We are proud to continue to offer our families the best support possible.
Our Team
Amy Whitelock Gibbs - CEO

Amy Whitelock Gibbs - CEO

Amy is a social justice campaigner and CEO of Tutors United from January 2023. Her career has spanned national charities, local government and Parliament, leading teams and organisations to achieve impact across children’s rights, healthcare, poverty and equity.

Amy was previously a Director at Unicef UK and The Children’s Society, working with young people to secure policy and practice change – such as a government strategy to tackle the impact of toxic air on children’s health and hundreds of local authorities adopting a council tax exemption for care leavers. As a local councillor in Tower Hamlets, Amy led in cabinet on education and children’s social care, building strong partnerships with schools, businesses, housing associations, NHS services, local charities and families to drive rapid improvement.

Amy was CEO of Birthrights from 2018-2022, taking over from the founder CEO. Amy led the charity out of its start-up phase and through the pandemic, growing the reach of frontline programmes, tripling income and headcount, winning rights protections from stringent Covid restrictions, and spearheading their flagship inquiry on systemic racism in maternity care.

She is also an experienced non-executive director in the public and voluntary sectors – currently independent Chair of Tower Hamlets Together, the health and care partnership, and a Trustee of her orchestra in South London.

Amy is a co-parent to two lively boys and loves eating cheese, playing the oboe, soaking up queer culture and dancing – whether at the kitchen disco or in Soho!

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Alina Monaghan-Gibson - COO

Alina Monaghan-Gibson - COO

Alina joined Tutors United as Head of Programmes in 2019 and leads the programmes team to ensure we are maximising our impact and continually expanding our offer to families.

Alina has worked in the field of social justice and education for many years. Before graduating with a first-class degree in Anthropology and German Language and Culture at the University of Minnesota, she held various roles in mentoring and education, including a teaching and research fellowship in Berlin. After graduating, Alina spent time in Vienna teaching English as part of a partnership between Fulbright and the Austrian-American Educational Commission.

The experience inspired her to go on to study her Master’s in Sociology of Education at UCL Institute of Education, focusing on the intersection of class, parental involvement, and educational structures. She completed her course with a Distinction in 2016.

Prior to joining TU, Alina spent years in the third sector, designing, delivering, and growing programmes for young people in schools and businesses across the UK.

Outside of overseeing all the programmes at Tutors United, Alina is tapping into her former life as a barista and making sure the team is well-caffeinated with endless pots of coffee!

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Olivia Meade - Head of Region: London and South

Olivia Meade - Head of Region: London and South

Olivia is the Head of Region for London and South at Tutors United. She works with a range of partners and manages many TU’s programmes, providing focused educational support to over 150 families across London. Olivia works alongside the programmes team developing new curriculum and programme features to ensure the tuition TU provides is top quality. She is also responsible for organising the annual graduation event, which sees hundreds of participants come together to celebrate pupil achievements.

Before joining TU, Olivia studied English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London. During her time there, Olivia worked as a TU Maths and English Tutor in Hackney and Tower Hamlets before becoming a Programme Administrator upon graduation in 2016.

In what little free time she has, Olivia loves cooking with her family and watching films.

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Greer Mulcahey Banks – Head of Region: Midlands & North

Greer Mulcahey Banks – Head of Region: Midlands & North

Greer is the Head of Region for Midlands and North at Tutors United and works with a range of partners and over 200 families across London and Cambridge to provide focused educational support. Greer maintains the English Curriculum and manages over 30 tutors across a range of locations and programmes, including the Summer Challenge, which she leads on. She also leads on designing and delivering our online programmes, including the Booster Series.

Before joining TU in 2017, Greer delivered GCSE revision workshops in schools across England and taught GCSE Sociology to Gifted and Talented secondary school students. Greer also coordinated advocacy campaigns with a healthcare organisation in Manchester and supported the provision of clean water access in humanitarian situations. Greer has always been committed to helping others but ensuring all young people have access to equal opportunities has been her primary goal.

Greer is never far from a book and chose to study English and American Literature at Keele University and was selected to study at Loyola University, New Orleans for a semester as part of the Keele University Study Abroad programme. Greer then spent a year working to fund her return to academia, where she studied for an MA in Literature at the University of Essex.

Greer loves spending time on a beach, her favourite being one near Mirissa in Sri Lanka, or chasing her crazy dog Luna around the family home.

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Stephen Skeete – Business Manager

Stephen Skeete – Business Manager

Stephen joined us in Jaunary 2023 as our first ever permanent Business Manager, taking the lead on all things finance and governance at Tutors United.

