Find out

How YOU Can Help
Young Leaders

The Young Leaders Club relies on the input, resources, knowledge and experience of professionals, businesses and organisations across diverse industries. Which is why we encourage as many leaders to get involved with this incredibly rewarding club as possible. Help us to help our young leaders get the most out of their careers and create a fairer future for all young adults, regardless of their socio-economic background. 

Become a Sponsor

If you would like to become a sponsor of The Young Leaders Club and help to shape the future of the next generation, all you need to do is express an interest via our web form.

Sponsorship details:

  • Membership requires £1,500 sponsorship per member with a goal of securing 10 sponsors per university/college (Free to the end-user)
  • Corporate/Education Patronship option starting at £15,000 per year, covering 10 individuals (max 5 patrons).
  • Criteria may include a minimum income threshold (For low-income households, we may only require an acknowledgement at first, later we may means-test this)
the leaders club

Membership Benefits

As one of our members, you will enjoy a range of benefits. As well as the satisfaction of knowing you have made a significant positive impact on the lives of our Young Leaders, you will also benefit from:

  • Quarterly lunches (main/ladies).
  • Access to monthly Breakfast Clubs.
  • Monthly social club events.
  • Quarterly Young Leaders Social.
  • Up to 6 workshops per year (½ day each).
  • Online training resources (TBA).
  • Mentor access.

Corporate Sponsorship

As a corporate sponsor, you would have knowledge management and transfer tools that can be shared with our members. 

For example, any newsletters you have issued (which don’t contain confidential material), training articles, tools and/or checklists. This will help us to add value for all of our members by providing them with unique access to material that would not otherwise be available.

Become an Ambassador

If you would like to get involved in our Young Leaders Club, without making a financial contribution, you should consider becoming one of our ambassadors. 

As an ambassador, you would be expected to promote our service and provide testimonials, supporting and sharing the work we do with our Young Leaders. 

Provide Secondment
Programs

Finally, you can get involved by providing our members with secondment programs that are designed to help provide corporate exposure. 

We understand that experience opportunities are limited and there is a lot of competition for the roles that are available. Our secondment programs are designed to provide opportunities of personal and professional growth to all of our members, without them having to apply for competitive schemes. 

Become a Mentor

One of the most valuable contributions you can make to the Young Leaders Club is to become a mentor to the young people who sign up to benefit from this program.

  • What this involves?

    Mentoring is a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses their experience and industry knowledge to provide support, guidance and advice to a less experienced colleague.

    “A mentor provides support by offering information, advice and assistance in a way that empowers the mentee”
    Julie Starr, The Mentoring Manual.

  • Skills required

    There are essentially three key skills that a mentor needs:

    • The ability to build a trusting open relationship
    • The ability to pass on knowledge effectively
    • The ability to help another person think clearly for themselves.

    The challenge of mentoring is knowing when and how to use those latter two skills and in what proportion.

  • Helping your mentees

    It is always important to remember that, even if your mentee is following the same career path that you followed, their journey will not be the same as your journey. The goal of mentoring is not to enable your mentee to be like you, it is to use your experience, knowledge, and wisdom to enable them to successfully become all that they can be.

    The skill is to do that in a way that leaves them in control of their own journey and their own thinking.

  • Topical Suggestions (Non-Compulsory)

    Navigating corporate culture and addressing negative leadership behaviours. Bridging the skills and pay gap, emphasising the importance of ongoing career development.

    Overcoming social mobility challenges. Understanding the role of ESG in corporate culture. Futureproofing one’s career.

    • Phil Hocking

    Ambassador

    Phil Hocking is a storyteller, educator, and creative force whose journey spans continents and careers. From teaching in classrooms across Europe and Asia to cooking in vibrant kitchens, Phil has always sought to connect, inspire, and uplift through culture and communication.
     
    Now based in the UK and working as Next Generation Talent Consultant for Lloyds Bank, Phil is a celebrated advocate for inclusion and youth empowerment, recognised as a REACH (Race Ethnic & Cultural Heritage Network) Role Model, Apprentice Ambassador, and BOLD (Black Organisation for Leadership & Development) Regional Lead. His work blends performance, poetry, and public speaking, often spotlighting themes of identity, resilience, and transformation.
     
    Whether mentoring young talent, hosting cultural showcases, or crafting spoken word pieces, Phil brings heart, humour, and humanity to every stage he steps on. He believes in the power of storytelling to change lives—and lives that belief every day.

    Cllr Waseem Zaffar MBE JP 

    Ambassador

    Waseem Zaffar is a social justice campaigner, an advocate for a better environment, a political activist, father of three boys and an excited Aston Villa season ticket holder. Born and bought up in Lozells, he has served as its Councillor since 2011. On Birmingham City Council he has served as the Cabinet lead for transport, environment, clean air, climate change, highways, equalities, social justice, community safety and creating a cohesive city.
    As well as being the Director of Midlands Community Solutions CIC, Waseem is a Board Member of The Active Wellbeing Society and Associate Director of the Clean Air Justice Network.

    Waseem was for many years a Justice of Peace on the Birmingham & Solihull bench, as well as the CEO of a Handsworth not-for-profit organisation. His community work has been recognised by several awards including an MBE for services to the voluntary sector.

    He also served for eight years as a Non-Executive Director of Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, which includes City Hospital, where he was born. At the Trust, he chaired the Charity Funds Committee and Integration Committee. He previously served as a Director of Birmingham International Airport and the West Side Business Improvement District.

