Board of Trustees = Unite Foundation

Board of Trustees

Dr John Cater

Chair

As a Vice-Chancellor, I was well aware of the vital role Unite Students plays in the sector, and I was delighted to discover their deep commitment to the invaluable work of the Unite Foundation. When offered the opportunity to become a Trustee and Chair, I felt privileged to accept. What makes me most proud is the unwavering dedication of the entire team in supporting care experienced and estranged students – few causes are more deserving.

Over the past decade, we’ve provided free accommodation to almost 900 students, and I’m passionate about championing not only them but also the wider community of care experienced and estranged students in higher education. By helping build networks and working collaboratively, I want every young person who has experienced care or estrangement to have the same equitable opportunity to access university and thrive in life as their peers.

Nyomi Rose

Social Media and Data Management Consultant

The Unite Foundation holds a very special place in my heart, after being awarded the scholarship back in 2018 to pursue my dream of further education. Joining the board allows me to provide a real-life perspective of how the Unite Foundation can support as many estranged and care leavers as possible.

I love to support the board in making crucial decisions that influence students being able to have higher education so that they have the best start to making a difference in the world.

Being a champion and ally is extremely important to me as a trustee. I want to ensure the experiences, stories and lives of these students are at the forefront of our decision making. I also want to ensure that issues faced by care experienced and estranged students such as accommodation, finances, community engagement and mental health are highlighted and help to instigate change across HE.

Lloydette Bai-Marrow

Founding Partner, Parametric Global Consulting

I am immensely proud to be a Trustee of the Unite Foundation and involved with a cause that is close to my heart. The provision of accommodation throughout the calendar year lifts a burden from the shoulders of estranged and care experienced students and means there is one less thing to worry about.

Estranged and care experienced students are often the forgotten ones. I will work with my fellow board members to raise awareness about the challenges these students face and encourage others within the HE community to join us in supporting them in practical and impactful ways.

Lorna Cosgrave

Policy Adviser, HM Treasury

HE should be accessible for all, and I want to raise awareness of the experiences of estranged and care experienced students at university, as it is an issue not talked about often enough.

I want to ensure we help as many estranged and care experienced students as possible, while also focusing on those with disabilities, as that can often put additional pressure on finding accommodation and costs of studying. My personal experience of estrangement has further driven me to want to help achieve the Unite Foundation’s mission.

The Unite Foundation is one of the only charities solely for estranged and care experienced students who are a really underrepresented group in HE. Even just raising awareness of the issue is a big step but providing accommodation also lifts a primary burden faced by estranged and care experienced students.

Sunday Blake

Policy Manager: Education and Parliamentary Engagement

Higher Education has had a transformative impact on my life, and I have seen first-hand the transformative power students from diverse backgrounds have on the sector. The Unite Foundation works towards liberation and opportunity for estranged and care experienced young people on an individual level as well as striving to improve society as a whole.

I will be a vocal and visible person who comes from that demographic, focussing on the need for representation. We must always ask ourselves; “who is not here?” then, “who is not speaking?” and then, “who is not being listened to?”. These are the voices I will continue to seek out and amplify.

James Watts

Trustee

I’m passionate about ensuring that all young people can achieve their full potential and that nobody is left behind because of their background. It’s important that estranged and care experienced young people have the choice to go to university and to develop personally and professionally.

Being on the Unite Foundation Board enables me to play a small part in improving access to higher education for estranged and care experienced young people and supporting them to embrace everything that university has to offer.

I will champion the charity and promote the purpose of the Unite Foundation to support the charity in achieving its strategic aims.

Fiona Slaven

Finance and Operations Consultant

Being a foster carer for several years, I’ve witnessed the adverse impact when young people in society are not supported or listened to. I am passionate about ensuring their voices are heard which leads me to be involved with the Unite Foundation.

As one of the Directors at at the University of Arts London and as Chair of the Finance Committee at Greenwich University SU, I have seen the benefits of what comes from higher education and the importance of a support network. Our scholarship gives students the security that comes from free, year-round accommodation at university, and we work closely with our university and accommodation partners to deliver wrap-around support.

It is a privilege to be a member of this Board.

Moray Notman

University Engagement Director, Unite Students

I believe that access to higher education and all of the things that lead to a successful university life should not be restricted in any way; having worked in the HE sector for 12 years, I appreciate how transformational university can be.

I listen to Unite Foundation students’ experiences through their communications activity and the This is Us podcast and I feel proud to hear the variety of ways in which support from the Unite Foundation impacts on students’ university experience.

I’m here to champion the Unite Foundation throughout the HE sector and, amongst my colleagues, increase awareness of what Unite Foundation students need and build pride within the organisation as the charity’s principal supporter.

Sam Macrae

Promise Ambassador, Scottish Local Authority

As a student, I was a keen advocate for the rights and awareness of estranged students, calling for parity with the support offered to Care Experienced students in Scotland. I am excited to have joined the board of the Unite Foundation and have admired what they do for Care Experienced and Estranged students, particularly around providing free and accessible accommodation. For this group of students, a safe and secure home is central to thriving at university and having the best student experience possible.

I am a firm believer in the power of lived experience and listening to Care Experienced and Estranged students to inform strategies and service design. They are the experts in their own experiences and how to improve experiences for students in the future.

Prof. Julie Hall

Vice Chancellor, London Metropolitan University

At this stage in my career, I’m committed to roles that drive meaningful change, which is why I joined the Board, to be an effective steward of the work of Unite Foundation so that this important work may continue. I’m proud to be a trustee, especially when I read student testimonies and see the dedication of the Foundation team, it’s deeply inspiring.

I have always taken a keen interest in students whose path into university and through university is more complex. I want to raise the profile of these students and ensure we do everything to make that path a little smoother and help people understand the massive resilience and effort they have to bring to their studies.

Michael Burt

Chief Financial Officer, Unite Students

I have worked at Unite Students for the past seven years and have seen first-hand the transformative impact of the Unite Foundation’s work. Having witnessed the positive difference the Foundation makes for care experienced and estranged young people, I am motivated to contribute to its future direction as a trustee.

The Unite Foundation’s impact is delivered both through its accommodation scholarships, which provide a stable and hassle-free home at university, and through its advocacy on policy and best practice to help ensure care experienced and estranged students can achieve their potential. As part of the leadership team at Unite Students, I will bring experience of role-modelling best practice and driving innovation in this space, including building on work such as Unite Students becoming the first purpose-built student accommodation provider to sign the government-backed Care Leaver Covenant.