YoungMinds has announced the appointment of five new trustees.

Alongside these appointments, YoungMinds has appointed a new vice-chair, Mems Ayinla. Ayinla is a current YoungMinds trustee. She is also a director of Student Influence at University of Sheffield Students’ Union and previously worked as a civil servant in the Department for Education.

The five new trustees are:

Gayathri (Gaya) Butler
Butler is a passionate gender equality advocate with over 20 years of experience leading programmes that tackle poverty, inequality and promote the wellbeing of young people. They are currently a Global Lead for Reimagining Masculinities at Movember, a global charity focused on men’s health.

Heidi Boahen
Boahen is the diversity and inclusion lead at SOAS, University of London, where her role involves executing initiatives aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion. Collaborating closely with stakeholders across Higher Education, Heidi ensures the successful implementation and execution of strategies geared towards enhancing diversity and inclusion. Additionally, she is a mental health practitioner, trained as a Humanistic and Integrative Counsellor, with her own private practice.

Michael Mackay
Mackay is an independent social worker, therapist and clinical supervisor, currently working within public adult mental health services as well as in private practice. He has experience across a range of sectors, including mental health, child safeguarding, family violence and youth justice.

Nadeem Azhar
Nadeem is a charity lawyer and general counsel, having worked in house in charities working with young people, and in mental health and humanitarian relief. Azhar is currently deputy head of legal at the Scouts. 

Vilma Nikolaidou
Nikolaidou is director of people and Culture at the British Film Institute (BFI), and is a leading practitioner in HR, organisational development and culture. Her background is in Organisational Psychology, and her career spans many arts organisations.


YoungMinds’ chair Caroline Hope said: “I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest trustees and Vice-Chair joining us at a significant stage in our strategy development. This is an incredibly important time for YoungMinds as more young people than ever are struggling with their mental health. Our new trustees bring invaluable expertise from a diverse range of backgrounds. They will play a crucial role in shaping our strategy, helping YoungMinds to meet the increasing demand and give young people a voice on issues that directly impact them. I look forward to working with them.”

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