Meet the Change
EnablerS
SCN Team
Esther Foreman (she/her)
CEO
Open bio
Esther is the visionary for The Social Change Nest and is always looking out for new opportunities and pushing us to innovate. And she makes sure everything we do aligns with our vision, mission, and values.
Esther has spent over 20 years’ in the not-for-profit, social enterprise and business sectors, running award-winning campaigns, supporting enterprise and building teams. In 2013, she founded The Social Change Agency with a desire to blend organising, technology, communication and social enterprise. Esther is a 2011 Clore Social Fellow, 2012 Winston Churchill Fellow and 2013 SSE Fellow. She was recently placed in the top 100 Women in Social Enterprise. She has founded The Social Change Nest, The Young Trustees Movement and the Graduate Journal of Social Science.
Esther is obsessed with Ethiopian food. It’s suspiciously convenient that our office is on a street with a lot of Ethiopian restaurants.
Sapna Patel Pattni (she/her)
Director of Operations (currently on maternity leave)
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Sapna provides leadership on all things operations – including for the groups we host. Her role spans finance, process and systems improvement, policy and HR. She also supports with product and business development.
Sapna has 9 years’ experience in operations and project management. Her previous roles involved managing research projects, including one that explored a top-down approach to advocacy of freedom of religion or belief across the Commonwealth. She’s also supported the delivery of leadership programmes which advance the career growth and leadership development of BAME staff and women in science.
She hopes to master the art of pasta making and looks forward to the day she starts a side hustle of supplying Indian/Italian fusion food to the world. She also loves stargazing and her favourite show is Stargate SG1.
Eda Tajuddin (she/her)
Head of Programmes
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Eda oversees the SCN team and services, making sure to bridge the big strategy stuff with the day-to-day delivery for our clients.
Eda has over five years’ work experience across various nonprofits, ranging from grassroots microfinance programmes in Mexico (which she won’t shut up about) to international projects aimed at testing alternative and more trust-based approaches to grantmaking. She is particularly committed to testing innovative solutions to social issues and ensuring a collaborative and community-led approach in everything she does.
She’s currently learning guitar and sign language and hopes that by putting this in her bio, she’s now committed to getting really good at both. Also, did she mention that she once lived in Mexico?
Catherine Scott (she/her)
Head of Governance and Innovation
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She loves being in nature, dancing, and is a board game enthusiast. Based in York, she also is a frequent visitor to the many amazing independent cafes for coffee and cake!
Aroa Fernandez Alvarez (she/her)
Head of Business Development
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Aroa oversees business development and communications at The Social Change Nest. She works with the team to ensure that we’re thinking strategically about our growth, and that new services and clients are aligned with our mission and impact goals.
Aroa has worked for more than a decade in the social innovation sector. She worked for 6 years at Ashoka, where she led partnerships for the Spanish, UK and Global teams. She then co-founded Trace, a coalition of 2 organisations working at the intersection of regenerative agriculture and the fashion industry. She was selected as one of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise and recognised by the Nova 111 List as one of the under-35 leaders who will lead the future of Spain in the social impact category. She also has several years of experience as an independent consultant, helping mission-driven organisations manage and scale their impact.
She loves building long-lasting relationships with our partners and solving complex problems, and gets really excited about shaping impact programs and services that challenge the status quo. Outside work, she loves being in nature and all forms of adventure sports. She is a keen rock climber and a terrible but very enthusiastic surfer.
Priya Phakey (she/her)
Operations Manager (currently on maternity leave)
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Priya works with our Director of Operations to keep Nest going. She’s responsible for staff-related work within grant management and is our designated safeguarding lead for children and vulnerable adults.
Priya has experience in operations, international trade and development, and carbon emission reporting systems. Her background and degree are in Environmental Science, and she has a strong understanding of sustainability and environmental justice. Priya’s personal interests are in sustainability and all things related to environmental, racial and social equity/justice.
Priya’s real-life superpower is SPREADSHEETS (it’s no joke). There’s nothing that can’t be solved by a good spreadsheet. She’s also pretty good with general knowledge and useless facts. Oh, and she’s also pretty good at baking.
Shaurya Singh (she/her)
Partnerships Manager
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Shaurya works with grantmakers to get much-needed funds to grassroots groups through our grant distribution service. Focusing on both UK-based and international granting, she collaborates closely with partners like UMI, BSA and Blagrave to give out mini-grants.
Shaurya has worked with startups and nonprofits in both the UK and India. She has experience in operations, project management and business development. Her background is in economics and public policy and she has a MSc in Development Economics from the University of Sussex. Supporting people and communities thrive is what brings her the most joy and this shared purpose is what brought her to SCN. Shaurya is also the Director of a non-profit for Indian military veterans and their families.
