Meet our team

Our team are a fantastic bunch. Push presenters are talented, engaging, funny and, critically, well-informed. They all undertake a thorough and on-going training programme, meaning they're always clued-up on the latest developments in higher education, employability...and they've professional training in performance. The rest of our team, who keep the Push outreach engine well-greased, are wonderful too, and we couldn't do what we do without them. All our team have an enhanced DBS.
JOHNNY RICH is our founder and CEO, and a consultant in higher education and careers of 25 years' experience. His clients include the European Commission, HEFCE (now OFS), HEPI, the OFS, Oxford University, and global HE comparison tool U-Multirank. Since founding Push in 1992, Johnny has built it into an influential social enterprise providing information, advice and research about choices and employability. Push runs an award-winning programme of outreach and staff training events that visits 100s of schools and colleges each year. Johnny was also a Director of the Higher Education Academy (now Advance HE). As a contributor to various think tanks and strategy bodies, Johnny contributes widely to policy debates on education, careers, wider participation and social mobility - including spearheading projects on school-leaver recruitment and on work-related learning. With degrees from the Universities of Durham and East Anglia, he is also Chief Executive of the Engineering Professors’ Council: the voice of engineering in UK higher education.  and appears regularly on television and radio and is author of the highly acclaimed novel The Human Script.

Want to see Johnny's 90 Second Guides on revision, study skills, student finance and more?
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​​​ 
​"It would have been helpful if someone had told me that 'catered accommodation’ would not mean a guaranteed, balanced diet within my budget. I ended up living on choccy Hobnobs and black coffee."
MOJ TAYLOR  is an Edinburgh Fringe First winning actor, and stand up comedian. He was selected for the BBC's Stand Up If You Dare competition for new comics - being mentored in comedy by Jasper Carrott. He was the first Taylor of his family to graduate a higher education course, reading Hispanic Studies & Drama from Queen Mary University of London before undertaking an MA in Acting at Drama Centre London (UAL). He has featured in various commercial campaigns (Asics, Nivea, Mazda, Lexus, Movember) and has delivered over 3,000 workshops to teenagers across the UK via Push and ComedyClub4Kids. He is also a PADI Divemaster, and has assisted on various conservation projects on seagrass and carbon emissions in the UK and The Baltic Sea. He is passionate about getting young people to scuba dive, as a way to develop their focus, soft skills, self-confidence and resilience. He is also a proud ambassador for the charity Freedom from Abuse, running Caught for Court presentations to 1,000s of children and teenagers on the dangers of county lines gangs, knife and drug crime and the realities of prison life.
​
Want to see Moj's 90 Second Guides on university, employability, apprenticeships and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"The mystery goldfish that turns up in your room is apparently not allowed to be kept in your student accommodation (at my uni, at least). I kept it anyway. Point being? No 2 unis are ever the same so do your research. Explore their wondrous differences; it's up to you to decide which one is 'best'."
ARON TENNANT is the Talks and Editorial manager and designated GDPR Data Controller for Push. He is originally from South Yorkshire and has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield. He also has a MA degree in Creative Play and Screenwriting from City, University of London and came runner up in Nickelodeon's international screenwriting competition in 2018 and his short film ''Donkey Tooth'  was screened at the London Raindance Film Festival in 2018. He is IMDB credited and alongside Push he does screenplay work for independent production companies and is working on his own independent film and theatre projects and writes articles for JumpcutOnline.com.
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:​
​"I wish I had been told that the experience of going to University is much more than just getting your degree and the importance of getting involved in things that aren’t just course focused or related, particularly in your first year."
IBRAHIM FAROUK SESAY graduated from the University of Kent, after previously studying at the BRIT School London. As well as being a Push speaker, he is an actor, stand up comedian, inclusive theatre practitioner for Shed in London, and a sketch writer. He is also a facilitator for NCS. He often jokes about how many things he is doing at any one time but says "I'm basically being paid to do the things I love". Ibs had the opportunity to study at two different unis in two different continents, which he feels gave him a wealth of experience when discussing the wonderful variety of education and course options with teenagers. He hopes his experience and passion will help young people make informed and educated decisions about what they want to do in the future, based on personal wellbeing and living each day with vigour. d educated decisions about what they want to do in the future. 