With a background in finance, fashion and key note speaking in young offenders institutions, he has an incredible mix of experiences that will make him an invaluable member of the growing team.

Stephen is excited to be able to combine his professional finance skills and personal life experience into a role that will assist us to scale during this groundbreaking time for our charity.

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Caitlin Astley - Programme Officer

Caitlin Astley - Programme Officer

Caitlin is a Programme Officer at Tutors United. She acts as a primary point of contact for parents and ensures daily operations run smoothly for the Tutoring Young Residents programme. From data analysis to tech support, Caitlin is integral to making sure everything is ticking over.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a first-class honours degree in Social Anthropology, Caitlin gained experience working for several charities supporting young people and refugees. Her involvement in delivering workshops, mentoring, and teaching young people increased her passion for tackling educational inequality.

Before joining Tutors United in September 2021, Caitlin worked as a programme assistant at an organisation facilitating discussions on geopolitical affairs, including working as a rapporteur at events held for the EU delegation to the UK.

In her free time, Caitlin loves cooking, reading, watching films, and going on long walks.

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Leah Durant - Programme Officer

Leah Durant - Programme Officer

Leah is a Programme Officer at Tutors United, working as part of the Programmes Team to deliver the Tutoring Young Residents programme to our fantastic families living in London and across the country.

Leah studied History at the University of Cambridge, and during her time as an undergrad developed an strong interest in educational equality through involvement with several student societies. She volunteered as a Project Coordinator with Schools Connect, running an after-school history programme for Year 7’s, and worked as an eCAMbassador, mentoring Year 8’s through an English programme. She also worked on multiple Access to University events run by her college aimed at widening participation to Oxbridge.

Before joining TU, Leah was Head of KS1 for an online maths tutoring provider, teaching maths classes to Year 1 and 2 students and managing the delivery of a range of KS1 activities and projects.

Leah is looking forward to the opportunity to work with TU’s families and communities to help more young people excel in their education. When not working, she enjoys reading, period dramas, and baking.

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Grace Moposita Mejia – Programme Officer

Grace Moposita Mejia – Programme Officer

Grace is a Programme Officer at Tutors United, responsible for delivering the Tutoring Young Residents programme and building on the programme’s success. Grace engages with clients to ensure they receive a bespoke and high-quality service, as well as providing support to students and their families to help them reach their academic goals and potential through community engaged teaching.

After graduating from UCL in Clinical Neuroscience (MSc), Grace worked within the Higher Education sector for over five years, developing a strong interest in STEM educational equality through her involvement in teaching, education policy and outreach projects. Grace developed an extensive knowledge of a range of curriculums and teaching practices before moving into operational and strategic leadership of education delivery. Grace now combines her skills and expertise to continue empowering young people through education.

In her free time, Grace enjoys crafting, watching movies and drinking a hot chocolate!

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Gita Bakare – Interim Programme Officer

Gita Bakare – Interim Programme Officer

Gita is an Interim Programme Officer at Tutors United, working as part of the Programmes Team to deliver the Tutoring Young Residents programme to our fantastic families living in London and across the country.

In this role she works alongside Greer, managing many of our online programmes. She is instrumental in making sure families across England can access our support.

Gita is a Business and Law graduate who has worked in the charity sector for the past 20 years in various roles including Project Officer, Capacity Builder, Fundraiser Development Manager, Consultant and Operations Manager, and has a keen interest in working within inclusion projects developing relationships and partnerships to improve local communities.

In her personal life she enjoys the theatre, cinema, travelling, long walks and food. Not to forget she also has the demands of bringing up two energetic daughters who keep her on her toes!

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Xafsa Mohamud - Tutor Coordinator

Xafsa Mohamud - Tutor Coordinator

Xafsa joined Tutors United as Tutor Coordinator in April 2022. She is at the forefront of our tutor team as the first point of contact for our brilliant tutors. She is responsible for tutor communication, allocation, and management.

After becoming interested in the study of education, class, and race, Xafsa studied Sociology with Anthropology at the University of Southampton. Following graduation, she decided that her passions regarding unfair educational attainment were more than just sociological theory and she set off to ignite real change in education. As a result, she took up a post as a teaching assistant at local primary and secondary schools, focusing on pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Ultimately, she undertook her PGCE in Social Sciences and became a Sociology teacher, having worked in schools for multiple years.

