meet the team
In 2019, You Be You CEO Bilkis Miah committed to changing the way society thinks, acts and feels around stereotypes and prejudices. The goal was to embed diversity and inclusion across our communities starting with our youngest members of society. And to empower them with the life skills that they need to succeed in their future.
Since 2019, despite school closures amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic, You Be You has grown from strength to strength. We now offer support to reception, primary schools, secondary schools, local councils, companies and other organisations who are looking to develop their understanding, policies and practices relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Bilkis Miah
CEO & Founder
Bilkis was raised in Britain by Bangladeshi, immigrant parents, and experienced the intersectionality of race, religion and gender first hand. Bilkis worked in the city as a Management Consultant for Deloitte before moving into the education sector. Her British-Bangladeshi background has made her committed to changing expectations around gender and identity for her community and beyond.
Alicia Henry
School Relationships Manager
After starting her career in Research, Alicia discovered her passion, dedication and commitment to education. Following on from her PGCE and MA in Teaching and Learning, Alicia has proven herself to be an ambitious and determined educator and community leader. It is Alicia’s in-school experience and her wealth of knowledge around how schools operate and grow that makes her an exceptional member of the team and the key liaison for our partner schools.
NICOLA PARRIS
EARLY YEARS LEAD/ PROJECT MANAGER
Nicola is a qualified teacher with a BSc in Early Years Education and a specialist in early childhood development. She has a strong passion for all aspects of the early years, from speech and language development to building solid foundations that support lifelong learning.
Dedicated to creating spaces where children feel empowered, visible, and valued, she has co-developed an innovative programme designed to deepen children’s knowledge and experiences beyond the classroom.
She also works closely with parents to support holistic development at home and in educational settings. In addition to her work in education, she works as a life coach, helping individuals tap into their potential and become the best version of themselves, in synch with the You Be You vision!
trustees/ Advisors
Chamari has experience working on extensive digital transformation projects and worked as a Manager in Accenture's Financial Services practise. Here, she has gained experience in both strategy and change management. Chamari offers crucial business skills in analysing the market, boosting sales, and supporting our online platform. Chamari's passion for equality stems from witnessing a lack of diverse role models, and leaders who looked like her, in the workplace.
Chamari Abeysekera
Trustee
Emma has extensive experience working in the city as a strategist and Management Consultant. Here, she gained experience in understanding businesses, change and how to implement strategy effectively. Emma offers crucial commercial acumen, financial understanding and supporting us in our strategy. Emma's passion for diversity comes from her vision to see a more equitable world and workplace.
emma masding
Trustee
Janeen started her career as a lawyer, first for the City of New York, implementing Mayor Bloomberg's education reforms, and then for a corporate law firm in London. After seven years in law, Janeen retrained as a secondary school English teacher, which deepened her understanding of what schools need to support pupils in greatest need. As a half Pakistani American, Janeen is acutely aware of how race, religion, class and gender can affect the bigger picture, and applies this understanding in her current role of Director of Collective Action at the Fair Education Alliance.
Janeen Hayat
You Be You Champion
Interested in joining our team?
click here to see available positions and apply