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"The chance to study abroad would not of happened if it wasn’t for the impartial help of my careers advisors and teachers (which boosted my own research and my thinking): these people are human beings who have been through the same stresses as you at your age...but they can only help you if you're willing to open up to them about your hopes, fears and dreams."
LORNA SHAW is a actor, writer and comedian based in London. She performs regularly on the stand-up circuit (and at the Edinburgh Fringe) and her sketch comedy has been heard on BBC Radio 4. She has also been a finalist in the Funny Women and Musical Comedy Awards and performed sell-out shows to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh fringe with duo That Pair who's 2013 show transferred to the Soho Theatre in 2014. She is part of the leading improv school, The Free Association, performing regularly on their in-house teams, My Brother Jose and the Ladies of FA County. ​Her website is lornashawcomedy.com.

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​​​ 
"I wish someone had told me that I don't have to panic and take the first thing that comes along! Whether that's a university place or a job or an apprenticeship. Be choosy and ask lots of questions. Also, if you make the wrong choice, you're one step closer to knowing what you actually want to do."
ANISHA MINOCHA is a sixth form student from Manchester, hoping to study English Literature and Spanish at university. She is a passionate writer and poet whose work has been published in anthologies, magazines, blogs and won competitions. Contributing to Sink Magazine, she is keen to utilize the voice of young people and share work through her creative writing blog.  As a climate activist, she has combined her love for words and the planet in a performance of spoken word at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 'Letters to the Earth'. She also co-runs Young Friends of the Earth: Manchester and has organised workshops, participated in panels and spoken at Manchester Cathedral. 

What would you tell to other uk students about their wellbeing through school?:
It’s important to look after your wellbeing at all times, and not just when your particularly stressed and anxious like exam season. If you get into the habit of looking after yourself it becomes easier when you need balance and focus the most! 
STEPHEN BRADLEY is from Derry, Northwest Ireland and is an actor based in London. He was a student of the Guildford School of Acting, where he received a BA in Acting on graduation. He has worked in both Theatre and Film/TV across Ireland and the UK. His main love in life, after performing, is putting BBQ sauce on anything. He is an avid messenger of the idea of doing what you love, and loving what you do. When he is not eating BBQ sauce or performing, he is doing yoga, drinking tea or reading a book (sometimes all three at the same time). 

Want to see Stephen's 90 Second Guides on interview tips and your choices?
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"I wished I’d known that at 18 I didn't have to have it all figured out! If I’d allowed myself room to breathe and found out more about what made me tick then I’d have gone to Uni more rounded than I did. Give. Yourself. TIME"
LUCY HARDING is an English Literature grad and an MA Publishing student at UCL. She is passionate about international relations and cultural diversity, having worked closely with her university’s Erasmus society to support European students. She also spent a year abroad studying at California State University: Long Beach.

Want to see Lucy's 90 Second Guides on university and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​
"I wish I’d known that university doesn’t have to be a get-in-get-out experience where the goal is to graduate as fast as you can. Look into the extracurriculars and societies available, and take every opportunity you can!"
LINDSEY BROWN originally took a degree in Interactive Art and had a short career in marketing before changing direction. After taking a PGCE in post compulsory education she worked for over 10 years at a 6th form college with gifted and talented, and widening participation students; developing activities to raise aspirations, develop study and employability skills, improve progression and strengthen competitive university applications. Lindsey now works as a freelancer on a number of education and university led public involvement projects. 

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"That although you don’t have to know what you want to do with your life before you go to university, you do need to think about it while you are there. If I’d realised that I would have looked at what opportunities the university would give me to prepare for the next stage of my life."
KELLY CROSS is our digital guru: she’s responsible for developing and managing our online presence. She’s worked in Event Management, specialising in data evaluation and website development. She’s an advocate for on-the-job training, having not stopped learning (all things technical) since leaving sixth form.

