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Our Board

Unitas Youth Zone Board

Unitas Youth Zone is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Trustees are members of the local business community, as well as the local authority, who volunteer their time and resources, and bring their skills and experience to assist Unitas in achieving our aims and objectives.

Keith Black

Chairman

Lord Jon Mendelsohn

Vice-Chair

Janaki Allen

delivery

Nicola Hammond

hr

Cherry-Ann Aulis

treasurer

bidemi alabi

marketing/communications

alison benjamin

onside-nominated trustee

councillor hamayune (kalim) khalick

safeguarding

gerald malton

health and safety

anthony hayman

fundraising

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76 Montrose Avenue
Edgware, HA8 0DT
020 8075 5888 enquiries@unitasyouthzone.org

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© 2023 Unitas Youth Zone. Registered Charity number 1173239. Company number: 10445685
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Keith Black

Keith Black was born in Manchester in 1959, went to school in the Midlands and read law at university. On graduating he joined his father’s company and over the last 40 years, together with his sister, has developed it into the Regatta Group of outdoor clothing companies, comprising the Regatta, Craghoppers and Dare2b brands. It is an international group of businesses, employing 2500 people throughout Europe and the USA. Keith is the Chairman and Chief Executive. Since 2010 he has lived in London with my wife Tania and their five daughters. Throughout his life, he has been involved in numerous charities. Keith founded the Barnet Youth Zone charity (now Unitas) and remains Chairman. In January 2022, he became Chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council Keith is a passionate supporter of Manchester City and in his spare time he runs, enjoys theatre, art and collect books and glass.

Lord Jon Mendelsohn

Lord Mendelsohn is a working peers in the House of Lords. He was formally Shadow Minster for Business, Energy and industrial Strategy and the Shadow Minster for International Trade.

Jon is currently a Partner at Oakvale Capital LLP a corporate finance advisory firm. He is Chairman of The Redbus Group and a Senior Adviser to Vale Retail PLC.

Janaki Allen

Janaki was born and grew up in North West London, graduating from Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1989 with a degree in Law. She qualified and practised as a solicitor with the City law firm of Linklaters.

After law Janaki has had a broad involvement in the charitable and non-profit sector. She has worked in a variety of roles with Prisoners Abroad, Bail for Immigration Detainees, the Children’s Ark Project, Kalyaan, the National Association of Women’s Organisations and the Personal Support Unit at the Royal Courts of Justice. She was also was a parent governor of a Camden Primary School.

Janaki is also a director of M J Allen Associates, a legal consultancy run by her and her husband.

Janaki is passionate about the development of young people with a particular interest in the plight of disadvantaged groups such as refugees and immigrants.

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Nicola Hammond

Nicola Hammond was born in Edgware, so has a close affinity to the area that Unitas is located and she now resides in nearby Hertfordshire. She is educated to Master’s Degree level, having graduated with First in 2011 and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD. Nicola has spent her entire career in HR working across retail, wholesale, corporate, manufacturing and more recently creative and media agency businesses. Nicola is currently operating as Group People Director for Kairos Group across the UK and US, leading all things people, transformation, acquisitions, culture and change.

cherry-ann aulis

Cherry is a qualified accountant with extensive experience in both the public and private sector. Her focus has been on ensuring organisations get value for money and make decisions that promote long term sustainability.

Cherry has been an active community advocate, initiating the formation of a Residents’ Association with a focus on giving residents a common voice to help make the place they live a place they love. She has also supported several community grass root groups in a variety of roles. As a parent she values the work that Unitas Youth Zone does in creating opportunities so that everyone can explore their potential.

Bidemi Alabi

Bidemi is the founder and CEO of Communicoms Media Group, a media and communications company that focuses on creating, developing, and managing media assets that focus 100% on keeping communities informed and engaged.

With a background in banking, finance and business strategy consultancy spanning more than 20 years, he comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience that cuts across 5 sectors and is deeply passionate about the development of start-up SMEs and young people.

Bidemi was the Vice Chairman and CEO of The Association of African Owned Enterprises in the UK and currently sits on the board of several social enterprises and a community interest company. He loves all things family, football, and Formula 1.

alison benjamin

Alison is Director of Fundraising at OnSide, the national charity that develops Youth Zones such as Unitas. Alison joined OnSide in 2018 at a point when the charity was growing into a national movement, supporting over 50,000 young people each year, and actively expanding from its origins in North West England. Prior to joining OnSide, Alison led the philanthropy teams of King’s College London, and those of the hospitals and charities associated with the university: Guy’s & St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley Hospitals. During her time there, she was involved from start to finish in the World questions|King’s answers £500m fundraising campaign, which successfully closed at £610m. After graduating in International Politics from Warwick University, Alison spent two years living and working in central China with international development charity VSO. She is also a Trustee of the RAF Benevolent Fund and Wolverhampton’s Youth Zone, The Way.

councillor Humayune (Kalim) Khalick

Humayune (Kalim) Khalick is a Councillor for Colindale South, London Borough of Barnet. He is currently still also working (though of retirement age!). He was born and lived the first two years of his life in Camden and has been a Barnet resident ever since. His passions are football and cricket but he confesses to being interested in all sports (maybe not darts). He has a strong belief in the growth, development and happiness of our young people. He is also Vice-Chair of Barnet Council’s Corporate Parenting Board, which deals with the provision of care for young people within the Borough.

Gerald Malton

Gerald was born and also lives in Essex. He studied mathematics at university and went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. For the past 20 years he has been a director of Fairview New Homes, a company based in Enfield and one of the Founder Patrons of Unitas. Gerald is actively involved in a number of music performance groups and supports young people in maximising their own performing arts, sporting and educational achievements in association with the Essex Community Foundation.

anthony hayman

Anthony has led several award-winning fundraising and marketing programmes, with particular expertise in high-value partnerships, digital crowdfunding, brand development and PR. He led Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice’s £13.5m Building The Ark Appeal, as well as the charity’s rebrand and strategy development. Prior to Noah’s Ark, Anthony helped to found and then led Action Against Cancer, a charity working on cancer drug discovery at Imperial College. Both Noah’s Ark and Action Against Cancer gained widespread national and regional press coverage under his leadership. He recently joined Jami, a leading mental health charity.