Shân Wareing

Chair
Vice-Chancellor, University of Middlesex

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

Associate Editor, WonkHE

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.

Ian Adams

Director of Membership and Stakeholder Engagement, NHS Resolution

My education took me from local comprehensive to polytechnic, then onto university to gain an MBA – the latter funded by my then employer – making me the first in my family to benefit from a university education.  I am passionate about promoting social mobility and, as a member of the LGBT+ community, about social inclusion.

The Unite Foundation has a tremendous track-record of supporting students who will benefit the most from having access to quality, paid-for accommodation throughout their studies, enabling them to get the most from their university experience. I want to help establish relationships with more employers to widen the work experience opportunities available to our students.

James Watts

Head of Fund Management and Tax, Unite Students

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 within my organisation and the business sector and promote the purpose of the Unite Foundation to colleagues and investors to support the charity in achieving its strategic aims.

Fiona Slaven

Chief Operating Officer, Ballet Rambert

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 a previous Director 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.

Nik Miller

Director, The Bridge Group

I’ve been with the Unite Foundation since 2014 and I’m still learning from students’ diverse experiences and perspectives.

The students are relentlessly impressive, but so too are the staff at the Foundation. It’s unusual to find such a wonderful combination of professionalism, rigour, care and responsiveness. I hope that students feel they are in a partnership with the Charity, where we learn from and advocate for their experiences as well as providing much-needed support.

I am keen that graduate employers are even more in tune with the experiences of estranged and care experienced students, and how postgraduate study can also be made equally accessible to students.

Jo Blair

Head of Quality and Standards, Unite Students

I am a staunch believer that every young person who wants to access higher and further education should have the opportunity to do so. Care leavers and estranged students at times don’t know that further and higher education could possibly even be an option. The Unite Foundation provides a light and an element of control and choice surrounding their future pathway.

I want all estranged and care experienced young people to be aware of the opportunities and support that they can reach out to. I also want to see their needs reflected in the broader student experience; the perspective these students bring to the HE sector and any working environment is invaluable to ensure inclusivity is truly at the heart of decision making.

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.