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"That I wasn't an alien because I didn't have a subject I wanted to study at university. My sixth form made me feel like because I got good grades I should just pick any old subject to study rather than not go to university!"
THOMAS LI is our media editor. Having studied BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Practice at University of Westminster, he has continued to discover his skills within the media industry, having worked with moving image, motion graphics and new media installation practices within his course. He continues to further his knowledge in video editing. In his spare time, he is a Youtuber, photographer and social media enthusiast. 

Want to see some of the 90 Second Guides Thomas has helped Push produce?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making as choice at 18:
​“Don’t 100% expect to know what your future career is by 18. It’s never too late to further discover your skills. Progress at your own pace and don’t bring yourself down by comparing yourself to others. Everyone has an opportunity and as long as you keep working at it, you’ll be building yourself step-by-step.  Everyone makes mistakes, just learn from them and turn that into a lesson. Every step counts.”
BEN CROSS is one of our guest speakers. He is hugely passionate about individuals embracing their uniqueness and using those talents to make awesome, dynamic teams. Ben is dyslexic, failed his first year of sixth form and dropped out of uni twice. Now he’s in the management team of one of the World’s biggest construction firms. His job is all about spotting and nurturing the individuality of people, so everyone can work well together and thrive.

Want to see Ben's 90 Second Guides on making choices, interviews and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
​"Life isn’t a competition, there are far more important things in life than money, cars and career success. For a long time I thought I was competing with other people but in reality I was competing against myself, setting unrealistic expectations. If I knew back then what real success looks like I would have been very pleased with where I was heading.”
​TOM BROOKES  has been working with Push since graduating from Cardiff University in 2007 with a degree in Journalism, Film and Media. Away from Push he’s worked for several youth charities predominantly as a public speaker, facilitator, trainer and a programme manager. Tom's experience delivering Push sessions (as well as managing various campaigns) led him to recently return to education, to complete his PGCE at the Institute of Education (UCL). With such a vast amount of Push experience (and a true passion for engaging young people) he continues to fit in Push talks whenever he can.
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
​"Not getting an offer from a uni is not the end of the world! If one turns you down you’ve got four other choices to work with, not to mention all the other possibilities available to you when you’re applying. Don’t panic."
BOOK PUSH

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Meet our team

Our team are a fantastic bunch. Push presenters are talented, engaging, funny and, critically, well-informed. They all undertake a thorough and on-going training programme, meaning they're always clued-up on the latest developments in higher education, employability...and they've professional training in performance. The rest of our team, who keep the Push outreach engine well-greased, are wonderful too, and we couldn't do what we do without them. All our team have an enhanced DBS.
JOHNNY RICH is our founder and CEO, and a consultant in higher education and careers of 25 years' experience. His clients include the European Commission, HEFCE (now OFS), HEPI, the OFS, Oxford University, and global HE comparison tool U-Multirank. Since founding Push in 1992, Johnny has built it into an influential social enterprise providing information, advice and research about choices and employability. Push runs an award-winning programme of outreach and staff training events that visits 100s of schools and colleges each year. Johnny was also a Director of the Higher Education Academy (now Advance HE). As a contributor to various think tanks and strategy bodies, Johnny contributes widely to policy debates on education, careers, wider participation and social mobility - including spearheading projects on school-leaver recruitment and on work-related learning. With degrees from the Universities of Durham and East Anglia, he is also Chief Executive of the Engineering Professors’ Council: the voice of engineering in UK higher education.  and appears regularly on television and radio and is author of the highly acclaimed novel The Human Script.

