Mark Cameron OBE
CEO
After a full career in the Royal Navy, Mark has a wealth of experience as a Board-level HR professional including senior delivery and policy development roles in Resourcing, Talent Management, and Learning & Development. He joined The 5% Club in August 2020 and has been Chief Executive since April 2021.
Starting his career aged 16 as a 5-year technical apprentice, Mark benefited from significant investment in his professional development, including a sponsored degree, graduate development scheme and executive MBA. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Manager and Chartered Fellow CIPD, and was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his services in transforming Royal Navy Recruiting Operations. He is driven to ensure the opportunity afforded to him is also available to others, irrespective of individual characteristics, social background, or personal circumstance.
Gill Cronin
Director of Operations
Gill has extensive experience in working in the not-for-profit/charity/fourth sector having managed and developed commercially successful memberships in a wide range of industries.
She was Director of Marketing, Press and Business Information at the British Retail Consortium and more recently was Head of Patron Membership at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Additionally, she headed up the membership and marketing divisions at the Fostering Network and the Booksellers Association.
Gill has also been a charity trustee for the charity Re-Solv and was Company Secretary for the charity World Book Day.
Having gained a BA from the University of London straight after leaving school, Gill was fortunate to be offered an ‘earn and learn’ opportunity to gain an MBA while working full time.
Helen Tanner
Member & Events Manager
Helen’s recent career has been in membership recruitment and retention. Helen is delighted to be able to bring all the skills and experience gained since her first “earn to learn” role to The 5% Club.
Helen’s conscious decision not to go to University saw her join the Civil Service where she spent many successful and happy years supporting British companies exporting and investing overseas.
As well as overseas postings to Norway, Trinidad & Tobago, and Croatia she also spent time working closely with Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The 5% Club is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board provides oversight and direction, working with a Steering Board of senior members and The 5% Club’s Executive team to ensure delivery of The 5% Club’s aims. The Board currently has four members and meets quarterly.
The Board of Trustees also delegates certain tasks to working parties comprising Trustees and the Executive, supported by an Advisory Panel of voluntary experts with relevant skills and experience.
Ozlem Gunduz-Robinson
Chair
Ozlem has diverse international experience from senior roles at Citi, UBS, HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group across corporate, private and retail banking spanning over 25 years. She started her international career in corporate and investment banking at Citigroup then decided to move to wealth management. This began at UBS supporting Ultra High Net Worth and High Net Worth clients. Ozlem then moved to HSBC to shift her focus to the retail and wealth business. Most recently she joined Lloyds Banking Group and heads the International Private Banking.
Ozlem is originally from Turkey and now lives in London with her family. In addition to her volunteering role with The 5% Club she also serves as a Trustee on the board of Earthwatch Europe.
A strong advocate for earn-and-learn programmes, Ozlem recognizes the value of apprenticeships and graduate schemes in career development. After completing her MBA in London, she joined Citigroup’s international graduate programme, a pivotal moment in her early career that provided a strong foundation for her professional growth.
Faheem Khan
Trustee
Having immigrated from Pakistan at the age of 11, and proudly identifying as LGBT+ and neurodiverse, Faheem’s personal journey has deeply influenced his understanding of the challenges marginalised young people face. This profound understanding has fueled his lifelong dedication to supporting young people on their career journey, inspiring hope and resilience in those he serves.
As the founder and CEO of Future Leaders UK, Faheem leads an organisation that is making a significant difference in the lives of underrepresented young people across the UK. Future Leaders UK empowers young individuals to become advocates for equality and diversity and supports them in securing ambitious career pathways through apprenticeships. The impact is tangible, with over 8,000 young people from 500+ schools across the UK benefiting from the programmes every year.
In 2019, Faheem was honoured to be appointed as a Leadership Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle. This prestigious Fellowship, founded by HRH Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, brings together 250 leaders from around the world to advance leadership and dialogue on critical contemporary issues. Faheem’s role in this esteemed group underscores his recognition and influence in the field of leadership.
