Our Head Office

Dr Rachel Carr is the Chief Executive and co-founder of IntoUniversity. Previously, she was a university lecturer and Head of an English Department. She has over 20 years’ experience working with children and young people.

Hannah Purkiss is our Chief Operating Officer based at our Head Office. Hannah joined us as a graduate-trainee Education Worker in August 2010.

Dan Century joined us in March 2014 and is our Chief Finance Officer. Dan has a degree in Medieval and Modern History and has more than nine years experience working in the financial services sector.

Lizzie Boyce is our Director of Development and is currently on maternity leave. Lizzie has a degree in Biology and joined us as an Education Worker in August 2013 before joining our fundraising team in 2015. She previously interned at our Hammersmith centre, and has worked at Explore Learning and The Science Museum.

Hannah Margetts joined us in September 2015 and is our Assistant Director of Development, with a specific focus on managing our corporate partnerships. Hannah has a degree in French with International Relations from the University of Exeter.

Adam Rahman joined us in June 2022 as Head of Communications. He has over a decade of communications experience including roles at TASO (The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education), National Zakat Foundation, The Silver Line and Four Paws UK. Adam has a BA (Hons) in International Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire and a Postgraduate Diploma in Charity Marketing & Fundraising from Bayes Business School.

Margaret Spiers joined us in December 2024 as our Head of People and Culture. Margaret has a degree in Theology from the University of Southampton and a postgraduate diploma in Human Resources Management from the University of East London. Margaret has over 25 years experience of working in human resources and development roles across a number of charities, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Alex Quinn is our Head of Data and Impact. He has a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and previously worked for the Zoological Society of London.

Michael Spierin joined us in August 2019 and is our Head of Operations (Impact and Strategy, Maternity Cover). He has a degree in Sports Education and Psychology from Nottingham Trent University and has previously worked as an IntoUniversity Centre Leader in Nottingham and Newcastle as well as a Fundraiser for the Canal and River Trust.

Elly Rundle is our Head of Operations (Impact and Strategy) and is currently on maternity leave. She has a degree in Modern Languages: German and Italian from the University of Oxford and a Masters in German and Italian Literature. Elly was previously Team Leader at our Haringey centre.

Oonagh Shiels joined us in May 2024 and is our Assistant Head of Operations and Programme Delivery (London & South Coast, Maternity Cover). Oonagh has a degree in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge. Previously, Oonagh worked as Partner Development Director and Head of Learning & Development at InvestIN Education, supporting young people to maximise their potential through career-experience programmes. She has also volunteered with the Access Project.

Becky Kendall is our Assistant Head of Operations and Programme Delivery (London & South Coast) and is currently on maternity leave. Becky joined us as an Education Worker in January 2014 and was Centre Leader at IntoUniversity Hackney South.

Andrew McWhirter joined us in August 2024. Andrew has a degree in English Literature from The University of Leeds. Most recently, he worked at The Literacy Pirates, a charity supporting literacy confidence in primary and secondary students. Prior to this, Andrew worked as a Primary School Teacher.

Farrell Monk joined us in March 2021 as our Financial Controller. Farrell has spent the best part of the decade working in finance for various charities, most recently at Causeway Education and The Royal Society.

Laura Morley joined the charity in September 2008 and has a degree in Communication and Media Studies from Loughborough University.

Becca Marsh joined us in June 2018. Rebecca studied History and Politics at the University of Leeds. She was previously a mentor at our Leeds South centre.

Leah​ ​Boyne​ ​joined us in January 2018. Leah has a degree in Politics from the University of Sheffield. She previously worked as an English Language Teacher in China, and was our Centre Leader at IntoUniversity Hammersmith.

Millie Radley joined us in August 2019 and is our Trust and Foundations Manager. Millie has a degree in English Literature and Italian from the University of Exeter and has worked as an Travel Coordinator for Discovery Summer, a summer school for international students, and as an English teacher in Vietnam.

Anna James is our Policy and Inclusion Manager and is currently on maternity leave. Anna was part of the set-up team for our Haringey North centre, and was Centre Leader and FOCUS Manager, leading a team to design and pilot the Secondary FOCUS Programme. She re-joined the charity in April 2019 and now works on policy and research projects for our HR Team.

Xuan Pollard joined us in January 2024. Xuan is a practising solicitor having qualified as a company commercial lawyer almost 30 years ago. Xuan has worked in private practice, in industry as well as in the charity sector in a variety of roles including voluntary positions. As a result, Xuan has gained extensive experience in legal and compliance issues arising in the voluntary sector.

Vicky Beard joined us in March 2018 and is our Senior Communications Manager. She has a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Hull and previously volunteered for a campaign group in Bedford.

