Who we are

Amy is our resident matchmaker. As Programme Manager (Partnerships) she’s focused on finding the right friends to collaborate with in order to amplify impact for the young people we serve. Amy works with corporate partners to maximise effective employee engagement, whether that’s regular mentoring, ad hoc volunteering opportunities through to leadership and team building days. Prior to joining us at FIRST UK, she used her relationship-building and analysis skills to execute events at firms in Vancouver and Toronto. With a shift in focus, she’s now working to identify opportunities for leveraging income, people, and resources to achieve our mission sooner. Since it’s always easier to make friends with food, Amy’s experience as a trained pastry chef will be a critical on the job asset.

Ed’s ideas (not always good ones), agility and boundless energy drive the charity forward at pace. Frustrated by standing still he is constantly asking ‘will it make the boat go faster’ – no one really understands why (rumour suggests it’s a book he got one Christmas and hasn’t actually read but cites when out of ideas). Ed describes the mission as ‘making the charity go out of business’ – a world where every young person is equipped with the technical knowledge and life skills to own their futures. In the meantime, he’s focused on defining the pathway to impact and securing sustainable investment and critical friendships to get there fast. Previously Ed led innovation at Cancer Research UK devising award-winning fundraising products, disrupting funding models and driving strategic growth. He also spent several years globe-trotting whilst helping build an adventure tour operator into a sector-leading SME. His passions include his partner Katherine, their two young boys Zeb and Oz, travel, and anything to do with the water, outdoors or food.

Patrice owns all things comms, brand, and marketing (what you’d hope from the Comms and Marketing Manager) here at FIRST UK. Operating across all channels and events, she builds a narrative that resonates with our audiences, making sure that everyone feels part of an epic experience. A Graphic and Media Designer from the University of the Arts London, Patrice honed her craft delivering consumer marketing campaigns and games with digital and creative agencies. While the head of comms programmes at Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s Open Data Institute, she developed influencer strategies for public sector agencies. When she’s not working, you can find her binge-watching documentaries, dad dancing, rallying causes for diversity and inclusion, or presenting to young people and grown ups about opportunities in STEM and comms.

Vikrant’s passion for STEM trace back to his time as an undergraduate studying engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology. The technical knowledge, relationships and life-skills he developed at the IIT served him well as a young entrepreneur in the dot com boom of early 2000’s. Recognising the impact technology and a technical education had on his own journey, he’s now determined to ensure every young person can unlock opportunities through STEM – and he’s established FIRST® UK to do just that.