Our President and Trustees
Our President and Trustees
William Salomon OBE - YE President
William Salomon OBE is the Senior Partner of Hansa Capital Partners, Deputy Chairman of Ocean Wilsons Holdings Limited and a director of Hansa Investment Company Limited.
William was responsible for developing Finsbury Asset Management and the Finsbury range of funds, and appointing specialist managers until taken over in 1995 by Rea Brothers Group, the familyâs bank of which he eventually became Chairman. In 1999 Rea Brothers Group was taken over by Close Brothers Group when William was appointed Deputy Chairman of the investment division.
Young Enterprise has always been an important part of Williamâs life, as his father Sir Walter founded the charity in 1962. William is delighted to be President and a regular financial supporter of YE.
Our Trustees
Simon Lewis OBE (Chair)
Simon became Chair of Young Enterprise in January 2020. He has a longstanding passionate interest in both education and social mobility, having chaired the UK-US Fulbright Commission from 2009-13. He was awarded an OBE in 2014 for services to international education.
Simon is Managing Partner of the strategic communications business, Lewis Advisors, providing strategic counsel to business leaders. Prior to that, Simon was Vice Chair EMEA at FTI Consulting and previously spent nine years as Chief Executive of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe. Simon is a co-presenter of âWhen it Hits the Fanâ, a BBC Radio 4 Programme and Podcast.
Other pivotal roles held in Simonâs career include Director of Communications atâŻ10 Downing StreetâŻand Prime Minister Gordon Brownâs Official Spokesman. He had previously been corporate affairs director at Vodafone and Centrica and first Communications Secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Andrew Baddeley
Andrew is Group CFO at S&W Group. He specialised in insurance company taxation at EY and PWC. He held a number of roles in the insurance sector, later as CFO for a number of groups and then at TPICAP, the interdealer broker.
Andrew joined Tilney in 2018 where, as CFO, he coordinated the successful acquisition of Smith & Williamson in 2020 to create Evelyn Partners. He then led the carve-out of S&W, the Top 10 accountancy business.
Andrew has served as a school governor and has been an independent member of our Risk & Audit Committee since 2018, joining the Board in May 2022.
Mina Karshala
Mina joined the Young Enterprise Board in July 2021. She is a 2013 Young Enterprise alumna, and took part in the Start Up Programme whilst studying for her Leadership and Management degree.
Her Young Enterprise experience and learning about what the organisation stands for set the foundations of her career path. Mina currently works at an education charity and runs her own business during evenings and weekends. Having experienced first-hand the difference organisations like Young Enterprise make to young people, Mina is passionate about being part of a mission to ensure no childâs potential is limited by their socio-economic background.
Raj Sharma
Raj is General Counsel and Company Secretary at Wincanton Plc. Prior to this, he spent several years at Mitie Group Plc, latterly as Group Counsel. In both roles, he gained extensive experience in working with start-ups and high-growth businesses and thrives on the buzz associated with these businesses.
Raj is a Young Enterprise alumnus, having been Finance Director of a Young Enterprise company in 2001, reaching the National Finals. He was involved in re-establishing a Bristol Young Enterprise Board and subsequently was a member of the Greater Manchester Young Enterprise Board. He joined the Young Enterprise Board in January 2019.
John Sills
John is Managing Partner at the customer-led growth company, The Foundation.
25 years ago, he started his career on a market stall. Since then, he has worked with companies to make things better for customers. Heâs been in front-line teams delivering the experience, innovation teams designing propositions, and HQ teams creating strategy. Heâs been a bank manager during the financial crisis, launched an app to millions of people, and regularly asks strangers personal questions!
He spent twelve years at HSBC, latterly as Head of Customer Innovation. His book ââŻThe Human Experience â⯠was nominated as 'Leadership Book of the Yearâ, and his writing has appeared in The Guardian and The FT.
Graham Farhall
Graham has worked for Delta since 2008 and is their Regional Director â Finance EMEA,âŻresponsible for providing financial expertise, including ensuring accounting control and compliance across 32 countries.
Prior to joining Delta, Graham spent ten years in various finance roles with British Airways, including time spent working in the USA. He started his career with Balfour Beatty and holds a BSc (Hons) in Business Operation and Control.
Graham is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and joined the Board of Young Enterprise in February 2019, having served as an independent member of the Risk and Audit Committee since March 2018.
Carl Reader
Carl joined the Young Enterprise Board in March 2021. Carl is an entrepreneur and small business champion with a background in accountancy.
Carl serves as Chair of the Practitioner Panel at ACCA and is widely recognised as a thought leader in the accounting profession, speaking globally to accountancy audiences about a range of topics. He features regularly in the national press and on stage and regularly provides content through his social media channels.
Carl is chairman of business advisory firm d&t and author of Boss It, The Startup Coach and The Franchising Handbook. Carl also hosts a podcast.
Sabreen Ahsan
Sabreen joined the Young Enterprise Board in July 2021. She has combined her love of entrepreneurship and her interest in supporting young people throughout her career, having worked in several education charities before founding PIYA Media, a digital marketing agency for BAME Creatives and Entrepreneurs.
Since graduating from Worcester College, Oxford with a degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies, Sabreen has been a frequent speaker at careers events and conferences for school and university students, and is excited to join Young Enterprise to support young people in realising their potential.
Donna Neely-Hayes MBE
Donna joined the Young Enterprise Board in October 2022. She started her career as a teacher in 2017 and specialised in PE and Sport. Her career developed through middle leadership and then specifically into Special Educational Needs as an Assistant Headteacher.
Donna has dedicated years of her career in ensuring the most vulnerable students achieve well in their education. Donna has driven strategy to drive social mobility and became Headteacher of Denbigh High (Luton) in 2018.
In 2022 she was awarded an MBE in recognition of her contribution to education.
Claire Thwaites
Claire is a senior leader in government affairs, public policy, and social impact, with international experience across London, Brussels, and Washington, D.C. Currently Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Reckitt, she has also held leadership roles at The LEGO Group, Apple, Vodafone, and the United Nations.
Claire has a strong record of driving policy and regulatory change, building trusted relationships with global policymakers, and leading CEO engagement with political leaders. Passionate about purpose-led leadership, she has launched initiatives that strengthen corporate reputation, create social impact, and empower diverse, high-performing teams.
Andy Campbell
Andy is Founder and CEO of Space Network, the worldâs fastest-growing, most commercially impactful space-sector ecosystem. He has significant expertise in leading, developing, and motivating multidisciplinary national teams, with the ability to positively influence and shape strategic, commercial and operational delivery. Since 2014, he has been involved in STEM education, demonstrating his commitment to inspiring future generations of scientists and engineers.
He has founded two charitable organisations supporting young people, early-stage entrepreneurs, and the empowerment of community-driven regeneration. In 2019 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of the West of Scotland and, in 2024, was appointed as Chair at Young Enterprise Scotland.
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