Meet the team

I joined our Workwhile’s host organisation IPPR in 2019 to transform our pilot project, the London Progression Collaboration, from a feasibility study on paper to a living and breathing initiative working with employers and delivering impact for Londoners. I lead on our work from a strategic and operational perspective, including working with our funders and key external partners.

I thrive on the day-to-day variety of this early-stage charity development, supported by a brilliant team. And I’m inspired by the people I meet through our work, from small business owners to apprentices.

Before this, I was a director at Ambition Institute, a national charity addressing educational disadvantage by supporting teachers and school leaders, as well as leading on their diversity and inclusion work. I see a really strong link between Ambition’s work and ours, taking different approaches to breaking the multi-generational cycle of disadvantage and marginalisation.

Outside work, I’m a school governor and can often be found with my hands muddy in the garden.

Talk to me about: strategic partnerships, funding opportunities, policy, small charity leadership

I’m Business Engagement Officer at Workwhile. With a focus on purpose and impact, I deliver high-quality advice and guidance to businesses across a range of sectors.

I'm especially passionate about Workwhile’s DevelopMentor programme for SMEs, and believe in its approach to focus on developing core managerial skills, ultimately contributing to the success and longevity of apprenticeships.

Prior to joining Workwhile, I have organised the planning and content of ‘good work’ initiatives, intended to promote best practice and learning and development amongst HR Professionals.

Through a Business Growth Programme, I have also worked with a range of Founders. Whilst recognising the challenges facing small SMEs, I have supported business growth ambitions – assisting in the creation of new jobs and contributing to London’s economic growth.

I am passionate about the world of work and championing fair opportunities for all, regardless of socio-economic background. I believe young people, whatever the direction they choose, should have access to meaningful good work.

I’m Senior Programme Manager at Workwhile. My role currently focuses on delivering tailored support to SMEs, giving them information, advice, and guidance to incorporate apprenticeships within their organisations. I also manage training provider relationships, collaborating to make apprenticeships more accessible and drive social impact.

I lead our Knowledge Sharing Network, K², which connects our SMEs, large employers, providers, and more, to learn from each other’s experiences, and I also work on our internal digital data collection methods.

I studied History at Exeter University, after which I started an entry level role in a Health-Tech start-up, where I learnt a huge amount on the job, starting in 2018 in the Implementation Team and within my third year I worked on Business Development for the UK and Australia, signing our first international customer.

I’m particularly interested in how we can shift the perspective of employers and support young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds into good work. This is due to a firm belief that the ‘traditional education’ route is not always the best option for many roles, industries, and individuals.

Talk to me about: apprenticeship support for SMEs, training provider partnerships, DevelopMentor line management training

I joined Workwhile as Head of Programmes and Impact in summer 2024. I lead on the delivery of our programmes and ensure we measure the impact of them, ensuring we disseminate findings across the sector and always looking for ways to expand and improve our programme portfolio.

I find the breadth of our work really invigorating both internally as a new organisation but also externally, working with a variety of small businesses and seeing the impact both in creating apprenticeships but seeing the apprentices themselves thrive in their roles.

Prior to joining Workwhile, I was Programme Lead at Ambition Institute, providing development programmes to educators in schools ranging from those starting their careers through to Multi Academy Trust CEOs.

Beyond work I spend much of my time ferrying my twin boys from one sporting activity to another, and am also Chair of Governors at their school.

I've worked across several sectors and connected with people from all walks of life, and always asked myself ‘how did people get there?’. Whether life experiences or education, people aim for a better quality of life. Still, not all opportunities are equally accessible due to knowledge or socioeconomic circumstances.

As I gained experience in the welfare and education space, I was inspired by some of the organisations within the community making a change in a flawed system, and striving to make a difference. As I saw what was working elsewhere, I felt limited in making an impact.

This is why I joined the London Progression Collaboration in 2019, with a blank canvas to design and deliver support to enable those from under-represented and marginalised backgrounds to access a quality apprenticeship experience through the businesses that seek support. Whether brokering a levy transfer or helping SMEs understand the world of apprenticeships, I'm always thinking about how I can enhance their experience and, in turn, create those opportunities for those that need it the most.

Talk to me about: apprenticeship support for SMEs, training provider partnerships

I joined the team at the beginning when we had a blank piece of paper and a brief to get unemployed and low-skilled Londoners onto a pathway of progression through apprenticeships. Since then my work has grown from SME support and helping Levy paying organisations to share levy with SMEs, to working in close partnership with local councils in London to find innovative ways to support local businesses to create opportunity through apprenticeships and training, with the values of good work and good pay for residents.

I love how agile and creative we can be as a small, but expertise-packed organisation that sits in a unique position between local and national government, training providers and businesses. I love to think laterally and find new and interesting ways to solve skills and employment problems and change people’s thinking about fair pay and good work.

Outside of work I try to attend as many gigs as I can and have an ever expanding vinyl record collection.

Talk to me about: our work with local authorities and industry/sector bodies, consultancy support

Rob Powell is Culture & Engagement Director – Europe, at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Throughout his eighteen years in law, Rob has spearheaded pro bono and social impact initiatives that have delivered 110,000 pro bono legal hours, 16,000 volunteering hours and directly supported 5,000 young people and jobseekers though employability and outreach programmes while raising £1.5 million for charities. Rob is a frequent speaker on the social sustainability circuit and regularly contributes to industry reports and thought leadership articles. He has been a board member of several charities including Special Olympics GB, Heart of the City, and Innocence Project London.

