About Us

Mentoring for the next generation of Black women

At The Catalyst Collective, we believe that mentoring can be a powerful intervention in the lives of young women. We recruit, train, match and support professional Black women with Black teenagers for year-long mentoring relationships.

We know that an excellent mentor can change our trajectory, challenge our thinking and encourage us to go further than perhaps we thought ourselves capable of.

We are committed to facilitating meaningful mentoring relationships between young Black women, and mentors they can identify with to support them in achieving their goals.

We are building a community of Black women. Will you join us?

Our Story

The Catalyst started in December 2020 as a simple idea - that by connecting Black girls with role models to act as mentors, they would accelerate towards and achieve their goals even faster. We launched our first pilot cohort of 6 pairs in January 2021, and we've kept going from there. This year (2023-24) we're on track to match and support 75 mentoring pairs.

Our approach centres creating and sustaining a joyful, authentic and supportive mentoring community of Black women, and we're focused on providing opportunities for our mentors and mentees to learn and grow from each other.

As one of our mentees explained:

...this matters a lot to me. The only other black people I come into contact with are my family. The majority of my teachers are white and male, and I don’t feel able to identify with them... It’s nice to see someone who is the same as me, and to be able to learn from their experiences and apply them to my own journey.'

We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

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Our Values

At the Catalyst, we have a set of values - co-designed by a group of mentors and mentees - that we embody in the way we work and run our programmes. These extend into everything that we do.

Celebration: We celebrate Black girls and Black women unapologetically.

Authenticity: We see you, and you can bring all of yourself to this space.

Support: We are the bridge - supporting you on the journey between where you are and where you are going.

Community: We are a community - we have each other's backs and we learn from each other's experiences.

Joy: We are joyful - like sunflowers, we turn towards the light and each other.

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Meet the Staff Team

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Programme Director and Founder

Chloe Lewis

Chloe has worked with young people for 15 years and is driven by the impact of seeing them realise their ambitions. She is a strategic adviser at the Office for Students, a part time PhD researcher and full time Black girl enthusiast! Chloe's research centres on the importance of role models and representation for Black students in British higher education.

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Projects Lead

Olivia Hylton

Olivia has over five years experience working with young people in the charity and education sectors. Having personally from mentoring at different stages of her life, Olivia is passionate about the role that mentoring can play in people's lives. When she's not working at the Catalyst, she's building Sistren - a community-building app for Black women.

Programme Assistant

Amara Agwo

Amara is studying towards an undergraduate degree in French and Geography. She loves working on various projects for the Catalyst, whether that's research, content creation, or taking minutes! Amara is passionate about encouraging and uplifting other young people, and hopes to continue working in the third sector in the future.

Mentor Coordinator - Open Access Mentoring

Georgina Ramsey

Georgina is a teacher in a girls' school in Birmingham, in which Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds make up a significant proportion of the student population, but not of the teaching staff. Through her work with young people, as well as her own experiences as both a mentor and a mentee, she has seen first-hand the power of relatable role models. She is excited to contribute to the organisation's commitment to supporting young Black women.

Mentor Coordinator

Danielle Daley

Danielle is a Trainee Child and Educational Psychologist who has worked across various education, local authority, community outreach, and voluntary settings in her career. She is passionate about social justice and committed to ensuring that every young person is afforded equal opportunities and equitable access in order to fulfil their potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. Having previously conducted research into the 'invisibility' of Black girls in educational debates, she is excited to be part of an organisation dedicated to addressing this gap and empowering young Black women to achieve their outcomes.

Mentor Coordinator

Savannah Sturridge

Savannah is currently a PhD researcher and lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science (SES). Outside of her research, she actively looks to increase Black representation and belonging in SES. She previously worked on the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In this time she created the UK’s first SES professional development and mentoring programme for underrepresented groups. Savannah is excited to work with The Catalyst Collective to empower Black girls to consider careers in all spaces and access other Black women role models.

Meet The Advisory Board

Laide Bissessar

Chair of Advisory Board

Laide leads the University of Hertfordshire’s access and participation work, ensuring the delivery of their access and participation plan commitments. She has a varied range of experience and has worked in education for 12+ years. Laide is passionate about race equity and social justice which is why she joined the Catalyst Advisory Board. She has experienced her own challenges on her journey to success and wants to empower others to achieve success.

Sam Underwood

Advisory Board Member

At The Philanthropy Workshop, Sam leads the design and delivery of donor education programmes, covering the core principles and practices of strategic philanthropy. He have a strong interest in what it takes for social change and social justice.

Sam joined the Catalyst Advisory Board because he believes deeply in the mission and the approach and is excited about the impact the organisation can have.

Carol Murraine

Advisory Board Safeguarding Lead

Carol is Head of Programmes and Pastoral Care at Eastside Young Leaders Academy - a leading black youth organisation in London. She's passionate about their work, enabling and encourages young people to ‘be’ the best version of themselves.

Carol joined The Catalyst Collective because she is excited by the opportunity to accelerate access and outcomes for girls in school and higher education.

Eilis O'Donnell

Advisory Board Member

Eilis has always been passionate about the power of education and social mobility. She started her career as a project manager in digital marketing before becoming a teacher.

Eilis left teaching and began to work into Widening Participation so that she could support more young people to experience the rewards of attending university, regardless of their background. She's excited to be part of the Catalyst's organisational development.

Kathryn McPherson

Advisory Board Member

Kathryn has worked in media and advertising for WPP ad agencies for almost a decade now – first in London, but more recently from Amsterdam!

Kathryn was a mentor for the Catalyst Collective in 2020-2021, and found it one of the most rewarding experiences she's ever had. Kathryn is looking forward to being able to keep contributing to the incredible impact Catalyst has on its network of vibrant young people.

Dr Lateesha Osbourne

Advisory Board Member

Lateesha has always had an interest in the educational journeys of young people, and this was further driven by her recent completion of a PhD in psychology. Her research focused on Black students’ sense of identity and belonging of in higher education in the UK.

Having served as a mentor in the first Catalyst cohort in 2020-21, Lateesha found the experience to be incredibly rewarding. She is eager and excited to continue contributing to the program's incredible impact on young Black women and girls.

Elise Campbell

Advisory Board Member

With over a decade of experience in human resources, Elise specialises in fostering inclusive and human-centred workplaces. Her focus on strategic HR initiatives in global, remote teams stems from a deep-seated passion for creating environments where all employees thrive. Joining the Catalyst Advisory Board, Elise is inspired by the organisation’s mission and its focus on transformative change for black girls and young black women.

Annjana Ramesh

Advisory Board Member

Annjana brings over a decade of technology and leadership experience, currently working at Monzo. Outside of work, she helps tech startups and leaders navigate their journey through coaching, mentoring and advisory. Annjana is passionate about racial equity and bridging the gap, marching towards equality. She believes mentorship is the key first step to fuel confidence and unlock access to spaces. She’s excited to work with The Catalyst Collective to have a positive impact on Black girls’ lives, and careers.

About Us

Our Story

Our Values

Meet the Staff Team

Meet The Advisory Board

Get in touch

Get in touch