Xafsa brings a wealth of experience in education to the organisation and is able to offer our tutors unique and invaluable insights.

Outside of TU, Xafsa likes to bake sweet goods, watch documentaries, and eat said sweet goods.

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Shammila Begum – Tutor Development Manager

Shammila Begum – Tutor Development Manager

Shammila joined Tutors United as our first ever Tutor Development Manager in March 2023. She is responsible for ensuring the tutors have the right skills, support, and development opportunities to excel in their tutor role and find meaningful employment or training after graduation.

After graduating from the University of Roehampton in Education Studies, Shammila wanted to work within the education sector and make a meaningful impact. Before joining TU, she worked in a variety of different education settings: from leadership roles at summer schools, mentoring underachieving Year 7s in education intervention programmes, centre lead manager at a tuition company supporting over 200 students, and tutor recruitment manager at a global EdTech company. She is super passionate about education and believes every child should have the opportunity to get the best support to unlock their potential in education and beyond.

In her spare time, Shammila is an illustrator and graphic designer – she enjoys drawing, painting, and pretty much anything that involves being creative! She is also a big Marvel fan, with her favourite superheroes being Thor and Scarlet Witch!

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Sophie Mottram – Tutor Coordinator

Sophie Mottram – Tutor Coordinator

Sophie joined Tutors United as Tutor Coordinator in February 2023. She is at the forefront of our tutor team and the first point of contact for our fantastic tutors.

After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a first-class honours degree in Psychology, Sophie began her role as an ABA tutor and qualified as a Registered Behaviour Technician in September 2023. This involved teaching children diagnosed with autism a range of skills, with a focus on teaching a mode of communication. This experience provided an insight into how life-changing effective educational support can be to both children and their families and has been fundamental in developing Sophie’s passion for educational equality and accessibility. Sophie is also passionate about mental health and well-being and regularly volunteers as a crisis volunteer for the texting hotline, SHOUT.

Outside of TU, Sophie enjoys attempting to crochet her own clothes, meeting up with friends and going on walks.

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Salma Begum - Programme Coordinator

Salma Begum - Programme Coordinator

Salma joined as Programme Coordinator at Tutors United in October 2022. She works alongside Caitlin to ensure the smooth running of the day-to-day operations at TU. 

Salma graduated with a first from City, University of London studying Criminology. Alongside her degree, Salma was part of an internship programme with Tutors United in 2019, supporting with the tutor recruitment process at TU over the summer. Her work with TU sparked her interest in educational inequality and motivated her to work within the education sector. Following this passion, she went onto become a teaching assistant in various schools across London to help children achieve their best despite their circumstances before coming back full circle to join our team.

Salma loves her tea, enjoys cooking and baking as well as spending quality time with her friends and family. 

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Joy Mbonazo – Programme Coordinator

Joy Mbonazo – Programme Coordinator

Joy joined Tutors United as a Programme Coordinator in February 2023, where she works alongside the Programme Officers to ensure the smooth running of the day-to-day operations at TU.

Joy has experience in project management within complex NHS organisations and even worked with Tutors United as an Apprentice during the 2018-2019 academic year. She has also spent a lot of time volunteering abroad on relief and building projects. This, alongside her previous work at Tutors United, has sparked an interest in her to work in the education sector, specifically in an organisation where she could contribute to change.

Joy loves reading and travelling – preferably at the same time!

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Kyle Hilton - Communications Officer

Kyle Hilton - Communications Officer

Kyle joined us in late 2021 as Communications Officer, taking the lead on sharing all of the wonderful stories, activities, and results that Tutors United are so proud of with the world.

With a background in filmmaking, Kyle graduated from London Metropolitan University in 2012 and went on to work on several documentary projects, where he followed student entrepreneurs running an ethically-sourced bag company that donated equipment to Cambodian school children, explored the rise of the London’s innovative tech scene around Silicon Roundabout, and travelled to Hong Kong to capture the student-led Umbrella Movement and pro-democracy protests.

Although Kyle has been a team member since November 2021, he’s actually been working with Tutors United since way back in 2013. After meeting TU founder, Joel Davis, Kyle began creating promotional, pitch, and case study films for the newly-founded Tutors United. This collaboration also introduced Kyle to the education sector, in which he has now worked with dozens of small, medium and large charities and organisations to create films, photography, and marketing media over the last ten years.

Away from work, Kyle spends his time following in the family tradition of supporting Burnley Football Club, training to participate in his first ever triathlon in 2023 (if he can figure out how to swim), and he still plays Wordle every day.

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