Shaurya believes that all human beings are like roasted marshmallows with gooey centres and strives to create a culture of empathy and understanding wherever she goes. Shaurya is currently learning Korean, coding her hobby food blog and crocheting her tube-rides away (yes, she’s THAT person on the tube).
Claire Barber (she/her)
Finance Manager
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Claire manages our finances on a day to day basis, providing support to both our internal operations and to our clients. This supports strategic financial decision making. Claire has, and continues to play a key part in developing our constantly evolving financial processes.
Claire has a degree in Business and Finance and 20 years’ experience in finance and business improvement consultancy in the public, private and charities sectors, in the UK and overseas.
Claire is actually willing to fight Priya for title ‘SCN Spreadsheet Queen’. She too loves them, but takes particular exception to any third party meddling. Claire loves cooking (not baking, she’s terrible) and eating, especially when it’s accompanied by a nice glass of wine. This love for food and wine feeds her love/hate relationship with her local gym.
Mei Yee Yau (she/her)
Programme Assistant
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Mei Yee is the Programme Assistant helping groups to use the Open Collective platform. She carries out due diligence and ensures new clients are supported on their user journey.
Mei Yee has a BSc in Psychology, and a MSc in Applied Psychology and Behavioural Economics. During this time, her research focused on being a voice for some underrepresented groups within academia.
Mei Yee’s previous experience is in teaching and when she’s not working, you’ll probably find her at a concert, or hanging from some kind of aerial silk or hoop.
Harkiran Bharij(She/Her)
Programmes Assistant
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Harkiran works with the Partnerships Manager to get funds to grassroot groups through our grant distribution service. She works across UK and international granting, collaborating with partners such as UMI and Plymouth Octopus.
Harkiran has a BA in Sociology from the University of Westminster and a Master’s in Development Studies from the London School of Economics (LSE). Before joining SCN, she first volunteered and then worked for We Make Change, a startup connecting impact startups to much needed volunteers so that they can scale.
When Harkiran isn’t working, you can probably find her in the gym, reading or watching TV. She is also an avid Harry Potter fan and writer, who has her own website where she writes blogs on her personal interests including international development, gender and inequalities. She’s also always up to writing a blog!
Aneesa Mahmood(She/Her)
Programmes Assistant
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Rufaro Mudavanhu(She/Her)
Marketing, Communications & Business Development Assistant
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Her career took off in the Middle East, where she graduated with an MSc in International Marketing Management with Digital Marketing and, gained valuable experience in business development and event coordination over a period of 12 years. Her focus is on client relationship management, sales strategies that drive revenue growth, and facilitating contract negotiations. While there she coordinated large-scale B2B food and beverage events, enhanced brand visibility and created strategic partnerships. Her roles helped to develop strong skills in client administration and project management, while navigating the dynamic market landscape of the region. She has a strong foundation in client administration and CRM, and is dedicated to building sustainable relationships and delivering impactful results.
Célia Franquet
Partnerships Officer
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Célia works with our groups to support them with their grant management and general group development.
Célia has gained experience in asset-based community development during her time in social housing, actively working in partnership with residents and community groups to create positive change. She is passionate about shifting power dynamics and for change to be led by grassroot movements. Previously, she gained a BA in Modern Languages and Literature and did her MA in Literature and Culture.
In her spare time, Célia likes a good book, spending time with dogs, weekends away and going for long walks in the countryside. She also LOVES discovering new foods and places to eat and is always on the lookout for good recommendations.
Khiera Odle
Finance Assistant
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Khiera is our Finance Assistant, working with the rest of the finance team to make sure both our internal and client payments get made!
Khiera previously worked in the retail industry, reconciling funds in the cash office for a major supermarket. When she’s not doing finance tasks, she also works in the creative / design industry, working freelance on 3D visualisation, interior design and illustration projects. She has a degree in Architecture and still likes to design things in her free time.
Khiera also loves anime and cosplay- you might catch her at a comic con every so often, either walking around in cosplay or in the artist alley selling her work.
Beth Matheson
Director of Operations
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Beth is in charge of all things operations whilst Sapna is on her maternity leave. She will cover finance, process and systems improvement, policy and HR, not just for us but for the groups we host.
Beth has extensive charity experience leading finance across a range of not-for-profit organisations, including roles at The Brooke, Global Witness and Amnesty International. Most recently, she was COO at Right to Succeed, a charity focussed on improving outcomes for disadvantaged children through collective impact and systemic change, where she supported the charity from start up to scale up. Beth is passionate about supporting social and climate impact organisations – and eager to help drive big change in the way grassroots and movement building work is funded.
Outside of work, Beth is married to an Italian maths teacher; and they have one very cool daughter. In her spare time, when she’s not hanging out with her, she loves the theatre, puzzles, and pretending she knows what she’s doing in the garden. Beth also like to keep fit through running and commuting on her bike.
