Here’s all the information you need to get to know each of the Steering Group members a little better 🙂
Jumoke is a Nigerian-born British woman who wants to travel and eat her way around the world. Having contracted polio at a young age, Jumoke has learned to adapt to her surroundings and make the most out of every opportunity. One half of Triple Cripples (AJ+, iNews), she is fluent in two languages and currently working on her third. A writer & speaker (Guardian, Black Ballad, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge), Jumoke writes and speaks on her experiences as a Black, Disabled woman. Given the focus of the organisation’s work being the impact of the media on multiply marginalised people, she is currently doing her Masters on these topics. She recently contributed a chapter to 'Homonationalism, Femonationalism and Ablenationalism: Critical Pedagogies Contextualised' on the topic of Ablenationalism. When not busy speaking, writing, and studying, Jumoke spends her time being an absolute force of nature, a professional baby girl, a Yorubaddie, if you will.
You can find Jumoke on LinkedIn here.
I’m Linda, a digital specialist and founder of Paper Frogs Ltd, where I’m a catalyst for unlocking opportunities that encourage innovation whilst benefiting society.
A former chief of staff in Co-op Group, I was head of The Federation – a co-working space for digital and social innovators in Manchester. I connected ideas, people and organisations, fostering collaboration that helped social enterprises and charities to meet their objectives.
My passion for openness and collaborative working was put to good use during my time as a senior technology adviser to the UK Government's Chief Technology Officer in the Government Digital Service. I led development of the Open Standards Principles, first published in 2012 to worldwide acclaim, putting users of government services at the heart.
I am a board member for Open Data Manchester CIC, working to create a fairer world built on responsible and intelligent data use. I co-chair the UK Government's Open Standards Board, and chair the 360Giving data standard committee, supporting effective decision-making in the grant-making sector.
My professional experience aligns with Catalyst’s work helping UK civil society grow digital skills and approaches. I’m excited by their shift towards more equitable leadership and am looking forward to exploring and growing together.
You can find Linda on LinkedIn here and Twitter here.
Kate McLaven is a Communications Specialist & Systems Change Steward, she is currently contributing to the development of ARAEA’s Anti-Racist Art Education Checklists. Her training in Fine Arts has informed her creative approach to strategic communications at national charity, Changing Lives, where she works as a communications and Digital Inclusion specialist. Kate supports radical systems change work that seeks better outcomes for people in need (York MCN Network and Catalyst). Kate also co-coordinates York Anti-Racist Collective (YARC), a grass roots collective, which focuses on using creative practices to facilitate healing, meanwhile building a community of people from the global majority in the North.
I wanted to join the Catalyst steering group as the work Catalyst aims to do perfectly intersect my experience in systems change and Digital Inclusion. Additionally, the organisation’s ethos is one which naturally aligns with mine, and I hope to be part of what I think will be some challenging, strategic decision making and process, that ultimately will enable positive impact for thousands of individuals, charities. I am aware of the vital role this work will play in the systems myself and many others work and operate in.
You can find Kate on LinkedIn here and Twitter here.
Pema is a strategic business leader, with over 25 years’ experience helping to build out and scale new businesses, ventures, and teams, and implement new strategies. She has worked in a variety of sectors, as a consultant, and a senior leader driving organisational change and transformation. Most recently she spent 8 years at EY, as the Strategy and Operations Leader, helping to build out the Global Managed Services business, including putting in place the right people, infrastructure, processes, and other organisational capabilities for what is now a business more than $10bn. She led the teams responsible for Brand, Marketing and Communications, Analyst Relations, Finance, Business Operations, and Change Project Management and spent time in India building out the operations there.