Want to see Johnny's 90 Second Guides on revision, study skills, student finance and more?
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​​​ 
​"It would have been helpful if someone had told me that 'catered accommodation’ would not mean a guaranteed, balanced diet within my budget. I ended up living on choccy Hobnobs and black coffee."
MOJ TAYLOR  is an Edinburgh Fringe First winning actor, and stand up comedian. He was selected for the BBC's Stand Up If You Dare competition for new comics - being mentored in comedy by Jasper Carrott. He was the first Taylor of his family to graduate a higher education course, reading Hispanic Studies & Drama from Queen Mary University of London before undertaking an MA in Acting at Drama Centre London (UAL). He has featured in various commercial campaigns (Asics, Nivea, Mazda, Lexus, Movember) and has delivered over 3,000 workshops to teenagers across the UK via Push and ComedyClub4Kids. He is also a PADI Divemaster, and has assisted on various conservation projects on seagrass and carbon emissions in the UK and The Baltic Sea. He is passionate about getting young people to scuba dive, as a way to develop their focus, soft skills, self-confidence and resilience. He is also a proud ambassador for the charity Freedom from Abuse, running Caught for Court presentations to 1,000s of children and teenagers on the dangers of county lines gangs, knife and drug crime and the realities of prison life.
​
Want to see Moj's 90 Second Guides on university, employability, apprenticeships and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"The mystery goldfish that turns up in your room is apparently not allowed to be kept in your student accommodation (at my uni, at least). I kept it anyway. Point being? No 2 unis are ever the same so do your research. Explore their wondrous differences; it's up to you to decide which one is 'best'."
ARON TENNANT is the Talks and Editorial manager and designated GDPR Data Controller for Push. He is originally from South Yorkshire and has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield. He also has a MA degree in Creative Play and Screenwriting from City, University of London and came runner up in Nickelodeon's international screenwriting competition in 2018 and his short film ''Donkey Tooth'  was screened at the London Raindance Film Festival in 2018. He is IMDB credited and alongside Push he does screenplay work for independent production companies and is working on his own independent film and theatre projects and writes articles for JumpcutOnline.com.
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:​
​"I wish I had been told that the experience of going to University is much more than just getting your degree and the importance of getting involved in things that aren’t just course focused or related, particularly in your first year."
IBRAHIM FAROUK SESAY graduated from the University of Kent, after previously studying at the BRIT School London. As well as being a Push speaker, he is an actor, stand up comedian, inclusive theatre practitioner for Shed in London, and a sketch writer. He is also a facilitator for NCS. He often jokes about how many things he is doing at any one time but says "I'm basically being paid to do the things I love". Ibs had the opportunity to study at two different unis in two different continents, which he feels gave him a wealth of experience when discussing the wonderful variety of education and course options with teenagers. He hopes his experience and passion will help young people make informed and educated decisions about what they want to do in the future, based on personal wellbeing and living each day with vigour. d educated decisions about what they want to do in the future. 

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"The chance to study abroad would not of happened if it wasn’t for the impartial help of my careers advisors and teachers (which boosted my own research and my thinking): these people are human beings who have been through the same stresses as you at your age...but they can only help you if you're willing to open up to them about your hopes, fears and dreams."
LORNA SHAW is a actor, writer and comedian based in London. She performs regularly on the stand-up circuit (and at the Edinburgh Fringe) and her sketch comedy has been heard on BBC Radio 4. She has also been a finalist in the Funny Women and Musical Comedy Awards and performed sell-out shows to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh fringe with duo That Pair who's 2013 show transferred to the Soho Theatre in 2014. She is part of the leading improv school, The Free Association, performing regularly on their in-house teams, My Brother Jose and the Ladies of FA County. ​Her website is lornashawcomedy.com.

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​​​ 
"I wish someone had told me that I don't have to panic and take the first thing that comes along! Whether that's a university place or a job or an apprenticeship. Be choosy and ask lots of questions. Also, if you make the wrong choice, you're one step closer to knowing what you actually want to do."
ANISHA MINOCHA is a sixth form student from Manchester, hoping to study English Literature and Spanish at university. She is a passionate writer and poet whose work has been published in anthologies, magazines, blogs and won competitions. Contributing to Sink Magazine, she is keen to utilize the voice of young people and share work through her creative writing blog.  As a climate activist, she has combined her love for words and the planet in a performance of spoken word at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 'Letters to the Earth'. She also co-runs Young Friends of the Earth: Manchester and has organised workshops, participated in panels and spoken at Manchester Cathedral. 

What would you tell to other uk students about their wellbeing through school?:
It’s important to look after your wellbeing at all times, and not just when your particularly stressed and anxious like exam season. If you get into the habit of looking after yourself it becomes easier when you need balance and focus the most! 
STEPHEN BRADLEY is from Derry, Northwest Ireland and is an actor based in London. He was a student of the Guildford School of Acting, where he received a BA in Acting on graduation. He has worked in both Theatre and Film/TV across Ireland and the UK. His main love in life, after performing, is putting BBQ sauce on anything. He is an avid messenger of the idea of doing what you love, and loving what you do. When he is not eating BBQ sauce or performing, he is doing yoga, drinking tea or reading a book (sometimes all three at the same time). 

