dual-qualified dentist and pharmacist and splits her time working in cancer research, education and clinical services. She sits on various committees and engages in conversations with key stakeholders across the NHS and globally to deliver cross-boundary solutions to shared problems in healthcare. She has won numerous awards for her clinical care, advocacy and leadership and presented at multiple national and international forums. She is passionate in tackling healthcare inequalities and has helped run a number of local community projects with schools, youth groups and homeless organisations.

Shane Manning

Shane works for Lloyds Banking Group as a Senior Product Owner and has over 10 years’ experience in the private sector. He is an elected Conservative Councillor in East Hertfordshire, winning his seat in December 2019. He is also an approved Parliamentary candidate for the next General Election. Shane has a deep passion for supporting young people realise their potential and fighting against injustice. He has many years of experience working with a range of organisations that help young people. Most recently he has served as a school governor for two local schools in Bishop’s Stortford. He has been involved with Patchwork since 2019 and has been part of the Leadership Council since March 2022.

Shwetal Shah

Shwetal is an International Technology Partnerships Manager at MediaCom Global, working on the Mars Inc Innovation program. Outside of her day-to-day role, she is a Trustee at Volunteer Centre Camden, Grants Committee Member at Youth Futures Foundation, a Nominations Committee Member at The Royal Institution and Board Member at Leeds Beckett University. Passionate about increasing diversity within STEAM industries, Shwetal launched and manages The Change-Makers Initiative giving £200 in funding to young people aged 11-19 to work on STEAM social action projects. Her outreach initiatives over several years have led to her being recognised in the Yahoo Finance 2020 Role Model, a 2019 UK Exceptional Talent Tech visa, the Financial Times’ 2018 top 100 BME in Tech list, and a 2017 Dalai Lama Compassionate Leader.