Midland Mentors
The project seeks to curate a one-stop-shop for career development using digital and traditional methods. Our goal is to impact the lives of at least 2000 students in the Midlands through clear messages from industry experts clarifying their career journeys, successes, challenges, skill-sets and opportunities.
Midland mentors bios
Henrietta Brealey
Chief Executive Officer
Henrietta is the CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, a not for profit organisation that connects, supports and grows local businesses.
Her role encompasses a mix of engagements (policy, research, campaigns, media interviews) and delivering cross-departmental strategy, including identifying new income streams all aimed at supporting and championing local businesses
Thomasina R. Legend
Founder, Creative consultant & Editor in Chief
Thomasina R. Legend is a creative entrepreneur, writer, producer and independent publisher with a great capacity for making things happen. Firmly-rooted in her belief that sharing the true hardships, challenges and failures encountered on the way to success is paramount, Thomasina founded her creative book titled Voix Meets Mode which translates Voice Meets Fashion, Art, Design, Style, Innovation and Creative Brilliance. VMM as it’s popularly referred to, implements a specific publication strategy that encompasses the psychological requirements and ramifications of making it to the top of the fashion and creative industry.
Hilary Hao
Business Development Expert
Hilary is a Global Shaper of the Manila Hub in the Philippines and leads the #GoodFood4All project bringing people together to talk about the Future of Food and to build sustainable, healthy, and just food systems in the Philippines. She is also a Strategy and Marketing Consultant for WTH Foods, one of the leading food innovation companies in the Philippines developing plant-based protein alternatives and previously worked on UK-based alternative protein brand Quorn in Southeast Asia under Monde Nissin. She is currently part of The Food Systems Game Changers Lab organized by IDEO, Thought For Food, The Rockefeller Foundation and Forum For the Future working with a global cohort to develop an action agenda for upskilling farmers through education. In addition to her work on food, she is also a Climate Reality Leader.
Betty DU
Senior Policy Advisor
Betty graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2018 with a degree in History and Chinese, and spent a year living and studying in Beijing during her third year. She secured a place on the Civil Service Fast Stream and was on the scheme for 3 years, with placements at different Government departments, including the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care. After passing her final assessment, she secured a permanent position as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors away from her laptop, and trying to keep up her Mandarin.
Brian Muriithi
Structural/Mechanical Engineer
Brian is a Structural/Mechanical engineer at Arup, a multinational consultancy providing engineering, architecture, planning and advisory services across the built environment. Brian has been at Arup for 5 years and is part of Arup’s Advanced Digital Engineering team in London. He utilises numerical modelling methods and techniques to perform computational design, modelling and analysis of structures. He has worked on projects in a wide range of industries including structural and seismic engineering, offshore engineering, automotive engineering, blast and impact engineering and nuclear packaging and transportation amongst others. Brian combines his technical engineering knowledge with digital skills in Python and JavaScript to automate processes within his projects.
Brian is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield before joining Arup. Prior to moving to Arup’s London office, Brian spent significant time based in Arup’s offices in Solihull (UK) and Houston (US).
Luisa Meneghetti
Talent Acquisition Consultant
As a talent acquisition consultant, Luisa enjoys connecting the right talent to the right job opportunity and using her unique skillset to further improve the workplace. Speaker at international events, including the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, she enjoys sharing the latest achievements of the sector with both specialized and general audiences.
Previously, she analyzed humanitarian data on global human displacement caused by conflict, disasters and climate change. She worked for key human rights organisations, such as Human Rights Watch and OHCHR, and organized the first humanitarian hackathon with THE Port association at CERN. She designed the winning product of the GLF competition aimed at using space-related technology in daily lives, organized by EPFL Innovation Park and Swiss Space Center.
She is also a member of the Global Shapers Community, a contributor to the WEF’s Agenda, and served in the Advisory Council of the GS Community.
Haile Warner
Senior Policy Advisor
Haile is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). She leads cutting edge projects in priority areas including, covid-19 policy, organisational design and business support.
Haile’s other experiences include starting her own business, working as an analyst at a private equity-backed pilot venture, and delivering a host of innovative business improvements.
Michael Downes
Town Planner
I am a Town Planner working for Arup. I have always had a passion for the built environment around me. After school, I studied Real Estate whilst working for a surveying company part-time. This was a fantastic experience but when the Commonwealth Games arrived in Glasgow, I discovered Town Planning and realised it was the career for me.
A Town Planner’s main aim is achieving sustainability. This means balancing different social, environmental, and economic issues when official decisions are made on whether a piece of land is developed or not.
The ethos and values of the Global Shapers resonate with me. It’s a group of people that are aware that a collaborative solution is required for the interconnected problems stopping us from achieving a better future for all.
Any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch!