Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) Conference

Rob Wilson is a former Member of Parliament for Reading East and Minister in the Cameron and May Governments. He spent 12 years as an MP and 10 years serving on the Conservative front bench with roles in higher education, health, DCMS, Treasury and Cabinet Office. He spent three years as Minister for Civil Society 2014-17. Before politics, Rob was an entrepreneur and founded businesses in the health and technology sectors using innovative and disruptive technology to develop new markets. He continues to have a strong interest in new technology. Since leaving Whitehall and Parliament, he has invested in new tech companies and taken a number of business roles that are in areas of interest, but particularly in new breakthrough technologies and products. Rob writes for the Daily Telegraph and has published two books ‘5 Days to Power’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’.

Debbie Abrahams has been the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth since her by-election victory in January 2011 and was re-elected in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2024. Prior to this she worked as a Public Health academic and practitioner where she focused on health inequalities. Debbie was awarded a fellowship to Faculty of Public Health (FFPH) in 2014

Debbie is chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee. Her work across Parliament, the Constituency and within the Labour Party aims to address inequalities with more equity-based policy measures.

Kat’s career has been guided by a desire to maximise social impact and this ambition has led her to roles spanning Parliament, Whitehall and City Hall. She is a former adviser to a shadow cabinet minister and previously served as Deputy Head of Public Affairs for NHS England. During the pandemic, Kat led stakeholder engagement strategy for the Covid Vaccination Programme.

Andrea has a career spanning 25 years in further education and local government, focusing on inclusive growth, employment, and skills. A qualified teacher and assessor in further education, Andrea has direct frontline experience teaching 14-16, 16-18, and adult learners. Andrea has held various leadership positions, including Head of Apprenticeships, Employment and Skills, and Alternative KS4 provision, and has led a college as Deputy Principal and Principal for an Adult and Community Learning College in Berkshire. Andrea has directed local skills and employment policy across the work and health agenda and has extensive experience in tackling NEET. Andrea served as Head of Skills for Suffolk County, where she was responsible for leading the County’s NEET Strategy, developing youth employment hubs, and designing and delivering the Work Well Suffolk program. Currently, Andrea leads the Skills and Employment Team at Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. Andrea specialises in policy and provision for the unemployed, those with SEND, and young people NEET, as well as sector skills development linked to local and regional economic growth.

Samantha is a senior leader with over 27 years of experience in employability, skills, and labour market systems in Wales. She has managed large programs, led provider networks, and built partnerships across government and industry. Her work spans initiatives like Working Wales, Careers Wales, ESF projects, Communities for Work Plus, ReAct Plus, and Jobs Growth Wales Plus, guided by robust governance and evaluation. As Head of Employability Delivery, she oversees national programmes, digital services, and budgets exceeding £340m.

From 2021, she spearheaded the creation and rollout of the Young Person’s Guarantee in Wales, ensuring that all individuals under 25 could access opportunities in education, training, employment, or self-employment. She wove the Guarantee into Wales’s broader employability and skills framework, set up robust governance structures, offered guidance to Ministers, and advocated for a person-focused, inclusive strategy. Her leadership transformed the Guarantee into an integral element of the country’s youth employability landscape.

Earlier in her career, she spent over a decade as Head of Apprenticeships and led significant system reform, including the introduction of new legislation and pioneering apprenticeship models such as Junior, Shared and Degree Apprenticeships.

Trystan Williams FCCT is an executive education leader with more than 22 years of experience spanning specialist, mainstream, and trust leadership. He is currently CEO of Horizons Therapeutic Education Trust, Director of Beyond Expectation Education and a Strategic Partner at Nisai Learning and PRICE Training.

He is widely recognised for championing inclusive education, SEND and compassionate leadership, with a strong commitment to improving life chances for children and young people through innovation, collaboration and the thoughtful use of digital and AI-enabled practice.

Earlier in his career, Trystan led award-winning schools and high-profile national initiatives. More recently, his work has been recognised through one of his schools being named a top three global finalist in the 2024 World’s Best School Prizes for Overcoming Adversity, alongside his 2025 Pearson National Teaching Award recognition for SEND and Inclusive Practice and the IFIP Global Inclusion Award in 2026.

Matt O’Neill Is a highly accomplished public sector leader with over two decades of experience in economic development, regeneration, strategic planning and delivery of front-line services. This has been experienced gained working across different parts of Northern England: Cheshire, County Durham, Teesside, North and South Yorkshire. Working with all political leaderships, Combined Authorities in rural, coastal and urban environments covering District, Borough, County Council and Metropolitan Unitary Authorities.

Currently serving as the Executive Director of Growth and Sustainability at Barnsley Council, Matt provides strategic leadership across a wide portfolio including economic regeneration, planning, housing, culture, zero carbon initiatives, waste, neighbourhoods, highways, assets, environment, transport, and regulatory services.