Stacey Ruggles (she/her)
Communications Manager
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Stacey is our Communications Manager, keeping all of our groups and funders in the loop on any exciting news. She creates our campaigns, runs our social media accounts and makes sure our content is aligned with our mission, values and brand.
Stacey has worked in communications for over 6 years, and in payments for almost 10. After developing her communications career in Financial Technology, her desire and passion to drive positive social change and switch industries led her to enrol in sustainability communications, leadership, social media marketing and environmental management courses. Stacey also has a degree in Journalism as she has always loved writing.
When she’s not at home with her baby cat and a book, you’ll find Stacey at gigs, festivals or the theatre. She also loves to travel, has an obsession with the arctic and whale watching, and likes to try her hand at wildlife photography.
Andy King (he/him)
Marketing Manager
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Andy is our in house digital marketing specialist and AI enthusiast. His role is to ensure that, when they’re ready, grassroots groups and radical funders know where to find us.
Before joining us Andy spent seven years working with changemakers across the globe. During this time he helped to transform a small charity into a countrywide social business accelerator, promoted a worldwide festival for progressive economics and rebranded a business centre into a hub for the community.
When not marketing, you’ll likely find Andy running, cycling or attempting to inline skate.
William Wardlaw Rogers
Programme & Community Development Lead
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William leads The Help Desk, supporting grassroots groups to achieve meaningful social impact. He also helps to oversee our Open Collective service.
A School for Social Entrepreneurs Fellow, William co-founded a communications cooperative and a social enterprise committed to amplifying underrepresented stories.
With experience in community organising, Tech for Good, and social research, William is passionate about equipping future generations with the skills to adapt and thrive while nurturing communities through regenerative principles.
He believes in the transformative power of narrative design, making complex initiatives accessible and catalysing stories that realise lasting change. A lapsed writer with a fascination for graphic memoir, William also holds an MBA in Creative Industries.
When not working, William can be found sea swimming, building forts out of books he swears he’ll read someday, indulging in questionably trashy sci-fi, and eating his weight in popcorn.
Jemima Robertson
Senior Portfolio Manager
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Jemima has a background as a social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of regenerative design, education and resilient community building. She co-founded Soapbox Citizens, a social enterprise grounded in the belief that connecting young people to each other locally through participatory, creative practices provides space and capacity for societies rooted in justice, care and mutual flourishing.
Since completing her MA in Ecological Design Thinking, Jemima is particularly interested in commons-based practices and shifting power and resources into the hands of community changemakers. Jemima is passionate about resolving the mismatch between what grassroots groups need to flourish and the systemic conditions that stifle social and environmental justice projects.
She is a Trustee at Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and holds a degree in Biological Natural Sciences.
Jemima enjoys being creative: making playful illustrations, baking, and windowsill gardening! She loves to bring her dog Hugo into any conversation, and wherever she is, she will have a mug of coffee glued to her hand.
Natasha Clarkson
Head of Operations
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Natasha is our Head of Operations while Priya is on Maternity leave. She’ll be working with Beth to keep everything running smoothly, working on policies, HR, and everything ops.
With over ten years experience in locally organised community groups, saving community spaces and all of the admin and organisation that comes along with it, Natasha is an expert when it comes to place-based work. She is results-driven and strategic, with a proven track record of transforming struggling charities into financially sustainable community assets through creativity and innovation.
Outside of work you’ll either find her cooking up a storm in her kitchen (surrounded by a multitude of different cookbooks), at the swimming pool as a swim mum, or walking her lovely dog Ruka.
Aimee Dorsett Browne
Programmes
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Aimee has over 10 years’ experience working at the intersection of community organising, social innovation and grant making.
She started her career working in France where she worked for a start up social enterprise specialising in solutions journalism. Following the Brexit vote, she returned to London and spent two years supporting grassroots equality organisations to grow their communications and campaigning capacity, ensuring the groups voices were heard. Aimee then transitioned into grant making, helping micro NGOs from across England build social enterprise activities and offering wrap around learning and mentoring support.
Aimee’s brain ticks for relationship building and she’s always excited to meet and support all the incredible organisations across SCN’s portfolio.
Outside of work, Aimee enjoys running, yoga, bike packing and hiking – can you tell she struggles to sit still!?
Coco Cherian
Programme Assistant
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As our Programme Assistant, Coco works with our fiscally hosted groups that use the Open Collective platform. She is a strong believer in people power and the active role of communities in working toward social change.
Coco comes from Australia, where she gained a BA in Media and Geography and a Master of Development Studies from the University of Melbourne. She also has a background in community development, working with grassroots groups who fundraise and prepare to welcome refugee newcomers at Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia.
New to London, Coco is excited to eat her way through the city. Out of hours, you’ll find her watching a comedy show, at the theatre, or meeting new dogs at the park.
