Our people
We’re More Than Robots – we’re a global movement of educators, industry pioneers and influencers
We’re More Than Robots – we’re a global movement of educators, industry pioneers and influencers
Our charity is only as impactful as the smart creatives driving it and making awesome stuff happen. FIRST UK brings together a national network of collaborators determined to supercharge STEM experiences for young people.
“We need to empower young people today to take on the challenges of tomorrow – to prepare them for jobs which haven’t been invented yet.”
Vikrant Bhargava, Founding Chair of Trustees
Local relationships and community knowledge are critical in achieving sustainable impact, at scale. We work with a network of regional partners – experts in the challenges and opportunities in their region and who share our ambition for improving access and maximising impact.
Our superheroes. Schools, colleges and universities – experienced in STEM enrichment, with the resources and motivation to support others. They raise awareness of the programme and induct new teams. They act as training venues, host events and are robotics centres of excellence.
Our industry partners donate time and invest money in the young people who will invent the future. They understand the impact their employees can make as active role models paying it forward. In return they drive tangible impact, their talent pipelines and improve employee satisfaction.
“As a Senior Leader, it’s important to engage with other schools locally. By working together and networking our D&T and computing departments, we’re strengthening provision across all our schools, helping students get more out of their experience and engaging students in STEM beyond our own school.
“Being a Champion Organisation offers opportunities to link to industry, which helps support the school towards reaching Gatsby benchmarks. The role helps us show our wider community that we’re more than just about exams and in our own context, we’re getting much higher engagement of girls picking tech and computing beyond Key Stage 3.”
Toby Osborne, Assistant Headteacher and Curriculum Lead, Bournemouth School for Girls
Chatty was a word that always came up on Paige’s school reports, but now she uses that skill to her advantage in her role as Outreach and Partnerships Manager. Paige has 6 years experience in STEM outreach education where her most recent role focused on supporting schools and industry partners to make the most of their relationships. Paige is eager to extend the reach of the FIRST Tech Challenge by making sure that everyone hears our story. At our events, you’ll find Paige behind the mic bringing matches alive, and in her free time there’s usually 2 places you’ll find her: in her home office crafting or in the kitchen cooking up a family feast!
Kayla thrives on helping others achieve greatness! She spends much of her time coordinating the charity’s interactions with schools, teachers and teams – the people we’re here to serve. From engaging and on-boarding new organisations to supporting existing – Kayla ensures their journey to impact is a positive one.
Leah is then engine of our comms function. Having joined the charity initially as a marketing intern in early 2023 she smashed it so much we just had to find a way to get her to stay! Working as Patrice’s sidekick, she strives to raise awareness, grow our social footprint and bring the brand’s tone of voice to life one post at a time. Prior to joining FIRST UK, Leah worked in all things retail and hospitality whilst undertaking her Marketing and Management degree in London. She uses her extensive knowledge of consumers to produce and deliver effective comms that engages a mass audience and supports a clear customer journey. In her free time, you can find Leah rewatching sitcom ‘Friends’, walking her fur baby and eating her body weight in Hobnobs.
If we had to describe Toni in one word, it would be “connector”. Her mission? To establish Hubs throughout the UK for the FIRST® Tech Challenge programme. By engaging with key players in each region, she’s helping us extend our reach and provide essential STEM opportunities to young people who need it most. Toni has 15 years of experience in STEM education, five of which saw her responsible for the delivery of the FIRST Lego League programme in Trinidad and Tobago. She’s passionate about making sure every young person has the opportunity to engage with STEM, regardless of their background or circumstances, and is excited to see the FIRST Tech Challenge programme grow in the UK. When she’s not busy connecting the dots, Toni enjoys scenic walks and hikes with her family, exploring the stunning Scottish landscapes (though she not so secretly despises the exercise). A self-proclaimed Harry Potter fanatic and musical aficionado, Toni has made it her mission to rally the team for a group outing to see Hamilton on West End.
Amy is our resident matchmaker. As Programme Manager (Partnerships) she’s focused on finding the right friends to collaborate with in order to amplify impact for the young people we serve. Amy works with corporate partners to maximise effective employee engagement, whether that’s regular mentoring, ad hoc volunteering opportunities through to leadership and team building days. Prior to joining us at FIRST UK, she used her relationship-building and analysis skills to execute events at firms in Vancouver and Toronto. With a shift in focus, she’s now working to identify opportunities for leveraging income, people, and resources to achieve our mission sooner. Since it’s always easier to make friends with food, Amy’s experience as a trained pastry chef will be a critical on the job asset.
Ed’s ideas (not always good ones), agility and boundless energy drive the charity forward at pace. Frustrated by standing still he is constantly asking ‘will it make the boat go faster’ – no one really understands why (rumour suggests it’s a book he got one Christmas and hasn’t actually read but cites when out of ideas). Ed describes the mission as ‘making the charity go out of business’ – a world where every young person is equipped with the technical knowledge and life skills to own their futures. In the meantime, he’s focused on defining the pathway to impact and securing sustainable investment and critical friendships to get there fast. Previously Ed led innovation at Cancer Research UK devising award-winning fundraising products, disrupting funding models and driving strategic growth. He also spent several years globe-trotting whilst helping build an adventure tour operator into a sector-leading SME. His passions include his partner Katherine, their two young boys Zeb and Oz, travel, and anything to do with the water, outdoors or food.
As Chief Operating Officer, Muktar is living out his dream job here at FIRST UK. A teacher and former Director of Robotics at the American School in London, he’s responsible for our day-to-day operations. With a decade of experience engaging young people with STEM, his secondary role could be dubbed ‘Master of Robots’. As a young student, he was offered the opportunity to participate in FIRST programmes – an experience which he cites as the driving force behind his decision to study Architectural Technology at Westminster University. Muktar has mentored hundreds of young people over the years and is now translating his experience into inspiring the next generation of science and technology innovators.
Patrice owns all things impact, brand, comms and marketing in her role as the Head of Impact & Engagement here at FIRST UK. Operating across all channels and events, she builds a narrative that resonates with our audiences, making sure that everyone feels part of an epic experience. A Graphic and Media Designer from the University of the Arts London, Patrice honed her craft delivering consumer marketing campaigns and games with digital and creative agencies. While leading comms programmes at Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s Open Data Institute, she developed influencer strategies for public sector agencies. When she’s not working, you can find her binge-watching documentaries, hiking, dad dancing, rallying causes for diversity and inclusion, or presenting to young people and grown ups about opportunities in STEM.
Vikrant’s passion for STEM trace back to his time as an undergraduate studying engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology. The technical knowledge, relationships and life-skills he developed at the IIT served him well as a young entrepreneur in the dot com boom of early 2000’s. Recognising the impact technology and a technical education had on his own journey, he’s now determined to ensure every young person can unlock opportunities through STEM – and he’s established FIRST® UK to do just that.