Sandra Wallace CBE (far left) becomes Chair of Trustees, while Dipi McKernan (left centre), Emma Canavan (right centre) and Catherine Osaigbovo (far right) become Trustees.
Making The Leap welcomes Sandra Wallace CBE as the charity’s new Chair of Trustees.
Sandra, previously a Trustee at Making The Leap, is an Employment Partner, and member of the Executive board for the global business law firm, DLA Piper, sitting as Joint Managing Director UK & Europe. Sandra also sits on the firm’s D&I Council. Prior to her Executive role she has served as UK Employment Group Head and UK Managing Partner.
Aside from her legal role, Sandra served as a Social Mobility Commissioner from December 2018 to October 2021. During her government appointment, Sandra also served the Commission as interim Co-Chair. Sandra works to drive social mobility within the legal sector and supports many initiatives to promote and sponsor progress on improving social mobility. Sandra is also the Midlands Chair at TheCityUk, a membership body, lobbying on behalf of the financial and related professional services industry. Sandra is also a Trustee at the charity National Numeracy.
Sandra said: “Making The Leap is doing so much to advance Social Mobility both with young people and with employers. It has set the tone and commitment needed in the space without fanfare for many years. I am honoured to play a small part with the other amazing Trustees and the MTL Team.“
Tunde Banjoko OBE, Founder and CEO of Making The Leap, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sandra as the new Chair of Trustees of Making The Leap. I look forward to working with her to continue our charity’s excellent work in advancing social mobility nationally. Her reputation speaks for itself and it is an honour that she has stepped up from trustee to lead our talented board at this exciting time for the charity.”
“I would like to pay tribute to Andy Boucher and Nicholas Cheffings for steering us through these last couple of years. They have both been wonderful and I can’t thank them enough.”
Making The Leap welcomes three new Trustees to the Board
Making The Leap also welcomes three new Trustees to the Board in Emma Canavan, Dipi McKernan and Catherine Osaigbovo.
Tunde Banjoko OBE said: “We are delighted to have Catherine, Dipi and Emma join our Board of Trustees. We have always been committed to being an inclusive and progressive organisation and they bring will them skills that will help drive the organisation forward in our mission to provide opportunities for many more people from less-advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in the years to come.”
Emma Canavan is a PwC Partner with 22 years experience; spending the first five years in the audit practice working in the London, Queensland and New York offices and the latter 17 years in tax advising multinational groups and their senior management teams. Emma is also recognised as a diversity and inclusion leader being a member of PwC’s diverse and inclusive work environment group. Emma is passionate about inclusion and is committed to taking action so that people from all backgrounds can be themselves, progress and succeed.
She said: “I am thrilled to join the Board of Trustees at Making the Leap. The charity provides invaluable services to young people, and I am honoured to be in a position to support the team in helping to uplift and empower the next generation through its vital work.”
With over 25 years’ experience of the financial services industry, Dipi McKernan has held Executive and Board roles at Fidelity International, the FCA, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, M&G, Capco and PA Consulting. She has operated as a Managing Director, Global Head of Business Risk and Controls, Chief of Staff, Transformation Director and Chief Operating Officer, supporting the transformation, growth and resilience of firms across the globe. Within Fidelity, Dipi was an Executive Board Member, a member of the Global Executive Committees and sat on Fidelity’s Global D&I Leadership Council.
She said: “As someone who proudly comes from a lower-socio economic background and has successfully navigated the Financial Services industry for over 25 years, I am humbled to be appointed as a Trustee for Making the Leap. The Charity has spent decades making a real difference to young people who strive to share their amazing talent with industry and I am delighted to be able to use my experience and passion to support our ambition of delivering enduring change.”
Catherine Osaigbovo is a Partner within the HR Practice at Page Executive and their UK DE&I Ambassador. She specialises in HR Leadership & Board level appointments across London, plus managing senior Diversity, Equity & Inclusion mandates nationally.
“I am thrilled and proud to be joining MTL, who work tirelessly to ensure societal change, as a Board Trustee. I cannot wait to work with the team in helping continue to raise the profile of MLT to business leaders in order to benefit the communities MLT support.”