Rob’s work in supporting young people has been acknowledged and profiled in various ways, including winning Legal500 Social Mobility Champion of the Year (2024), being interviewed by Amol Rajan for the BBC documentary ‘How to Crack the Class Ceiling?’ (2022) and more recently, being named a Social Mobility Mover & Shaker by Making the Leap in their annual Social Mobility List (2026).

Rob is also the Chair of the Trailblazer Group for the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CRS) Apprenticeship – the UK’s first vocational pathway into CRS. It is through this work that Rob first began to collaborate with Workwhile in 2021 (during the organisation’s previous incarnation as the London Progression Collaboration).

I passionately believe in the importance of education, progression opportunities and good work to improve the life chances of children and families, and create a more equitable society.

I have worked in the education, skills and employability sectors for over a decade. I am currently Head of Strategic Innovation at AQA, and prior to that was Head of Impact Strategy at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Before that I was Director of Programmes, Evidence & Innovation at BookTrust, and Director of BookTrust Northern Ireland and BookTrust Cymru, having joined BookTrust from School-Home Support where I was Director of Services, Training and Consultancy. I started my career as a teacher and Leaving Care practitioner, before joining the charity sector to design and scale education and employability support programmes for children, young people and families.

Sarah is passionate about social impact and truly believes in the role of business to drive social change. With a background in HR, learning and coaching, Sarah co-founded a social impact business which supported individuals from marginalised backgrounds into employment. She is proud of how the unique approach broke the cycle of long term unemployment and the lives it transformed.

In recent years, Sarah has led a number of successful and award-winning employment initiatives, most recently at a large Housing Association. She brings expertise and experience in developing tailored interventions to improve work readiness, create employment pathways for bespoke clients, improve the quality of work and tackle work related issues.

In her current role at the Royal Foundation, Sarah leads a high-profile homelessness prevention programme with an ambition to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness through collaboration. Sarah loves to build connections and see people and projects flourish and have impact.

She is delighted to join the team of trustees for this exciting phase of Workwhile’s growth and hopes to bring insights and learning from her experience to help shape an impactful organisation. Outside of work she loves being by the sea, travelling to new places, cycling and building community wherever she finds herself!

Joe Dromey has been General Secretary of the Fabian Society since January 2025. The Fabian Society is a think tank and membership organisation, dedicated to building a more equal economy and society.

Prior to joining the Fabian Society, Joe served as Director of Central London Forward, the partnership of the 12 central London boroughs, for four years. At his time at Central London Forward, the organisation supported over 10,000 Londoners into work.

Joe has worked on employment and skills policy for over a decade. Prior to joining Central London Forward, Joe was Deputy Director at Learning and Work Institute, a think tank focused on employment and skills policy. Joe worked at IPPR for two years, including leading the feasibility study and securing the funding for The London Progression Collaboration, which went on to become Workwhile.

Joe has extensive experience of local government. He served as a Councillor and Cabinet Member in Lewisham for seven years, including leading on the employment and skills portfolio. He also worked as a council officer in Newham.

Joe is passionate about inclusive growth, London, and local government.

Joseph is a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) - Workwhile's former incubating organisation. He leads the Institute’s work on rebalancing economic power to workers and citizens, with a focus on how government policy can support good job creation across the country. He also contributes to IPPR’s work on economic policy and a fair green transition.

Joseph has worked on policy development, with a focus on the labour market, for more than 5 years. He was previously a researcher and project manager for Cohort 2040 and a policy assistant for Green Alliance.

Joseph joins Workwhile as a trustee for the first time, bringing knowledge of labour markets, expertise in shaping the policymaking process and an institutional link to IPPR.

Bina Khatwani is a big four ACA qualified chartered accountant, currently operating at C-Suite level as a Fractional CFO. She works with SMEs and start ups enabling their growth journeys through strategic planning, fundraising, M&A, and building scaleable finance functions.

Bina brings expertise in strategic and financial planning, governance and fundraising.

Bina is passionate about social mobility and holds two Trustee positions with social mobility charities.

Sammy Shummo is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in further and higher education, business development, and apprenticeship management. Currently serving as the Group Director of Apprenticeships at London South Bank University (LSBU), Sammy provides strategic leadership for the development, delivery, and impact of LSBU Group's apprenticeship strategy. Under his leadership, LSBU has experienced significant expansion, increasing both the number of apprenticeship offerings and business partnerships.

Throughout his career, Sammy has demonstrated a strong track record of success in driving apprenticeship growth, forging key partnerships with employers, and achieving business development targets. His proactive approach, coupled with his exceptional interpersonal skills, has enabled him to initiate and cultivate relationships with stakeholders at all levels, contributing to the expansion and enhancement of vocational education opportunities.

Steve Starbuck is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) with over 16 years of experience in Central Government, including the Ministry of Defence, HM Treasury and HMRC. He currently serves as Strategic Financial Adviser for Future Combat Air Strategy Partnership Integration at the Ministry of Defence, where he shapes the financial strategy underpinning the UK's approach to integrating international partners into the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), providing trusted advice to Ministers, Executive Boards and senior officials on high-value, high-profile programmes.

Alongside a track record of leading finance teams and shaping financial strategy at the heart of government, Steve is passionate about developing people and supporting career progression, having mentored colleagues, managed apprentices and championed skills development throughout his career.

Steve joined Workwhile as a trustee in 2025, bringing deep expertise in finance, governance and strategic planning, and a strong belief in the power of skills and quality work to transform lives.