The Talent Tap Board of Trustees
Nick Cowley
Co-Founder
Nick studied at Nottingham University, after which he joined the British Army. During his Army career Nick has conducted multiple tours of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. In 2016 he completed a Masters in Strategy in the US and commanded a tank regiment in Germany from 2017 – 2019. Nick is currently commanding 16 Air Assault Brigade based on Colchester. During his career Nick has been awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service, an MBE and an OBE. Nick founded The Talent Tap with Rupert in 2009 and recently ran 280kms from Salcombe to Land’s End, raising £45,000 for the charity.
Rupert Taylor
Co-Founder
Rupert studied at Durham University, after which he began a career in finance. Rupert spent 13 years working for a number of investment banks, including Cazenove, Lehman Brothers and Nomura, working in equities and trading. Since 2014 Rupert has set up a number of small businesses is also an active investor in early stage companies. He is presently CEO of financial data company Brismo. Rupert continues to live in London, his home town, and is happy to extol the virtues of life in the capital to anyone who will listen.
Aicha Zerrouky
Trustee
Aicha studied History at the University of Caen, France, after which she began a career in Business Development, working as a consultant for Tech-Start-Up’s. She spent 3 years working in Paris and later relocated to Muscat-Oman to focus on managing multi-million dollars projects. In 2016, Aicha moved to the UK where she continued to head Business Development and Marketing for various businesses. She joined the University of Oxford – Said Business School in 2018 focusing on growing the executive education portfolio. During her time there, she actively championed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and co-founded the Women Social Network, the Freedom and Racial Equity Network and advises on various committees. She is a member of Fawcett Society and a fierce advocate for Equity both in and outside the workplace. Her journey has now led her to Headspring Executive, a Financial Times x I.E Business School Joint Venture, as a Director of Business Development, where she empowers people to transform their organisations through learning. Aicha has Moroccan roots and lives in Buckinghamshire with her daughter and husband. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for conversations around food and coffee! In her spare time, she also enjoys horse-riding and travelling with her family.
Alix Willams
Trustee
Alix studied at The London School of Economics, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics before joining the British Business Bank. Shortly after, she moved to the Pensions, as an Investment Risk Analyst where she has been for the last 18 months. Alix has been a part of The Talent Tap since joining as a student in 2013, having experienced the many amazing opportunities the Talent Tap can provide to students she wishes to get stuck in and help give future students those same opportunities to succeed. Based in Surrey, Alix is currently studying for her CFA qualifications and in her spare time enjoys reading and baking.
Jane Hamilton
Trustee
As a journalist, editor and social mobility campaigner, Jane is committed to developing a society where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The first in her family to go to University, Jane graduated in Social and Political Science at Cambridge and has worked in the media and advertising agencies for 25 years. She now leads The Sun newspaper’s long-running Sunemployment careers campaign where she has helped more than a quarter of a million people back into work and to build their future careers. Jane lives in London with her husband and three sons.
Rituja Rao
Trustee
Rituja Ravikiran Rao is an award-winning Delivery Manager, Industry Speaker, and emerging thought leader. Currently, she’s a Senior Enterprise Project Manager at Deliveroo delivering exciting new integrations and products. She has a track record of successfully delivering complex IT projects within the banking, fintech, Cloud and engineering industry. Rituja is vocal about Graduate careers in Tech regardless of STEM degrees and the power of social mobility. Rituja is a strong advocate of skills diversity in Tech and uses her platforms to raise awareness about no-code tech careers. She sits on various Charity and University advisory boards, sharing her expertise on the future of work and Gen Z careers.
Robert Willis
Trustee
Rob is a corporate partner at the law firm, CMS, where he has worked since 2005. He has been a trustee of the Talent Tap since April 2019. Rob graduated in Law and European Law from Nottingham University in 2001 (where he first met Nick Cowley and Naomi Ambrose). Based in London, Rob is married with twin boys and, in his spare time, enjoys golf, running and watching his sons participate in all sorts of sports.
Sunil Mashari
Trustee
Sunil Mashari is the Head of Marketing, Middle East and the Global Marketing Lead for Resilience for FTI Consulting where he has worked for the past 2 ½ years. Prior to this he worked for US corporate law firm Reed Smith for six years, specialising in strategy and client relations for the maritime industry. A London native, he has been based in Dubai for the past six years. He graduated in 2009 with a degree in European Union Studies with Law from the University of Leeds and has also completed the Oxford University Executive Leadership Programme. In his spare time, he enjoys convincing himself that he is still a martial artist having obtained a third dan black belt in Wado Ryu Karate and lives in the hope his two young nephews will do the same.