Lois Plummer joined us in January 2021 and is currently on sabbatical leave. Lois has a degree in Sociology from the University of Nottingham and a MSc in Ethnicity and Multiculturalism from the University of Bristol. Previously, she interned in the Widening Participation team at the University of Bristol and worked as an Education Worker at our Bristol East centre.

Aayushi Trivedi joined us in August 2022. Aayushi has a degree in English with Education from the University of Sussex. She has a range of experience working with young people, including as a Lead Widening Participation Student Ambassador and as a Tutor. She has also worked for We Speak, supporting students to improve their speaking confidence.

Grace Piette joined us in January 2024. Grace has a degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire and a Masters in Global Public Health & Policy from Queen Mary University of London. Previously, she worked as an Operations Assistant and Program Manager at Partners for World Health, a global health non-profit based in Maine, USA.

Sharif is our Senior Corporate Partnerships officer and joined us in January 2022. He has over 8 years’ experience working in charities for children & young people having worked at ELHAP, an adventure playground for children & young people with disabilities, and The Kids Network, a mentoring charity for primary school aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sharif has a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Birmingham.

Anwar Malik joined us in July 2021 and is our Partnerships Manager. She has a degree in English Literature from King’s College London and a Master’s in Postcolonial Literature from the University of Oxford. Previously, she has volunteered for various education charities and worked as an English Language Assistant in Spain.

Kate Hollinshead joined us in September 2024. Kate has a Masters degree in Managing Equality and Diversity from London Metropolitan University and a CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management. She previously worked as Head of Operations at the charity EqualiTeach.

Rose Farley joined us in August 2022. Rose has a degree in Psychology from the University of Nottingham. Previously, she worked as a Care Assistant as well as volunteering at a local Primary school.

Chloe Cheetham joins us in January 2025 as our Impact and Evaluation Manager at Head Office. Chloe has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Liverpool John Moores University, a MA in Applied Linguistics and a PhD in Applied Sociocultural Linguistics both from from Goldsmiths, University of London and a PGCert from Middlesex University. Prior to joining IntoUniversity, Chloe has been working as a class teacher and research leader at a primary school.

Shazia Ghamai joined us in March 2022. Shazia has a degree in BSc Psychology from Brunel University and a masters in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from University College London. Previously, she volunteered with Victim Support and The Forward Trust and has research experience from her placement at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Conor Tallon joined us in October 2021. Conor has a background in Computer Science and Maths. Conor has had work experience at Credit Suisse and previously worked at Tesco.

Beccy Davies joined us in January 2023. Beccy has a degree in History and Politics from Queen Mary University. Before joining IntoUniversity, she worked in retail and as a carer.

Taylor Ferguson joined us in June 2023 and is our Fundraising Officer. Taylor has a degree in Criminology from the University of Exeter and previously completed international volunteering placements in Fiji and Nepal.

Jordan Lee joined us in June 2023 and is our Fundraising Officer (Philanthropy). Jordan has a degree in Geography and a masters in Political Theory from The University of Sheffield. Previously, he worked for a philosophy journal and in music PR.

Ceri Holloway joined us in October 2023. Ceri has an undergrad degree in English from the University of Oxford and MLitt in Postcolonial and World Literatures from the University of St Andrews. Previously, she worked with the Equality and Diversity team at St Andrews, and taught English in Malaysia.

Raechel Kuik joined us in October 2023. Raechel has a degree in Criminology from the University of Bristol. Previously, she worked as a freelance tutor for Primary school children and A Level students.

Elliot Owers joined us in August 2023. Elliot has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Warwick and previously worked in Retail.

Hannah Lay joined us in January 2024. Hannah has a degree in Political Science from the University of Birmingham and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Canterbury Christchurch University. Previously, she worked as a Geography teacher in a Secondary school in Clacton-on-Sea and volunteered as a HR and Communications Manager at a small education charity.

Zaynab Ahmed joined us in March 2024. Zaynab has a degree in Classics from Newnham College, Cambridge and previously spent two years as an elected Sabbatical Officer at Cambridge Students' Union.

Libby Bryant joined us in November 2024. Libby has an English degree from the University of Nottingham. She was previously a secondary school teacher.

Batshala Rijal joined us in November 2024. Batshala has a Bachelor's degree in International Studies and Psychology from Hillins University, Virginia, and a Master's degree in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics. She has previously completed internships in the NGO/INGO space in the US and Nepal.

Alexia Lamorgese joined us in February 2025. Alexia has a degree in Biomedical Science (BSc) from the University of Brighton. They worked as a statistician and researcher at JB Medical Ltd, they were in charge of analysing and modelling healthcare data for market access of new medical technologies.