As the Director of Education UK, overseeing our work with schools beyond the Core Programme, partnerships and teacher training, Abby graduated from UCL with a degree in Anthropology. Since, she has worked across a range of industries, including journalism, PR, brand management and West End theatre production. Abby has mentored on the Core Programme across London Primary and Secondary, both in-person and online, in addition to mentoring on Debate Mate’s International Programme in Nepal 2019. Alongside Debate Mate, Abby has co-founded a Creativity Conference, is a trained Yoga Instructor and has worked as a Primary Teacher – incorporating all expertise into her position with Education UK.

Athena mentored for Debate Mate for two years while studying Ancient History and History at the University of Manchester.  In her second year of mentoring, she became a senior mentor and eventually started her role as Programme Director after her graduation. Throughout her time mentoring at Debate Mate, Athena realised that she had a keen interest in working in education and with young people, and that Debate Mate is the perfect mixture of the two of things.  Athena is now so excited to continue her journey with Debate Mate and oversee the London Primary and Accelerate Programmes.

Bea graduated from the University of Manchester in 2025 with a degree in English Literature and German, having mentored alongside her studies for three years. Since joining Debate Mate in 2021, she has mentored in primary and secondary schools all over the UK, as well as delivering multiple programmes online during her year abroad in Germany and judging international competitions both in person and online.  Bea has travelled as far as Nepal and Japan to mentor for Debate Mate and is looking forward to channelling all of these experiences into overseeing the Manchester Programme this year.

Bio pending…

Enayah graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in English and American Literature. She completed her PGCE in 2005 and has worked in inner-London secondary schools since then, teaching English up to A Level. Enayah was Deputy of the English and Literacy Faculty for 5 years at Acland Burghley School before joining the Debate Mate team in September 2015, where she oversees the running of Debate Mate’s UK programmes and operations.

Throughout her time studying Ancient History and History at the University of Manchester and Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Liverpool, Ffion mentored across several Programmes in the two regions, as well as mentoring hundreds of young people across the world online. Upon graduating, Ffion joined the Debate Mate team full-time as the Programme Director for Manchester, before additionally taking on the Cardiff Programme in her second year. This year, Ffion is excited to be the Executive Programme Director for Cardiff and Regional Lead, supporting additional Programmes across our different regions. 

For the past several years, Funke has had various roles within education and working with children. Primarily, Funke has experience caring for younger children through working in a nursery. She was first introduced to Debate Mate online, and it was here that Funke then took an interest in the way Debate Mate inspires and educates young people. Funke joined the team in January 2024 as an Assistant Programme Director, assisting the team with the running of the Programmes, taking and editing content for our social media platforms, and assisting the senior staff on the administrative side of Debate Mate. Now a Senior Programme Director, Funke is excited to oversee our London Primary Programme, and Debate Box Programme.

Gabriella is a former Debate Mate student who attended the Sydney Russell School, where she had great success on the Core Programme, winning the Debate Mate Cup. She then went on to study History and German at the University of Oxford. As part of her compulsory Year Abroad, she worked as an English Language Assistant at a German high school, teaching cross-cultural lessons to students aged 13-18. Now, as a Programme Director, she is excited to be working with our London Secondary schools and leading on Debate Mate Plus.

Jess graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in Comparative American Studies. As part of her degree she spent a year studying History at UCLA in the USA. Jess is a Teach First ‘07 Ambassador, she worked as an English and History teacher at The Lammas School and Sports College in East London where she was appointed Whole School Literacy Coordinator, and was committed to creating a debating community within the school. Jess joined the Debate Mate team in September 2010 to grow the programme across the UK, and currently oversees the running of the charity and their strategic vision.

Margaret has over twenty years’ experience as a commercial barrister, combined with two decades in the voluntary sector including Centre Point and the NSPCC Justice for Children programme.

Rose graduated with a degree in Sociology from the University of Leeds, where she also volunteered on a university-led programme in local secondary schools. This experience sparked her passion for unlocking young people’s potential. She went on to study a Master’s in English Literature and completed her English PGCE at the Institute of Education in 2012. Early in her teaching career, Rose was the link teacher for the Debate Mate Club at her school, where she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of debating. Over the last twelve years, Rose has worked in inner-city London secondary schools as an English teacher, taking on a variety of leadership roles and ultimately becoming Head of Faculty at La Sainte Union School. In January 2025, Rose joined Debate Mate as Director of Programmes, where she now leads operations, strategy, and team management, while overseeing a diverse portfolio of programmes delivered in schools across the UK.

Sam graduated from Queen Mary University of London in 2024 with a degree in History and Politics. He was a student on the Debate Mate programme in secondary school and mentored across multiple programmes in London all throughout his degree. Sam was also elected the President of his Debating Society at his University, overseeing the training of its competitive team in a year that saw a record number of finals appearances for Queen Mary students, and organising the first Debate Competition held at Queen Mary in 3 years. Sam is now ready to put all his trademark energy and debating skills into running the West Midlands Programme and Debate Mate’s Graduate School. 

Serena first joined Debate Mate as a student, debating all the way through to sixth form. She became a mentor in 2021 while starting her undergraduate degree in Biology at Queen Mary University, later taking on lead and senior mentor roles. Alongside her studies, she gained experience across education and youth development, including working as a Team Leader at the National Citizen Service, tutoring GCSE Maths as a self-employed tutor, and supporting business development at an education-focused organisation during summer 2024, while continuing to mentor with Debate Mate. After graduating, she went on to pursue a Masters in International Business at Hult International Business School, and later became a full-time Programme Director for London secondary schools.

Zebah joined Debate Mate in 2023 as a mentor while pursuing her Master’s degree in Advanced Computer Science at the University of Liverpool. Her time mentoring sparked a newfound passion for educating young people and imparting key communication skills. After working with hundreds of students across Liverpool and Manchester, she witnessed the positive impact of the  Programme. A year later, Zebah took on the role of a Senior Mentor. Now, following graduation, she is with Debate Mate full-time and oversees the Liverpool and Grimsby programmes as a Programme Director. Zebah looks forward to an exciting year ahead.