Our Mission

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As the current Programme Director of Education UK, Alia has previously mentored for our London Core and Education UK Programmes, whilst completing her Masters in Law. Debating competitively during her BSc in Law and Criminology at Nottingham University, she worked as a Parliamentary researcher and as a BAME representative for her constituency, empowering people from diverse backgrounds through reform. She also has a passion for running Model UN and has represented her school internationally. Alia recently oversaw the running of our 2024 pilot International Programmes in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Elissa graduated from BPP University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Law, mentoring on our Core and Education UK Programmes for two years. She debated competitively whilst undertaking her undergraduate degree in Economics and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, and at UC San Diego in her year abroad. In 2018, she represented her university on the Common Purpose Leadership Programme in Kuala Lumpur, where she met with representatives of charities and purpose-led private companies to understand how to design smart cities. As a Programme Director for 2 years, she ran our Core Programme for London Primary and then London Secondary whilst overseeing our Graduate School Programme. She had the privilege to co-manage our International Programme in Nepal and Sri Lanka in the summer of 2024. She now continues to oversee the Graduate School Programme, as well as leading on the motions team whilst in her new role at Debate Mate Training.

Ffion mentored with Debate Mate for four years whilst studying for her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Whilst studying BA Ancient History and History at the University of Manchester, Ffion took on several Core clubs a week as well as mentoring on The Accelerate Programme. She carried this on to Liverpool where she studied MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Liverpool. Through mentoring on several online clubs during her studies, Ffion had the opportunity to mentor on a wide range of programmes and met many inspirational Debate Mate students. As Programme Director, Ffion oversaw a successful year with the Manchester Primary and Secondary Schools on the Core Programme and is excited to work with the Manchester schools again this year as Senior Programme Director. Ffion is also looking forward to taking on the Wales Programme in Cardiff.

Miranda graduated from the University of Manchester in 2023 with a degree in Psychology. Inspired by her background in educational roles, she worked on the Debate Mate Core Programme as a peer mentor in Manchester, as well as contributing as a judge at inter-school debate competitions. After spending time travelling across South America, Miranda is thrilled to return to Debate Mate as Programme Director for the West Midlands. In this role, she will oversee the region’s programme and contribute to the exciting projects planned for the year ahead.

Dale graduated from University College London in 2021 with a degree in History. He was a mentor with Debate Mate for two years on the London programme, teaching in secondary schools across London. Upon leaving university, he worked for the Civil Service as a Policy Advisor, specialising in sustainable farming in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In his role, Dale oversees a range of partnerships and our International Programmes, while also supporting the Fundraising and Education UK teams.

Lily graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2023 with a degree in Media & Communications. She mentored for Debate Mate throughout her time at university, teaching the core programme in London and judging at various competitions. Having a background in film and digital content production, she has worked on projects that have successfully been admitted to BAFTA qualifying film festivals. She has also been involved in organising a South London event that showcases graduate work and connects emerging creatives with industry veterans. Joining Debate Mate full time in October 2023, she assists with fundraising and leads the social media team, as well as being the Programme Director for London Primary schools.

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 Programme Director, Funke is excited to oversee our London Primary Programme.

Sabrina graduated from Newcastle University in 2023 with an honours degree in Biomedical Sciences. Since the Summer of 2022, Sabrina mentored for Debate Mate Virtual, mentoring on The Fundamentals of Debating course with students aged 6-16 from across the globe. She has additionally mentored on the Exploring Series courses, leading students in 5-week courses on a range of subjects and topics including Entrepreneurship, Creative Writing, Journalism, and more. As a Senior mentor, Sabrina mentored on bespoke courses, leading 1-to-1 sessions on Interview Coaching for 11+ students, as well as Teenage Confidence Coaching. At the start of 2024, Sabrina joined the Debate Mate Virtual team full time as a Programme Support Assistant. She worked with the team to run over 75 Virtual Clubs each term, and helped to manage over 50 mentors. Sabrina is incredibly excited to be joining the Debate Mate Schools team as Programme Director for the London Secondary Core Programme this year. She will also be supporting additional programmes including Debate Mate Plus.

Caroline mentored at Debate Mate for three years during her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Liverpool. She delivered both the Core and Accelerate Programmes during her time as a mentor. As well as this, Caroline also did some youth work in Friday and Saturday clubs for children and young adults with SEND in the Merseyside region. Since graduating, she has been employed as a Programme Director at Debate Mate and will oversee both the primary and secondary school programmes in the West Midlands region.

Dhalia earned her MA in Politics, Development, and the Global South from Goldsmiths University of London in 2024. Before joining the team, she spent a year mentoring with Debate Mate, bringing with her 8 years of experience in debating and coaching as she has coached debate teams at universities and within refugee camps across Palestine with special focus on women debaters empowerment. She also represented her university in both local and international debate championships.
Dhalia integrates her background in human rights, international law, and politics into her debate practices. Her approach focuses on capacity building, empowering students to develop independent thinking and confidently express their opinions.
As the Programme Director for Debate Mate, she is now responsible for overseeing the London Secondary Schools for the Core Programme, as well as the Debate Mate Plus Programme.

Rushma recently completed her A-Levels in Politics, English Literature, and Psychology at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge. As a former student of the Debate Mate core programme at Shireland Collegiate Academy, she excelled as a debater, winning the Debate Mate Cup and participating in several showcase debates. Her passion for debate was further demonstrated when she won the Expo Factor competition, representing the UK as a Debate Mate student at the Dubai World Expo in 2022.
During her gap year, Rushma is applying her skills and experience in her role as Assistant Programme Director at Debate Mate, where she supports oversight of both the West Midlands Primary and Secondary Schools on the Core Programme.