Our governance

AKIN AKINBODE 

After completing an LLM at Queen Mary University of London, Akin began his career as a commercial solicitor in the City. He is currently a partner at Dentons, where he specialises in construction and engineering disputes in the energy, transport, infrastructure and real estate sectors. He regularly provides strategic advice businesses and not-for-profit organisations and brings prior non-executive board experience to his role as a governor at COLAHG. Akin resides in Highgate.

CHARLES COHEN

Charles began his career as a technology entrepreneur in the late 1990’s, creating the world’s first digital currency, beenz.com, after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. In 2003 he created Probability plc, a pioneer in mobile gaming, which was sold in 2014. After a few years working in the USA he came back to London and founded Department of Trust, which helps identify and prevent gambling harm. As well as COLAHG, Charles is an advisor to the UK Gambling Commission on problem gambling technology and sits on the Board of Veikkaus Oy, the Finnish national lottery monopoly. He lives in the City. 

MR NICHOLAS DURACK  (CHAIR OF PERSONNEL, FINANCE & PREMISES COMMITTEE)

After studying Engineering and Business in Australia Nick commenced his career at Goldman Sachs in Sydney in 2002, before transferring to London in 2004. He found himself in Islington somewhat by chance, but enjoyed living there so much he shortly thereafter came to consider London his new permanent home. He continued to work at Goldman Sachs, and later Credit Suisse, working with a range of international financial institutions across most sectors of capital markets. Outside of work he completed a further Bachelors and then Masters in law, and is a also CFA charterholder. He is currently a portfolio manager for a UK based asset management firm, and continues to live in North London with his wife and young son (who now has a little sister on the way).

NICOLA DAVISON 

Driven by a deep desire to ensure young people have the best possible start in life, Nicola has been working and volunteering in education for over 20 years. Since qualifying as a teacher in 2011, she has taught in primary, secondary and supplementary schools and held senior leadership positions in schools and ed-tech organisations. Nicola currently lives in Islington and works at Ambition Institute, the largest national provider of professional development to teachers and school leaders. She is also a trustee of the charitable foundation for a school in Hertfordshire.

CHARLOTTE DOUGAN

After completing her degree in Philosophy, whilst tutoring children in Islington, Charlotte began her career in EdTech, managing coding and robotics clubs across London. Following experience in FinTech, she returned to education as an evaluator and a consultant. She now works with education charities, schools, and universities to evaluate their programmes to understand what is working and what could be improved. She is passionate about equalising education outcomes for young people and using technology to support this goal. She is based in Holloway.

CLAIRE TUNLEY 

Claire Tunley is a qualified Town Planner and economic development professional.  Claire specialises in skills and employment, particularly work related learning in education and supporting employers to widen access to careers and create inclusive workplaces.  In recent years, Claire has led a study into youth unemployment in London and the role of apprenticeships in professional careers.  She is an Islington resident and served as a trustee of a local childrens charity for many years. 

NICK WORSLEY (CHAIR OF CURRICULUM AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE) 

After graduating from the University of Oxford, Nick completed the Teach First programme, spending three years teaching maths at a secondary academy in Bristol. He then worked as an Education Specialist for PEAS, a not-for-profit social enterprise which runs a network of secondary schools in Uganda and Zambia, leading the development of the organisation’s school leadership programme in Uganda and the launch of a flagship government partnership school in Zambia. He currently works as an advisor in the Department for Education’s Behavioural Insights Unit, which develops behaviourally informed education policy. He is a lifelong Islington resident and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Bristol.