Advisory Council

Yewande Akinola is a chartered engineer, an innovator, a dreamer and speaker with passion for the role of innovation, creativity and engineering in our world today. She holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Innovation and Design for Sustainability from Cranfield University. Yewande’s engineering experience spans over 15 years and her expertise includes Design and Construction, Innovation and Manufacture of buildings and systems in the built environment. She has worked on projects in the U.K, Africa, the Middle East and in East Asia. 

 She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She is on the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa CATALYST Steering Committee. Yewande is a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster. She also sits on Council at the University of Warwick. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2020 New Year Honour’s list for services to Engineering Innovation and Diversity in STEM. 

Yewande has been awarded the U.K. Society of Public Health Engineers’ Young Engineer of the Year. She won the U.K. Young Woman Engineer of the Year (Institute of Engineering & Technology) and has been honoured with the Exceptional Achiever Award by the Association for Black Engineers (AFBE-UK) and the Association of Consultancy and Engineering, U.K. (ACE). She has been named one of the UK’s top 35 women under the age of 35 by Management Today and was awarded PRECIOUS AWARDS Outstanding Woman in STEM award. In 2019, she was named one of the UK + Europe TOP Influential women in Engineering by Financial Times and Inclusive Boards.

Yewande has presented  television  programs for Discovery Channel, Channel 4, Yesterday TV and CBBC

Professor Bugewa Apampa is one of 40 Black (African/Caribbean, 2019) British female

professors working in UK Universities. Her strong belief in the power of education to

change lives for the better saw her take on her current role at Birmingham City

University, as the Professor of Access and Participation working with staff and students

across faculties on projects designed to ensure that disadvantaged students, many of

whom are Black and Minority Ethnic, realise the transformational power of Higher Education.

Previously, Professor Apampa was Director of Teaching and Learning, Director of

Pharmacy and Professor of Pharmacy Education in the School of Life Sciences at the

University of Sussex. With a vision that the transformative power of education can be

unleashed through a systematic and evidence-based design of teaching, learning and assessments, she led teams of academics and a range of stakeholders in the collaborative design and development of outcomes-focused, integrated core curriculum for Pharmacy first at the University of Kent and then at the University of Sussex. At the University of Sussex, she adopted a contemporary approach to curriculum design based on Pareto’s principle of ‘focusing on the vital few, and ignoring the trivial many’, in an attempt to avoid fundamental problems that limit student engagement with meaningful learning. These include too much content and insufficient opportunities for the development of critical analytical skills, cultural competency and a joy for learning in students. The resultant integrated curriculum enabled the creation of dynamic communities of learning in which staff and students worked together to attain deep, relevant and meaningful learning. Additionally a reduction in the breadth of content facilitated students’ creativity since it provided space for their engagement with

authentic metacognitive learning activities within diverse teams thus inspiring their

passion for learning.

Her work has been recognised with awards such as the University of Kent Faculty of

Science Teaching Prize (2013), the University of Sussex Vice Chancellor’s Teaching

Excellence Award for outstanding and innovative undergraduate teaching (2017) and Fellowship of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for distinction in the Profession of

Pharmacy (2017).

Christiana Dinah is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and medical retina specialist at London North West Healthcare NHS Trust and Honorary Consultant at Imperial College NHS Trust. She completed her general ophthalmology training in London and the North of England with commendation and subsequently completed her Medical Retinal Fellowship at the world renowned Moorfield’s Eye Hospital. 

As well as her expertise in the management of retinal diseases, she is a recognized research lead and has been Principal Investigator for numerous global clinical trials for retinal diseases. She is the originator and leader of the Central Middlesex Retinal Treatment Research Group. The group contributes to various national and international clinical trials investigating the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases. In 3 short years, the group has received numerous research awards from industry and hospital management. 

She currently serves as Ophthalmology Lead for North West London Clinical Research Network and is the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead on the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Specialty Group for Ophthalmology. She is a mentor and accredited trainer of medical students, trainee doctors and allied health professionals. 

She is also passionate about women in science and removing the barriers they face in the quest for a thriving career. 

Dr Paula Franklin is the Chief Medical Officer for Bupa Group and the Chief Medical and Risk Officer for Bupa Global & the UK. Paula studied medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College and worked as a GP before leaving clinical practice to study public health at Johns Hopkins University.  Following this, she worked for the Children’s Defense Fund charity in Washington DC on US health policy and legislation.  

On returning to the UK, Paula joined Bupa and between 1996 and 2010 held a number of senior medical roles in both health funding and provision businesses.  Paula then joined Marie Stopes International where she was Global Medical Director. She returned to Bupa in 2013 to take up the role of UK Medical Director. 

