Bio’s

Network Members

Bios from some of our members

Tom

I’m Tom, an Impact gradate at South Oxfordshire and The Vale of the White Horse District Councils. At university, I gained a lot of pleasure from working on projects for organisations such as TEDx Oxford and co-founding my own learning-based society. During the scheme, I will use these skills and experiences in my placements across People & Culture (workforce and organisational development, payroll, strategic HR), communications and engagement and policy and programmes. I wanted to make a visible and positive difference, and the scheme gives me an opportunity to do just that.

Safia

I’m Safia, and I’m in Cohort 27 of the Impact graduate programme at Oxford City Council. I am currently in my first placement in Communities & Citizens’ Services. I applied to Impact because I’ve long been drawn to local government for its unique role at the intersection of policy and people’s lives, where the visible and lasting impact motivates me deeply.

Victoria

I joined Oxford City Council in October 2021 on their planning apprenticeship scheme which involved working across planning policy, development management, planning enforcement and urban design and heritage. Following successful completion of the MSc Spatial Planning Course at Oxford Brookes, I took up a permanent role as a planner in the development management team. My day-to-day role is customer focused, dealing with various planning applications across Oxford and carrying out site visits and meetings with clients, architects and agents.

Isobel

I joined the Oxford City Council as a Trainee Planner in Sept 2025. I’m also doing a master’s at Oxford Brookes university in Spatial Planning thanks to being on the Pathways to Planning grad scheme. I’m in the policy team on my rotation now. It’s opened my eyes to how challenging it is to create policy that correctly balances so many competing objectives. Planning touches on so many interesting topics and it’s great to be working in my hometown which is much more varied than people realise!

Aisling

I’m Ais (she/her) and I’m an Impact graduate at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils. I did history at university and then spent two years working in the disability charity sector. My first placement is in housing delivery, looking specifically at policy development, data management and compliance. I’ll also have placements in policy and programme and community services as part of the scheme. I wanted to apply for the scheme as I knew I wanted to work in the public sector and liked the idea of working within and for a community.

Siana

I joined Cherwell District Council on the Impact programme in September 2025 after graduating with a philosophy degree. After studying, I was drawn to local government because I wanted to do something which felt more grounded, with a more direct impact on people’s lives. My first placement has been in Transformation, and I have also been following my interests in environmental issues and information governance by getting involved in projects relating to climate adaptation and freedom of information requests.

Ellie

I’m Ellie and I’m currently in my first year of the Impact scheme at Oxfordshire County Council. I applied to the scheme because I wanted to work in the public sector, delivering inclusive and progressive projects and exploring a wide range of areas. I’m currently based in the Public Health team in workplace wellbeing and inclusive employment.

James

I joined Oxfordshire County Council in 2024 on the Impact graduate scheme. Since then, I have carried out placements in Economy and Place, Property and Assets, and recently I have been part of the Devolution team shaping our proposal to government on the creation of a Mayoral Strategic Authority. I love the opportunities this scheme gives me to work all over different parts of the council and develop a range of different skills.

Eleanor

I’m Eleanor and I’m on my first year of the Impact Scheme at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils. I applied to the scheme as I wanted to have a tangible and positive impact on communities at a local level. I have really enjoyed my time on the scheme so far – my first placement has been with Communications and Engagement, and my future placements are Communities and Housing.

Anu

Hey! My name is Anu and I’m currently on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) here in Oxford. I moved from Hertfordshire when I got on to the Scheme and have really enjoyed living in Oxford so far! The scheme has two roughly year-long placements and I am based in Radiology at the John Radcliffe Hospital for my first one. I am working on a few different projects at the moment – as it is an operational role it’s more about the day-to-day running and performance of Radiology, and also looking for ways to improve our daily functions. Please do reach out if you have any questions about the GMTS or my role, or just for a chat @ anita.sajeev@ouh.nhs.uk.

Lily

I’m Lily and I’m Cohort 27 of the Impact Graduate Scheme. While at university I studied Law and had a part time job working in an educational outreach programme, I really wanted to find a way to combine elements of both. I am currently working in our Policy team which so far has been a learning curve and incredibly interesting. I love all of the doors this scheme has opened for me and the amazing professional networks I now have.

Thomas

I am in my second placement of the Impact scheme at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, working in Communications & Engagement. Day-to-day, I help with the process of consulting with members of the public by designing surveys, organising in-person engagement events, and reviewing the responses that we receive. I spent my first placement in Policy & Programmes, assisting with internal change management, policies such as flooding & adverse weather response, and reviewing wider council projects. Next year, I will be moving to Democratic Services to facilitate the work of our elected councillors and run elections. Before starting at South & Vale, I studied Politics at the University of Exeter.

Improving health and wellbeing

In Oxfordshire, our focus is on enhancing health and wellbeing through innovative approaches and community engagement. We aim to create systems that foster better living standards and overall quality of life.

Our commitment involves exploring new strategies and collaborating with local organizations to address health challenges that affect our community. Together, we can build a healthier Oxfordshire.