SCN Board Members
Peter Treganna (he/him)
Non-Executive Director
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Peter has over 25 years’ experience in finance and management consultancy.
He currently divides his time between The Social Change Nest sitting as a non-executive director, a Wealth Management company, and a charity promoting development and equality of the Palestinian minority in Israel through the advancement of education and the preservation of culture.
Pete brings a wealth of experience to SCN, including his time treading the boards. He has worked with a variety of organisations including Theatrical Producers (presenting The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Graham Norton’s one-man show, and plays by Mark Ravenhill and Nick Hornby), International Trading companies (equipment provision to the international petrochemical industry), a property management company, as well as firms of Solicitors and Chartered and Certified Accountants.
Colin Atkinson
Non-Executive Director
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Colin is an experienced risk management, governance, and regulation specialist with 25+ years of financial services experience within FS regulators (FSA and FCA); central banking (BIS/BCBS); Banking (retail, corporate & investment); asset management and insurance. He has a broad and deep knowledge of risk management techniques.
Colin has acquired good product knowledge in all asset classes and is a highly motivated individual with drive and enthusiasm, adaptable to change, leads people, influencer and is able to make and communicate decisions. He is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments and was a member of the Risk Forum for 10 years. He has a degree from the City University, London.
Interests include watching films, opera, and plays; reading – member of local book club; visiting galleries and museums; member of Historic Scotland and National Trust for Scotland; cooking; and photography.
Melany Ávila (she/her)
Non-Executive Director
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Melany Ávila is an Argentinian-Brazilian program development manager and seasoned fundraiser passionate about migrant rights, community outreach and supporting the empowerment of minoritised women in the UK.
As an immigrant, Melany has occupied several roles within charity fundraising, finance and operations. Starting her career in Latin American Women’s Aid, Melany has extensive experience as a frontline worker and a deep understanding on the issues faced by migrant and minoritised women in the UK, especially in the context of fleeing violence. She has also worked as a senior fundraiser for the Chatham House, and she is currently working as a Programme Development Manager at Clarion Futures, supporting sustainability, social justice and innovation initiatives in the social housing sector.
In 2020, she co-founded Latin Girls at Work, a registered UK charity that facilitates professional and social opportunities for Latinx women by creating a platform where they can expand their networks, develop their professional skills and share experiences.
Davey Kelleher (he/him)
Non-Executive Director
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Davey is an Artistic Director with over 15 years of experience leading diverse creative teams and fostering artistic development in professional production, youth work, education, and community settings. With a strong passion for community and social engagement, Davey has dedicated his career to leveraging the power of the arts to drive positive change. He is the current Artistic Director of Dublin Youth Theatre.
Davey is committed to social change, empowerment and inclusion in all aspects of his work. He believes in the power of community endeavour to bring people together, spark conversations, and inspire action. His dedication to fostering artistic innovation goes hand in hand with his mission to create meaningful connections within and beyond the community.
As a non-executive director at Social Change Nest, Davey is focused on leveraging his skills in management, communication, and leadership to support the company’s initiatives. He is dedicated to working closely with the team to develop strategies that promote social cohesion, advocate for diversity and inclusion, and empower community members to enact meaningful change.
Babou Olengha-Aaby (she/her)
Non-Executive Director
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Babou is a purpose-driven leader and changemaker with over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business development, and strategic partnerships. As a passionate advocate for social innovation, women’s economic empowerment, L&D, increasing diversity and mental wellbeing in business, Babou has founded and led several impact-driven ventures, including The Next Billion, a company dedicated to closing the visibility gap for women-owned businesses globally.
Babou brings expertise in safeguarding and trauma-informed practices to The Social Change Nest. Her DE&I consulting work includes designing and delivering workshops and training for organisations such as UNHCR, UN Women, UNV, MANUSCA, the World Trade Organization, and Hearst Media. Topics covered in her training include micro-aggressions and their impact in the workplace, being an upstander, LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender in the workplace, and trauma-informed care for victims of sexual harassment within humanitarian organizations.
Certified as a TalentPredix Strength-Based Practitioner and in Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Babou’s qualifications align perfectly with her role as a non-executive director. These certifications highlight her dedication to fostering mental wellness and supporting diverse, inclusive environments.
Babou is recognized for her innovative contributions and has been honoured as a Top 5 Finalist for Innovator of the Year by the Nordic Women in Tech Awards. She actively supports female and underrepresented founders through angel investing and mentoring, and she has been a keynote speaker at international conferences, including TEDx Women and the Women’s Forum. Babou’s multilingual skills in English, French, and Norwegian further enrich her holistic approach to social change.
In addition to her consulting work, Babou writes thought leadership pieces on trauma-informed practices, including the article Nurturing Resilience: The Imperative of Trauma-Informed Leadership in Modern Workspaces, which highlights the importance of trauma-informed leadership.