Governance

Charlie studied at Christ’s Hospital school with Olly for seven years before both moving to London to study at university. Charlie and Oliver remained close friends and enjoyed spending time in Worthing when they both came back to visit. Charlie still lives and works in London as a Marketing and Communications Executive at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult based at Guy’s Hospital, working to support the commercialisation of academic research in advanced therapies. Charlie studied Biomedical Sciences at King’s College London which gave him the scientific foundation for his career.

I spent many precious years living with Olly in Middleton A, a boarding house at Christs Hospital. We first me in the Middleton A day room at 11 years old as we were welcomed to the place we’d spend the next 7 years of our lives. As Olly would sometimes remind me I was sat in a bright blue top with Bart Simpsons face emblazoned across the front. Over the years my style evolved as we went on to lead a marching band together, play countless games of tennis, belt out songs in the chapel choir and talk late into the night about anything and everything – something only possible with great friends. Our friendship continued into our university years in London, the place I was when I heard of Ollys’s passing. It’s a day that will never leave me, but being a part of Olly’s Future gives me confidence that his legacy will shine on. I live in Finsbury Park, London and work as an innovation consultant.

Zeph works in the NHS in the East of England and is passionate about improving mental health and preventing suicide. He has a background in economics, finance, health policy and strategy. He joined Olly’s Future in the Summer 2019 and is now one of the trustees. In his free time, Zeph enjoys walking with his wife and their dog and is currently trying to get fit enough to do a triathlon!

Olly and I met through the UCL Jazz Society, where our first performance together was a rather ambitious a cappella version of Madonna’s Like A Prayer! During our time with Jazz Soc, we went on to perform in various places ranging from the Adelphi Theatre to Barcelona! As a part of Olly’s Future, I help with the organisation of the music for all of our events – so far, this has included a big band consisting of UCL Jazz Soc members (past and present!) for a ball at the Tower Hotel, as well a funky 5-piece band for a boat party. Since graduation, I have been working as an associate scientist in a diagnostic unit for the NHS. When I’m not at work, I can normally be found either volunteering for Great Ormond Street Hospital or supporting the finest football team in West London… (Brentford, of course).

I am a qualified management consultant with specialist experience in financial software implementation and support. Being a trustee with Olly’s Future is a very rewarding way to spend some of my free time during retirement. I also had the pleasure of meeting Olly when his mum and I took part in the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics and remember him well.

I met Olly in Shanghai, China when we both started working with the British Council to teach English. Olly and I were part of a small group of 6 friends all placed in the same suburb of Shanghai, bonded together through navigating the new culture and language of our surroundings. As Olly had already visited Shanghai twice before, we all relied on him to help us order food, speak to taxi drivers and most importantly to ask for the beer for be cold (as beer was typically always served Luke-warm in restaurants).

We all learnt so much from Olly during that time and he always made every event brighter. After Olly passed away and I left China I studied to be a speech and language therapist and now work in central London for the NHS, supporting children and their families with communication. I became a trustee for Ollys Future in May 2023 and feel privileged to be supporting such an important cause and spreading the ‘love and light’ Olly shared with everyone he met.