Want to see Stephen's 90 Second Guides on interview tips and your choices?
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"I wished I’d known that at 18 I didn't have to have it all figured out! If I’d allowed myself room to breathe and found out more about what made me tick then I’d have gone to Uni more rounded than I did. Give. Yourself. TIME"
LUCY HARDING is an English Literature grad and an MA Publishing student at UCL. She is passionate about international relations and cultural diversity, having worked closely with her university’s Erasmus society to support European students. She also spent a year abroad studying at California State University: Long Beach.

Want to see Lucy's 90 Second Guides on university and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18: ​
"I wish I’d known that university doesn’t have to be a get-in-get-out experience where the goal is to graduate as fast as you can. Look into the extracurriculars and societies available, and take every opportunity you can!"
LINDSEY BROWN originally took a degree in Interactive Art and had a short career in marketing before changing direction. After taking a PGCE in post compulsory education she worked for over 10 years at a 6th form college with gifted and talented, and widening participation students; developing activities to raise aspirations, develop study and employability skills, improve progression and strengthen competitive university applications. Lindsey now works as a freelancer on a number of education and university led public involvement projects. 

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"That although you don’t have to know what you want to do with your life before you go to university, you do need to think about it while you are there. If I’d realised that I would have looked at what opportunities the university would give me to prepare for the next stage of my life."
KELLY CROSS is our digital guru: she’s responsible for developing and managing our online presence. She’s worked in Event Management, specialising in data evaluation and website development. She’s an advocate for on-the-job training, having not stopped learning (all things technical) since leaving sixth form.

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
"That I wasn't an alien because I didn't have a subject I wanted to study at university. My sixth form made me feel like because I got good grades I should just pick any old subject to study rather than not go to university!"
THOMAS LI is our media editor. Having studied BA (Hons) Contemporary Media Practice at University of Westminster, he has continued to discover his skills within the media industry, having worked with moving image, motion graphics and new media installation practices within his course. He continues to further his knowledge in video editing. In his spare time, he is a Youtuber, photographer and social media enthusiast. 

Want to see some of the 90 Second Guides Thomas has helped Push produce?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making as choice at 18:
​“Don’t 100% expect to know what your future career is by 18. It’s never too late to further discover your skills. Progress at your own pace and don’t bring yourself down by comparing yourself to others. Everyone has an opportunity and as long as you keep working at it, you’ll be building yourself step-by-step.  Everyone makes mistakes, just learn from them and turn that into a lesson. Every step counts.”
BEN CROSS is one of our guest speakers. He is hugely passionate about individuals embracing their uniqueness and using those talents to make awesome, dynamic teams. Ben is dyslexic, failed his first year of sixth form and dropped out of uni twice. Now he’s in the management team of one of the World’s biggest construction firms. His job is all about spotting and nurturing the individuality of people, so everyone can work well together and thrive.

Want to see Ben's 90 Second Guides on making choices, interviews and more?

One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
​"Life isn’t a competition, there are far more important things in life than money, cars and career success. For a long time I thought I was competing with other people but in reality I was competing against myself, setting unrealistic expectations. If I knew back then what real success looks like I would have been very pleased with where I was heading.”
​TOM BROOKES  has been working with Push since graduating from Cardiff University in 2007 with a degree in Journalism, Film and Media. Away from Push he’s worked for several youth charities predominantly as a public speaker, facilitator, trainer and a programme manager. Tom's experience delivering Push sessions (as well as managing various campaigns) led him to recently return to education, to complete his PGCE at the Institute of Education (UCL). With such a vast amount of Push experience (and a true passion for engaging young people) he continues to fit in Push talks whenever he can.
​
One thing I wish I could tell my younger self about making a choice at 18:
​"Not getting an offer from a uni is not the end of the world! If one turns you down you’ve got four other choices to work with, not to mention all the other possibilities available to you when you’re applying. Don’t panic."
BOOK PUSH