    Waseem is Chair of Governors at Heathfield Primary School, which he attended as a child and where his sons are pupils today. Always a proud Brummie, Waseem developed the successful Birmingham Heritage Week which has just completed its tenth year. The projects promote the Birmingham story over many years and the learning, achievements and contributions of the communities that have come, gone and stayed in brilliantly diverse Birmingham.

    During his time on Birmingham City Council, Waseem has led on developing several high profile projects including the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, the Birmingham Transport Plan, Route to Zero Climate Change Action Plan, Perry Barr Transport Transformation, Birmingham Clean Air Strategy and Birmingham Heritage Week.


    Tash Pennant

    Ambassador

    Tash is a trusted advisor, international speaker, and phenomenal connector

    Her effervescent approach to life and business means that she is one of today's leaders that not only says she assists, but motivates other people to support and enrich the lives of others. This is key to what we do at The Young Leaders Club. Tash runs Tash Pennant Consultancy Ltd where she provides support for individuals and businesses to connect to information and opportunities.

    Her experience working across many sectors with leaders to understand organisational challenges means she has unique expertise in understanding people and the know-how to provide solutions which bring transformational success. These skills and qualities are why we are delighted to have Tash join The Young Leaders Club as one of our Ambassadors.

    Allia Khan

    Ambassador

    Allia Khan is a dynamic legal professional and entrepreneur with a proven track record of leadership in the in-house legal sector. As the Head of Legal at a thriving organisation, she combines strategic insight, practical solutions, and a deep commitment to fostering excellence in the workplace. Known for her ability to navigate complex challenges, Allia ensures her teams and clients achieve success with integrity and efficiency.

    Beyond her legal expertise, Allia is the founder of Mansion 28, a luxury fashion brand that redefines boldness and elegance through its striking collections. With Mansion 28, Allia is empowering women to make an impact, blending timeless designs with modern confidence. Passionate about creating spaces for growth and meaningful conversations, Allia frequently speaks on topics such as mental health, work-life balance, and leadership, inspiring others to embrace authenticity and resilience in high-performance environments.

    Her entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with her dedication to empowering others, defines her as a thought leader in both the legal and creative industries.
    Santina Bunting

    Santina Bunting

    Ambassador

    Santina Bunting stands out as a trailblazer; she was the only one out of 150 students to embark on an apprenticeship journey after GCSEs. She completed her Level 3 Civil Engineering Apprenticeship at Arup in two years, earning a Distinction*Distinction* in her BTEC. Now a qualified Technician with the Institute of Civil Engineers, Santina is in her second year of a Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship at Warwick University whilst also working at Arup
     
    Within her role Santina is responsible for database management, drawing production and engineering analysis and has had the opportunity to work on  a range of major infrastructure projects both nationally and internationally.
     
    Santina was recently the Youngest overall winner of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the year 2024 in its 24-year history as well as Apprentice of the year winner. She was also the Construction Excellence G4C Apprentice of the Year 2024 and won Highly Commended in the Engineering category of the Multicultural apprenticeship awards 2023.
     
    Passionate about empowering apprentices, Santina has spoken at esteemed venues such as the House of Lords and the Annual Apprenticeship Conference, also contributing to the UCAS Apprenticeship Advisory group and the government recent skills for life campaign

    Casey Bailey

    Ambassador

    Casey Bailey is an award winning writer, performer and educator, born and raised in Nechells, Birmingham, UK. Casey was the Birmingham Poet Laureate 2020 - 2022.

    Casey’s second full poetry collection Please Do Not Touch was published by Burning Eye in 2021. In 2023 ‘Legacy’ - an in depth exploration of 20 years of the Birmingham Grime and Hip Hop scene - co-authored with Jess Monroe was published. Casey’s debut play GrimeBoy had a sold out run at the Birmingham Rep in April, 2022. He was commissioned by the BBC to write ‘The Ballad of The Peaky Blinders’ in 2019. In 2020 the poem was internationally recognised, winning a Webby Award. In 2022 Casey won a Royal Television Society award for a film for his poem “Dear Brum”. Casey has performed his poetry nationally, and internationally.

    Casey was named as one of the Alfred Fagon Awards’ Black Champions of Theatre in 2021. He is a Fellow of the University of Worcester and in 2021 was awarded an honorary doctorate in Education by Newman University.

    Zoe Bennett, BEM

    Ambassador

    Zoe Bennett,BEM, widely known as The Motivational Queen, is an accomplished international speaker and Mindset Resilience Coach, celebrated for her steadfast "never give up" ethos. 

    Specialising in personal mindset development, employability, and entrepreneurship, Zoe has secured numerous contracts from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), empowering participants to take charge of their career aspirations. Through her partnership with NatWest, she has also guided countless business owners to elevate their ventures to new heights.

    As the Founder of the star-studded MBCC Awards, which reaches an impressive 3.9 million people and continues to expand annually, Zoe honours unsung heroes while inspiring others to excel. 

    Her TEDx talk motivates audiences to break free from self-limiting beliefs, reinforcing her passion for helping individuals become the best versions of themselves.

    Zoe is also the owner of Training Personified Ltd, a personal development company serving the corporate sector. She delivers impactful programmes on leadership, equity, diversity, inclusion, customer service, conflict and change management, resilience, confidenceThe organisation also manages and delivers contracts for the welfare to work sector, driving participants toward meaningful employment and transformative workplace improvements.