The BUD Team.

Georgina is a leader, experienced facilitator and serial entrepreneur, who founded BUD Leaders in 2014.

BUD Leaders emerged from Georgina’s experience running a community café in Tulse Hill, South London. Recognising untapped potential within the community, she started engaging with individuals, helping them identify their next steps. This evolved into the creation of BUD Leaders, driven by a deep-seated resolve and belief in unleashing greatness within people. From this experience, BUD Leaders was born.

Mandy is our Chief Operating Officer and is focused on overseeing operational and strategic functions. Her extensive background in organisational development, coupled with her strong commitment to driving positive social impact, underpins her role.

Before joining BUD, Mandy played a key role in shaping Strategy, Impact, and Governance at a national women’s employability charity. Her contributions earned her ‘Highly Commended’ recognition at the Third Sector Awards in 2021. Furthermore, Mandy dedicates her expertise as a trustee for three prominent national charities within the criminal justice sector.

Mandy holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) from King’s College London and is certified in Charity Law & Governance by the Chartered Governance Institute UK.

Kadisha is a Portfolio Manager at BUD. In this role, she uses her creativity and pragmatism to explore new ways of working, problem solving and co-designing with the team. She is an expert facilitator and project manager who is passionate about wellness, community and fairness.

Before working at BUD, Kadisha worked in the youth sector for over 9 years. She is a JNC qualified youth worker and has a degree in Youth work and Theology. In her previous role, she specialised in youth involvement, participation and social action. She supported hundreds of youth organisations and young people across London to create more diverse, equitable and sustainable decision-making structures within their organisations and local communities.

Katherine is BUDs Portfolio Manager, responsible for managing and developing the BLOC platform where members can exchange skills and ideas for positive change. She has extensive experience in project management, primarily in theatre and film where she specialised in bringing artists together to collaborate around a social goal. In 2021 she created a film festival, The Motherhood Project, a ‘significant body of new work’ presented by Battersea Arts Centre that raised money for the charity Refuge and included contributions from artists such as Anya Reiss, Lemn Sissay OBE and Irenosen Okojie MBE.

Prior to that, Katherine was an actor, singer, director and a workshop facilitator with the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, a charity that equips young people with crucial life skills, confidence and self-esteem. A natural community builder, Katherine’s focus is to create an environment where people can access their inner strength, playfulness and creativity.

Tolu works for BUD as a Project/Officer Project Lead; co-ordinating the management of the project and team, and delivering sessions and training as a Facilitator.

Tolu has a qualification in Youth Work, Informal Education and Community Learning and development and has worked with young people, across schools in London, for 7 years and as a Youth Work Leader for 3 years; co-ordinating and leading projects and teams and planning programmes tailored to the needs of the participants. In this role she was awarded ‘Outstanding Leader’ by the Jack Petchey Foundation.

In her last role, Tolu supported the Diversity team in their initiative to promote inclusivity, equality and reduce racism in the school environment, creatively presenting information to young people and adults, and celebrating diverse cultures in a safe, educational and engaging way.

Tolu also has a background in creative arts and design and is passionate about using those skills to help provide solutions to challenges and drive positive change. She recently graduated with an MA in Fashion Design and Sustainability -using design as a tool to highlight and discuss the intersections between the environmental crisis, social issues and cultural heritage. Her work has been published, awarded and exhibited and is currently being exhibited at the online Horniman Museum exhibition.

Jen has moved from leading Operations and Admin in 2021/22 to leading the HR function at BUD in 2023. This role allows her to help create and maintain a diverse and inclusive culture, a robust and dynamic workforce and an environment that honours our core values.

In the past Jen has worn many different hats including Sales and Merchandising, but had spent a good portion of her working life as Training Coordinator both in the adult education sector and in construction. Jen graduated in Philosophy at UCL and is also a yoga teacher and a semi-retired musician, but her main passion is her little girl who she hopes will also grow up to have a variety of passions in life!

Ola is the CEO of Silver Point A-Star, which provides bookkeeping and management accounts service to diverse business in London and the South East. Silver is trusted amongst global leaders, with over two decades plus of experience in providing quality director-led services to all business sectors. Silver champions orchestrating and exceeding key targets, expanding company growth, as well as offering valuable solutions for key business issues.

Ola is a cutting edge accountant, with an extensive portfolio, preparing and providing management accounts to year-end. She works with a team of accountants.

William is an accomplished senior consultant with a collaborative leadership style; adept at guiding companies through their growth phase into exceptional periods of growth, providing market insights and growth opportunities. He is a strategic planner with an impressive track record and has gained key transferable skills from successfully working across a range of industries.

William is a strategic consultant with more than 20 years’ experience working in both the private and public sectors, including international donor agencies such as USAid and the European Union Development Fund securing funding for SME and community development projects providing advice to businesses in areas of growth, capacity building, marketing, strategic management and sustainability.

Currently leading our Happier Healthier Workplaces programme, Marilena also works as a Production/Event manager and facilitator. Her past experience includes being a Youth in Action seminars organiser, a Global Action Plan ambassador and a Lead Positive Change trainer.

Marilena has dedicated the last 12 years of her life to creating, running and nurturing events. If it includes people, timings, energy and interaction, Marilena feels at home and wants to make it feel like home for everyone participating. Seen as the caring and focused coordinator, Marilena is here to make sure it all runs without a glitch while creating an energetic space that brings out smiles. She is determined to support BUD in any way she can because she feels that.