Since joining Barnsley Council in May 2022, Matt has played a pivotal role in shaping the borough’s ambitious growth agenda. He is a driving force behind transformative projects such as The Seam Digital Campus and the Yorkshire Rose sculptures, which aim to position Barnsley as the UK’s leading digital town. He has also spearheaded two pioneering initiatives Health on the High Street, which integrates health services into town centre regeneration to improve accessibility and public health outcomes; and Pathways to Work, a Nationally significant body of work designed to reduce Economic Inactivity across South Yorkshire as one of the eight National Government Trailblazers. These initiatives reflect his holistic approach to place making—one that prioritises residents.

Known for his ability to deliver complex programmes in politically sensitive and multi-agency environments, Matt is a strategic thinker and effective problem solver. His expertise includes project planning and delivery, securing external funding, asset management, and real estate consulting as a chartered surveyor. He is also recognised for his collaborative approach, working across public and private sectors to unlock investment and deliver social value. Matt’s influence extends beyond local government. He regularly contributes to national conversations on urban renewal, town centre regeneration, urban planning, surveying and sustainable development, including speaking national events and conferences. With a passion for place-making and a track record of delivering impactful change, Matt continues to shape the future of Barnsley and beyond through a deep commitment to community and resident focussed service delivery.

Chris Russell is a Senior Policy Manager at the Federation of Small Businesses, where he leads their policy work related to employment and the labour market. While at FSB, he has authored several research reports, including on self-employment and skills. Prior to FSB, Chris worked in policy roles at different trade bodies and before that at a public affairs agency.

With more than 30 years of experience across multiple functions at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), Sharon Blyfield has built a career defined by purpose, passion, and a relentless commitment to developing young talent. After joining the HR team over 20 years ago, she brought her deep knowledge of the business particularly across Supply Chain and Commercial into shaping a futurefocused Early Careers strategy for CCEP in Great Britain.

Sharon has dedicated the majority of her career to empowering the next generation. Today, she leads the Early Careers and Apprenticeships agenda, championing accessible pathways into the organisation and driving initiatives that ensure young people from all communities have the opportunity to thrive. She is a powerful advocate for challenging systemic barriers and works closely with strategic partners to address underrepresentation and remove bias from recruitment processes.

Her leadership of CCEP’s apprenticeship programme has earned recognition across the business and beyond. Under her guidance, the programme has gone from strength to strength, expanding in both scale and impact. Sharon’s outstanding contribution has been celebrated by her peers, early career
cohorts, and senior leaders alike and is reflected in numerous accolades throughout her career.

In addition to her work at CCEP, Sharon served as Chair of the Commission on Race in Apprenticeships for Scotland, where she oversaw the development of recommendations aimed at improving racial equity, representation, and progression within Scotland’s apprenticeship system. Her leadership in this role strengthens her long-standing efforts to create fairer and more accessible
pathways for young people across the UK.

In 2022, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours for services to Apprenticeships and Skills, marking a significant milestone in her lifelong commitment to youth development. Beyond CCEP, Sharon serves as Vice-Chair of the Youth Employment UK board and, in 2024, was appointed a
Fellow of the 5% Club, followed soon after by an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Chartered Institution of Further Education.

Driven, collaborative, and firmly focused on creating opportunity for all, Sharon continues to shape a more inclusive future for young people entering the world of work

John Yarham is CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), having served as Deputy CEO since April 2019. He brings over 25 years of experience in careers, education, skills, and economic development. John began his career in schools and colleges and was previously CEO of the Futures Group before joining the CEC. He also chairs the Skills Committee at the University of Derby and has held trustee and non-executive roles across primary and secondary schools, an awarding body, and Careers England.

Lisa Russell is a Professor of Education and Employment from Manchester Metropolitan University. Her current research maps and explores interventions for young people ‘at risk’ of becoming NEET in England. She holds a longstanding, internationally recognised publication record and represents a key global leading figure in the areas of NEET young people, educational transitions and exclusion. 

Rob Wilson is a former Member of Parliament for Reading East and Minister in the Cameron and May Governments. He spent 12 years as an MP and 10 years serving on the Conservative front bench with roles in higher education, health, DCMS, Treasury and Cabinet Office. He spent three years as Minister for Civil Society 2014-17. Before politics, Rob was an entrepreneur and founded businesses in the health and technology sectors using innovative and disruptive technology to develop new markets. He continues to have a strong interest in new technology. Since leaving Whitehall and Parliament, he has invested in new tech companies and taken a number of business roles that are in areas of interest, but particularly in new breakthrough technologies and products. Rob writes for the Daily Telegraph and has published two books ‘5 Days to Power’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’.