Between the ages of 13 to 18 years old, I was a youth leader in an international organisation. I designed, delivered and co-ordinated sessions and conventions as well as provided coaching for emerging leaders.
When I started work at 21, I already had well-developed public speaking, presentation, leadership, team and communication skills. I was hired as a team manager in my first role and continued to coach many individuals and teams to high performance throughout my career. I have always held leadership roles and have worked
cross functionally and at the board level. From my own experience, I understand the huge value in giving students the opportunity to practice and develop these skills from a young age.
Throughout my career, I have worked with youth products from the launch of One2One / T-Mobile to the areas of Mobile Content and other online youth offerings. I have managed and driven innovation for £350m product portfolios such as Mobile Messaging and have consulted with many companies in the digital space. My 12 years at One2One / T-Mobile saw me promoted to a new role each year. I also spent 3 years as Director of Product and User Insights for a popular teenage avatar / virtual world site called WeeWorld. My special approach has always been to be both end user and revenue centric.
I have been running workshops in schools for over 8 years, starting as a volunteer in Hertfordshire schools when I was at T-Mobile. I have worked with over 10 schools across Herts and London and with teacher groups including the Heads of Business Studies in London.
I have also started conversations about the new Diplomas and how to integrate “Real Work Environments” in to the various programs. I have also been exploring ideas around Education 2.0 with sites such as http://www.teachable.net and the educational properties of virtual world environments.