Trustees Expand Our Board of Trustees Sue Rimmer-Wilson OBE (chair) Sue Rimmer-Wilson is Chair of The Girls’ Network and Vice Chair of Council at St George’s University of London. She is also a fellow of the RSA. Until July 2017, Sue was Principal and CEO of South Thames College for over 16 years and has over 30 years experience in the further education and skills sector. Sue has advised on and shaped a wide range of educational and skills strategies and policy developments at local, regional and national levels. Throughout her career, Sue has demonstrated a passion for and strong commitment to pursuing equality, diversity and inclusion. In addition to being CEO & Principal, Sue held a number of external positions including: Chair of the Association of Colleges (London Region), a Board member on the London Development Agency, Chair of London Capital Colleges; Chair of the Principal’s Professional Council; a trustee of the Helena Kennedy Foundation and a Commissioner for the All Parliamentary Group for Skills. Sue has a BA (Hons) in Sociology and Psychology and a postgraduate Certificate in Education. She was awarded the OBE in the 2011 New Year’s Honours list for services to Further Education. Hannah Essex Hannah Essex is Vice-Chair and Founding Trustee of The Girls' Network. She met Co-Founders Becca Dean and Charly Young while she was Director of Communications at Teach First. They told her about their idea for what became The Girls' Network - she was immediately hooked and has been involved ever since. A life-long feminist, Hannah is passionate about improving the life chances of the least advantaged young people and creating a more equal and inclusive society. Hannah is employed as Co-Chief Executive at the Society of London Theatre, a role she shares with her long term job share Claire Walker. Hannah and Claire joined the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre in September 2022. This is their third role together as a partnership. They are considered trailblazers in the concept of co-leadership, proving it can have significant benefits in terms of innovation, influence and relationships. Hannah and Claire were previously Co-Executive Directors of the British Chambers of Commerce between 2018-2022 working on behalf of their members on critical issues such as Brexit, Covid and workforce. They are regarded as two of the most effective, credible and tenacious influencers in Westminster and were both recently recognised as two of the Top 100 Women in Westminster by House Magazine in 2022. Michelle Rodrigues Michelle joined the Board of Trustees of The Girls’ Network in 2018. Having studied law at Cambridge University, she spent 11 years as a Corporate lawyer at City practice Taylor Wessing before moving to financial services firm Instinet Europe Limited, a Nomura company, where she currently serves as General Counsel. Her area of specialism is Corporate Governance and in 2020 she received an award for Excellence in Governance at the European Women in Finance Awards. Michelle is passionate about The Girls’ Network’s mission to connect girls from the least advantaged communities to professional female mentors, having had personal experience of the positive impact of mentoring during her teenage years. Lauren McCluskey Lauren joined the Board of Trustees of The Girls’ Network in 2023 and is the Chair of the Finance & Risk Committee. Having studied at St Andrews University she qualified as an accountant with Deloitte, gained experience in several senior finance roles before joining AAB and becoming head of Virtual Finance function in 2018. She focuses on providing support for complex charities and AIM listed businesses. Lauren is passionate about The Girls’ Network’s mission to connect girls from the least advantaged communities to professional female mentors to empower them to see a future outside of their situation.
Chief Executive Officer Expand Becca Dean MBE Becca Dean MBE co-founded The Girls’ Network over 11 years ago with a mission to ensure that no girl’s future is limited by her gender, ethnicity, background, or parental income. Returning as CEO in 2025, Becca brings a commitment to empowering girls from the least advantaged communities to realise their potential and achieve their ambitions. Becca is a social entrepreneur, education leader and advocate for equity. An ex-English teacher and Teach First Ambassador, Becca has founded and led multiple education initiatives, including a pioneering literacy programme in the South East that combined creative learning environments with one-to-one support to raise aspirations and attainment. Her leadership and impact have been widely recognised: MBE for services to young people (2020) Forbes 30 Under 30 in Social Impact (2018) Stylist Magazine Prix Award winner (2017) Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award finalist (2017) Honorary Doctorate from the University of Portsmouth for services to education and social mobility Becca is an experienced charity leader with a track record of building and scaling impactful programmes, securing investment, and working in partnership with government, corporates and communities. Through The Girls’ Network and her wider work, Becca has supported thousands of teenage girls to develop confidence, skills and networks, ensuring they feel seen, heard and able to pursue their ambitions. Becca’s vision and dedication remain at the heart of The Girls’ Network, driving its mission to build a world where every girl and young woman can reach for her unlimited future.
Managing Director Expand Em Lowe Em is an experienced senior executive leader, she has gained varied expertise during a career spent in the military and for the last twenty two years in further education. Her expertise includes problem solving, relationship building, resilience, strong leadership skills, coaching and mentoring and a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. She has led a large college group through three successful Ofsted inspections over the past decade demonstrating improved outcomes and student experience. Her previous role was Deputy CEO for a large and complex college group with £93 million budget.
Programme team Expand Head of Programmes and Impact: Kate Allen National Programme Manager: Amy Longley-Cook Data and Impact Manager: Caroline Appleton Safeguarding Policy Support: Faye Oliver Programme Coordinator and Administrator: Sabyna Sackey Regional Programme Lead London: Iman Najeeb Regional Programme Lead London: Lena Jensen Regional Programme Lead North West: Ellie Birkett Regional Programme Lead North East: Lauren Patterson Ambassador Community Ambassador Community Lead: Rabina Khan
Operations Expand Director of Operations and Finance: Christine Knight People and Culture Manager: Tejal Navnit
Fundraising and Communications Expand Head of Fundraising: Rebecca Searl-Stevens Fundraising and Partnerships Manager: Grace Keane Partnerships Manager: Amy King Communications Manager: Sadie Carr Simons