In addition to her medical degree, Paula has an MPH from Johns Hopkins, an MBA from London Business School, an MA in Bioethics and Medical Law, and a diploma in counselling.  Paula is a trustee of the Youth Sport Trust and City University. 

Paula joined Bupa in 1996 and held a number of senior medical roles in both funding and provision businesses before leaving in 2009 to join Marie Stopes International where she was Global Medical Director. She returned to Bupa in April 2013 to take up the post of Medical Director of Bupa UK, becoming Chief Medical and Risk Officer for our Bupa UK Market Unit in 2017.

Ronke Lawal is the Founder of Ariatu PR. Having graduated with honours from Lancaster University and the University of Richmond Virginia (USA) with a degree in International Business (Economics), she started her own PR and Communications business in 2004. Ariatu PR specialises in PR and Communications for clients in a range of B2C industries; including lifestyle, consumer goods & the creative  enterprise sector.

In January 2010, Ronke became the Chief Executive of the Islington Chamber of Commerce where she remained until the end of 2012 and became a non-executive director of The Hoxton Apprentice in 2011. She joined the board of Trustees of Voluntary Action Islington in 2012 and was on The Employers Panel for the National Employment Savings Trust from 2011-18.  In 2018 she became a director on the board of directors at the Charted Institute of Public Relations. She is a Mentor for The Cherie Blair Foundation, The “Success Looks Like You” Initiative and The BME PR Pros initiative as well as a mentor to entrepreneurs and creatives outside of structured initiatives. In 2010 Ronke was named as one of the Top 400 women of the year in the UK for her work with the Islington Chamber of Commerce. In 2011 Ronke was honoured to receive a Precious Award for Inspirational Leadership. In 2019 Ronke received an alumni award from Lancaster University for making a substantial contribution to her field of work and developed an outstanding reputation among her peers.

She is a passionate advocate for enterprise and equality and equity through diverse and inclusive leadership. She is regularly invited to facilitate training in personal branding, PR strategy and media training as well as an active public speaker. She is also a regular guest contributor and co-host on Talk Radio offering her insights on pop culture, current affairs, business and more.

Linzi Thomas is a Corporate Partner in the London office of international law firm Latham & Watkins. Having graduated from Kings College London with a Bachelor of Law, Linzi was awarded a training contract with Clifford Chance, where she qualified as a solicitor and was promoted to the role of Private Equity Associate in 2011. In 2014, Linzi moved laterally to Latham & Watkins, where she was promoted to Partner within five years. 

Linzi's practice focuses on private equity and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity in Africa. Ms. Thomas has advised numerous clients from around the globe, including CVC Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group, BC Partners, Helios Investment Partners, Ares, TA Associates, Triton Partners, KKR and Leonard Green & Partners. 

Her recent experience includes advising Leonard Green & Partners and its portfolio company CPA Global, a leader in intellectual property software and tech-enabled services, on its US$6.8 billion combination with Clarivate Plc, a leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation. Linzi has also recently advised Helios Investment Partners, TA Associates, and minority shareholders on the sale of a significant minority stake in Interswitch to Visa. Interswitch, headquartered in Nigeria, is one of the largest Africa-focused digital payments providers.  In Europe, Linzi has advised the likes of CVC Capital Partners in connection with the £2.4 billion IPO of Avast, the world’s largest consumer antivirus software supplier, listed on the London stock exchange and The Carlyle Group and The Nature’s Bounty Co. on the £1.77 billion sale of Holland & Barrett, one of Europe’s largest health and wellness retailers.

Clients note “[her] work is of the highest quality and I trust her fully. She is an excellent negotiator who seeks the right level of input on commercial points and raises the critical issues, which gives me huge leverage” Legal 500 UK2020. Linzi was also recognised as one of the 40 Under 40: The Rising Stars In Private Equity by Legal Week in 2019; listed in The Lawyer Hot 100 2020 and ranked as a Next Generation Partner for Private Equityin the Legal 500 UK 2020. 

Linzi is actively involved in events both externally and within Latham & Watkins to promote greater representation of women and diversity within the legal profession by delivering presentations on navigating the path to partnership and mentoring women within and outside of Latham & Watkins. Linzi has worked with ‘She Leads Africa’, an organisation that helps young African female entrepreneurs achieve their professional dreams, in providing training for start-ups on legal issues to be aware of. In addition, Linzi co-hosted an ‘in conversation with’ dinner with the Black Solicitors Network’s junior division, sharing her experience, insights and advice with practising and aspiring black lawyers from law firms and other institutions across the City of London. Earlier this year, Linzi was on a panel hosted by Rare Recruitment speaking to university students about access to the legal profession. Also this year, Linzi delivered a talk to the Black British City Group on managing the path to partnership at law firms.