Our Board

Edel Harris OBE (Chair)

Edel served as the CEO of Mencap from 2019-2023. Prior to this, she spent eleven years as the CEO of Cornerstone Community Care. Edel is also Chair of Aberdeen Performing Arts and Aspen People.

Her other Non-Executive Director appointments include the National Care Group (2023-present) and Scottish Social Services Council (2023-present).  Edel was appointed by the Scottish Government to Chair the independent review into Adult Disability Payment in 2024.

Edel was the first woman to be President of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce from 2016-2018, received an honorary doctorate from Robert Gordon’s University in 2018 and was awarded an OBE in 2021 in recognition for her services to the public sector and charity.

Julianna Oladipo

Julianna is a Director at EY UK.  She has spent her career in the pensions industry, supporting employers and trustee boards with strategy, policy and governance of their pension arrangements.

Julianna works with both the EY UK&I and Financial Services leadership teams to lead on the strategic direction for pensions and, in 2018, spearheaded the launch of the new financial wellness proposition for all EY staff in the UK.

Julianna is passionate about racial and social equality and the need to create a level playing field where all young people can succeed and achieve their full potential.

Sarah Baugh

Sarah Baugh is the Group Head of Marketing at Professional Security, where she leads the company’s marketing, commercial development and brand strategy, and spearheads the organisation’s social value initiatives, focusing on youth outreach and the empowerment of women in the security industry.

Sarah earned a First Class BA (Hons) in Business Management & Marketing from Leeds Trinity University, where she maintains a strong connection through contributions including as a mentor, visiting lecturer and host of student work placements.

Sarah is also an Ask for Angela Ambassador through which she raises awareness across the security and hospitality industry, acting as a point of contact for anyone needing guidance or support.

James Beszant

James Beszant is a partner in EY’s Financial Services Assurance group, serving clients primarily in the wealth and asset management sectors, including several charities. James is passionate about helping deliver social equity and excited to contribute to delivering on the EY Foundation’s purpose and supporting the next phase of the Foundation’s impact. 

He brings experience of working with charities and a school in North London supporting their social equity work and bringing his experience of the corporate world to help accelerate their work. His day job involves working with young people from a range of backgrounds, including coaching, sponsoring, and helping to build their confidence and to realise their ambitions. James is excited about bringing ideas, challenges and insights to support the work of the Foundation.  

In James’ work with EY, he has extensive experience working with leading global organisations across the US, Europe and Asia. His client portfolio has included asset managers, wealth managers, private banks, investment funds and FTSE-listed groups, working with each to understand their own social impact programmes and to share ideas and feedback. In addition to his client work, James has contributed to a number of industry working groups.

Outside of work, James is married to Catherine and has two children, Charlotte and Freddie. He is a keen sports fan and can often be found at Arsenal, Twickenham or Lords.

Erol Mustafa

Erol has been an EY Partner since 2002, and is recognised for his breadth of experience in technology risk, governance and controls, and working with some of EY’s largest global financial services clients to leverage the power of technology, people and innovation whilst optimising risk.

Erol’s commitment to improving the opportunities for under-represented young people is long-standing, as an active alumni participant in his University social mobility “Access to Excellence” programmes, and as a Trustee Board Member for EngineeringUK, a charity whose mission is to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be informed, inspired and progress into engineering and technology. He is Partner Sponsor for two of the EY UK Race & Ethnicity Networks, and is known widely for his authentic leadership and commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Rachel Sandby-Thomas

As Registrar at the University of Warwick, Rachel is responsible for the professional services of the University. Rachel joined Warwick after a long career in the Civil Service, the last 8 years of which were as a Director General in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills where she covered legal, corporate services and policy (skills, regulation, large and small businesses, local growth). She joined the Civil Service as a lawyer from Linklaters.

She is Vice Chair of LEAP Confronting Conflict, and on the boards of Future Fit, the Warwick College Group, the Royal Society of Arts Academies, and is on the Executive Committee of AHUA. She is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the City of London.

