Our people

Harriet works to raise the profile of youth work and its vital impact on young people’s lives, leading the team across policy, influencing, communications and marketing activity. 

She has worked in integrated communications and public affairs in the charity sector for most of her career and is passionate about improving the life chances for disadvantaged young people. Drawing on her own experience as a secondary school teacher, she believes in the untapped potential of youth work to support positive outcomes for young people working alongside allied professionals.

This is Alex’s second stint at the NYA – he originally spent about 10 years in a Head of Policy Role at the agency.

Prior to re-joining the NYA, Alex was a Research Manager for a not-for-profit social research agency delivering a range of research and evaluation projects across a varied subject area.  Alex has spent all his career working in the voluntary and community sector – something that he is passionate about, with much of it helping to bring about change for children and young people.

Kate joined NYA as Communications and Engagement Manager in 2022. 

As Head of Communications she is responsible for developing communications strategies to promote the work of the NYA and the value of youth work to key audiences. 

In previous roles Kate oversaw the PR around a national lottery-funded programme to support young people back into education, training or employment. She also led the communications around the campaign to raise £10 million to equip the new Evelina Children’s Hospital at St Thomas’ Hospital. Kate is passionate about enabling young people to fulfill their potential, and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Jen heads up the NYA’s Policy and Public Affairs team, working with policymakers to ensure the value and impact of youth work are reflected in national policy.

She has held policy and public affairs roles across the charity, higher education, and local government sectors, including at Barnardo’s, the University of Birmingham, and the Local Government Association.

Jen is motivated by a commitment to social justice and the role of public policy in creating more equitable opportunities for young people.

Aliya Bakheit joined the National Youth Agency (NYA) as Digital Marketing and Design Manager in April 2025.

As Digital Marketing and Design Manager, she leads creative campaigns and the promotion of NYA’s work across digital platforms including social media, email newsletters and the website and serves as guardian of the NYA brand.

With 15+ years’ experience in digital and content strategy, branding, design and social media marketing at global creative agencies and charities, Aliya has delivered integrated comms and digital campaigns across charities such as Oxfam, Refuge and SafeLives, alongside consultancy, design and client relationship roles within content and social media marketing agencies.

Sunny is NYA’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, playing a pivotal role in shaping national policy and funding decisions to ensure the youth sector remains at the heart of government priorities.

She brings extensive experience from policy and public affairs roles across the charity, public, and higher education sectors, including positions at Barnardo’s, the University of Birmingham, and UK Parliament. Sunny has successfully led high-profile campaigns on poverty, children’s wellbeing, women’s and girls’ rights, health, and education—delivering tangible policy changes and securing significant investment.

Driven by a deep commitment to creating meaningful impact for young people and disadvantaged communities, Sunny strives to turn ideas into action that goes beyond words on paper.

Rose has worked in Business Development in not-for-profit organisations for over ten years; identifying opportunities, collaborating with colleagues and external partners to develop proposals, writing and securing successful bids for contracts and income generation.

Rose also works for a local domestic abuse charity, delivering health relationships and domestic abuse workshops to children and young people in primary and secondary schools in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Rose has returned to the NYA after a year travelling abroad in her campervan and enjoys hiking and dancing lindy hop in her spare time.

Ella works in the Policy and Public Affairs team to make sure that the importance of youth work is reflected across national policy.

Ella brings experience from working in policy in the charity sector, and as a learning support assistant in a primary school. She also has an academic background in languages and International Relations.

Ella is motivated by a desire to make a difference for young people, ensuring that their views and experiences form the building blocks of ambitious policy changes that will have a positive impact on their lives.

Alex supports the Communications and Marketing team by maintaining the organisation’s websites, social media and other digital platforms and processes. 

Alex is passionate about the way that youth work can empower young people to have a say on the decisions that affect them, having celebrated young people’s involvement in a range of NYA activities, such as tackling climate change through The Environment Now project and role of young assessors as part of the Youth Investment Fund. Alex believes that more youth work can only be a positive thing.  

Chris works to demonstrate the impact that youth work has on young people. He applies qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation principles to the work of the NYA and wider youth services and programmes.

Outside the NYA, Chris has a particular interest in physical and mental wellbeing. He is a research champion for a local youth mental health charity and studied informal therapy during his Masters.

Rachel leads the development and delivery of marketing and communications for the NatWest Thrive programme, promoting and elevating awareness of the programme’s goals and benefits to stakeholders by supporting the NatWest Thrive programme manager and operations team to drive successful recruitment and participation.

Rachel also works within the wider NYA marketing and communications team to drive engagement, raise the profile of the NYA and the importance of youth work across various channels.

Originally from a corporate background, in 2015 she transitioned into marketing roles for voluntary and community sector charities where the aims behind not-for-profit causes aligned more closely to her personal values.

James works as part of the Knowledge Team to help develop evidence-based practices and decision-making. He has experience of developing quantitative and qualitative research methods with a particular interest in user-led and participatory approaches. His research interests include youth mental health, justice and accessible education

James is passionate about creating a fairer and more equal world for young people. He believes in the transformative power of Youth Work, providing young people with the tools and support they need to realize their full potential and thrive in all aspects of life’

As a communications officer at the NYA, Alex is driven by a deep belief in the power of youth work to transform lives and shape futures. He works on storytelling and impact communications, identifying and sharing case studies that highlight youth work’s value and promote career pathways. He also supports media coverage and enquiries, and develops content for web, social and email campaigns. Alex also collaborates closely with internal teams and external partners to tailor messages, optimise digital user journeys, and track campaign performance, all to ensure the NYA’s message resonates with young people, practitioners and stakeholders across the country.  

Artie brings experience from working in communications for a youth charity, supported by a Politics degree and master’s in PR and Digital Communications.

At the NYA, he now works on programmes like the UK Youth Parliament and UK Youth Ambassadors in Europe. His focus is on creating strategic communications that amplify young people’s voices. Passionate about youth advocacy and political engagement, Artie uses digital storytelling to drive change. He’s committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in everything he does.

Caroline works as part of the Knowledge Team, providing data and intelligence through primary and secondary research, predominantly for the Local Youth Transformation Pilot. She is passionate about using research and evidence to influence wider youth policy and make a difference to the lives of young people.

Caroline has worked in the education, employment and skills sectors, primarily on projects supporting young people who are NEET and also worked as a teacher for 10 years. Through her role at the NYA she hopes to continue working to bring about positive change for young people.

Rose is research associate in the knowledge team. She has experience in qualitative and quantitative research with a particular interest in developing creative and inclusive methods. Her research interests include the social experience of artificial intelligence, digital inclusion and inclusive practices for marginalised youth.

Rose is passionate about creating equitable opportunities for young people and using the power of storytelling to amplify youth voice.