With almost twenty years of experience teaching in comprehensive schools, Faheem is also an experienced School Senior Leader. Most recently, he served as Deputy Headteacher and Head of Safeguarding at a secondary school in East London, gaining valuable insight into the challenges young people face today. Faheem continues to support schools as an Educational Consultant.
Board/Advisory Positions:
The 5% Club charity: Trustee
Queen Mary University of London: Steering Committee Member
Metropolitan Police: Hate Crime and Counter Terrorism Advisory Group Member
Department for Education: Countering Hate Crime Roundtable Member
Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network: Affiliate Member
Awards:
National Municipal Journal Award in Transforming Lives Category
UK Parliament Award for Promoting Civic Responsibility
Mayor’s Award for Services to Young People
Redbridge Education Award: Champion for Change
Pride of Waltham Forest Award: Community Cohesion
Finalist for National Diversity Awards
Top 50 BAME Leader: Operation Black Vote
Top 10 Muslims in the Charity Sector: EqualityX
Faisal Mahomed
Trustee
Faisal is an experienced executive, currently Managing Director, ESN, EE. He has had a 360 career, working and leading many functions including sales, commercial, operations, and transformation. He brings a wealth of international experience, having had postings across the Americas and Africa, with fluency in both Spanish and French.
Faisal is a big believer in the opportunities that can be accessed through focussed education and training. He also sponsors several programmes within BT from D&I talent to cultural change.
Faisal is married with two children, living in Kent. He enjoys all sports and loves international cuisine.
David Mercer
Trustee
David is a seasoned general counsel and FTSE 250 company secretary with nearly 40 years’ experience working in the international resources and construction sectors. Australian by birth, David spent his early career in Melbourne before joining BP and transferring to its London head office in the early 1990s. He then enjoyed a succession of international postings across Europe, the Middle East and Asia before returning to London in 2006 to become General Counsel to BP’s global exploration and production business, leading a team of in-house lawyers across the globe.
David left BP in 2009 and joined Balfour Beatty in 2011 until retiring from full time employment in 2019 to pursue his passion for sailing. Since then, David has held a number of interim general counsel and company secretary roles at FTSE 250 companies.
David is happily married to Jane, has four “grown and flown” children and now lives in Marylebone, London. He enjoys sailing, golf, opera and natural wine.
Charlene Sagoe
Trustee
Charlene Sagoe was born in Liberia, West Africa, and spent her early years in Romania where her father served as a foreign diplomat for the Liberian Embassy. Her family moved to London in 1983 where her father continued his diplomatic mission.
Charlene began her professional career in Broadcast Media working in middle and senior management roles with a number of international broadcasters including’ the Sci-Fi Channel, National Geographic Channel and Sky.
With more than 2 decades of experience working for global financial services institutions and media businesses in senior leadership roles; Charlene has held several Marketing roles for one of the largest global asset management companies (by AUM) and has held the role of International Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion since January 2021.
Charlene is also Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee, for the Investor Leadership Network (ILN); an open and collaborative platform for leading investors interested in addressing sustainability and long-term growth.
Ritika Wadhwa
Trustee
Ritika was born and brought up in India. She went on to achieve an MBA in the UK and broke all barriers as an immigrant to Canada and the UK. Ritika has over 30 years of experience working at Board level across 3 continents, with senior stakeholders – within the public and private sector.
Ritika is on a mission to bring inclusion and innovation to the heart of organisations, and she believes that Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is a capability which can do that. Ritika is the Founder and CEO of Prabhaav Global. Prabhaav means impact in Hindi and organization’s mission is to apply the transformational power of Cultural Intelligence for impactful leadership.
Ritika is a CQ Certified Facilitator and a Fellow at the Society of Leadership Fellows, Windsor Castle. She sits on the Strategic Advisory Board member for British Transport Police and is Co-Chair of the Culture First Board at Essex Fire and Rescue Services. Ritika is a Trustee and Board Director at The 5% club and a sought-after global Keynote speaker.