She is a Companion of the Order of the Bath, was named in the 2016 FTSE 100 “Women to Watch” and The Times 100 “Most Influential Lawyers”, 2012.

Taylor Dewar

Taylor is a Partner at EY Parthenon, where he specialises in restructuring and financial advisory, working with government, regulators and investors on complex situations. He has spent his career at EY, becoming a restructuring partner in 2008 and most recently serving as Deputy Managing Partner for Strategy & Transactions.

Over the course of his career, Taylor has led a number of high profile and complex engagements, including advising the UK Government on support packages for the steel industry. He began his career in audit in EY’s Leeds office before moving into restructuring and relocating to London to help build the firm’s pensions advisory business.

Taylor is passionate about improving social mobility and has seen first hand in his projects how access to opportunity can shape an individual’s future. He believes that talent and ambition are universal, but opportunity is not, and is particularly interested in helping young people develop the skills, confidence and pathways to succeed.

As a trustee, he is looking forward to supporting the Foundation’s mission and helping to create opportunities for more young people to fulfil their potential.

Lucia Wilde

Lucia Wilde is currently Deputy Chief People Officer at the Cabinet Office. She was previously His Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan in 2021, where she worked with young climate activists. Prior to this, she was the HR Deputy Director in the Department for Health and Social Care under Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales. She qualified as an HR professional in HM Revenue and Customs.

Earlier in her career Lucia was the Head of the Department for International Development’s programme in Iraq and worked on counter narcotics in the British Embassy in Afghanistan. She also served in Moscow, Brussels and Accra.

Chelsea Hargreaves

Chelsea was a member of the 2016 Leeds Smart Futures cohort and later became a member of the EY Foundation’s first Youth Advisory Board.

Chelsea has a degree in Politics and a Master’s in Public Health and International Development. After working in children's social care policy at the Department for Education, Chelsea now works as a Senior Health Security Policy Advisor at UK Health Security Agency.

Chelsea is passionate about social mobility and supporting those from low socio economic backgrounds to achieve their potential.

Ashley Hodges

Ashley Hodges is the CEO of the UK education charity Young Citizens, having previously launched and led the social mobility charity Speakers for Schools from 2012 - 2019. For over 15 years in the UK her roles have focused on leading education initiatives that bring together cross-sector collaboration and influential leaders to increase equitability of opportunities, inclusion and support for young people particularly in state schools in the UK.

Originally from Ohio, Ashley started her career in communications and politics, including as an Obama for America staff member in the 2008 election. In addition to her executive roles, she previously served as a Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors at a primary school, a community charity trustee and is a NED of the tech social enterprise, Democracy Club.

Whilst her day job focuses on democracy education that empowers young people, she remains passionate about the need for targeted social mobility initiatives like that of the Foundation that can help level the playing field for all young people in the UK. 

Neil Mathur

Neil is a Partner in the EY UK Consulting practice with 18 years of Internal Audit, Risk Management and Internal Controls experience.  Neil leads our SOX/ICFR UK practice.  He has led the delivery of global programmes for a diverse set of clients and also facilitates Board and Management level training. He has also led the design of Internal Audit/SOX and Risk Management functions of NYSE listed company’s.

Improving social mobility is deeply important to him because he's seen how much of success depends not just on talent or effort, but on access to the right opportunities, networks, early guidance and having someone who believes in you at the right moment.  Early in his own journey, he didn’t always have visibility of the opportunities available, and it made a real difference when people took the time to guide and support him. That experience has stayed with him and shaped his belief that we need to do more to ensure every young person has a fair chance.

As Audit & Risk Committee Chair, he's looking forward to bringing experience from his professional role in risk and governance, but applying it to something he cares about on a more personal level. He's particularly motivated to help the Foundation grow its impact in a way that is both ambitious and sustainable—ensuring strong stewardship, thoughtful risk-taking, and clear evidence of outcomes.