Our People

The Belina Grow team is dedicated to empowering women to move forward in all aspects of their lives. Many of our staff have been through our programs themselves, so they truly understand the challenges the women we support face. We speak twelve community languages and offer personalised support to meet each woman’s needs. Our team is focused on helping to inspire women to build confidence, feel motivated, and take steps toward personal growth and long-term success. We’re always exploring new ways to engage and support women while gathering evidence on what really works.

Liz Sewell FIEP | Director

Liz is a passionate campaigner for women’s rights and developed the Get Ready for Work programme to support mothers who are further from the labour market to return to work. Her team won the 2022 Mayor of London’s Adult Learning Award for Outreach and Engagement, and the GRoW App was recognized for its innovation. Liz previously served as the CEO of Gingerbread, a single-parent charity where she advised on the New Deal for Lone Parents. She is also a member of the Skills for Londoners Board, The ERSA Board, a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals and recently provided evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. Additionally, in 2022, she was awarded the Outstanding Contributor to the Employability Sector Award from ERSA.

Laura Dewar | Head of Research

Laura is a skilled and respected policy and research lead with over 17 years of experience in the charity sector and leads research and evaluation at Belina Grow CIC. She specialises in welfare reform, skills, and childcare, and is a trusted policy influencer who has worked with parliamentarians, including the Welfare Minister and cross-party peers. Laura has led seven research projects at Gingerbread and partnered with several organisations. She has given oral evidence to several committees in the House of Commons and the House of Lords and has presented at All Party Parliamentary Groups. Laura prides herself on involving beneficiaries in research and has worked with the TUC and a major children’s charity. She has also lectured at several universities and mentored disadvantaged students.

Saeema Yusuf MIEP | Head of Engagement

Saeema joined Belina Grow after a career break and leads our engagement efforts by building on her experience as a frontline adviser. She is skilled at inspiring clients to achieve and forging new partnerships. In 2022, she was recognised as the ERSA Frontline Adviser of the Year for her achievements in motivating and engaging clients to overcome multiple barriers to work. Saeema is dedicated to creating better experiences and outcomes for clients, partners, and funding bodies by focusing on individual needs and fostering confidence and skill development.

Mercedes Grant FIEP | Head of Training

Mercedes has a decade of experience delivering employability programmes to women, aiding them in boosting their confidence and finding employment. She played a key role in the creation and implementation of programmes such as Grow Your Own Business, which addresses self-employment fears. In addition to her employability consulting work, she operates her own massage business, providing services to both private clients and corporate entities as part of their wellness contracts. Mercedes is driven by a desire to inspire and motivate individuals, including through homeschooling her son.

Khatera Ahmad MIEP | Employment Adviser

Khatera is passionate about providing personalised support, addressing key barriers such as balancing childcare responsibilities, language proficiency, and sharing her insights and experience in managing additional responsibilities for children with special needs. Khatera’s proficiency in multiple languages enables her to communicate effectively with diverse clients. Her lived experience has endowed her with patience, empathy, and a deep understanding of unique challenges.

Kaneez Fatima MIEP | Head of Compliance

Kaneez joined Belina Grow as a participant after being out of work for 10 years and is now Head of Compliance and PA to the Director. With a degree in Computer Science and lived experience as a mother of three with English as a second language, her expertise ensures accuracy across major projects like the Mayor of London’s Parental Employment Programme. Kaneez’s passion for excellence helps Belina Grow consistently exceed targets. She was recently recognised as the winner of the Rising Star of the Year award at the Quality Professional Awards 2024.

Heather Ette | Head of Marketing

Heather has a 9 year background in the employability sector. As Head of Marketing for Belina Grow CIC, she is passionate about raising awareness of their important work and committed to helping more women move forward in their lives, making a positive difference for their families and future generations. With a strong background in working with organisations that specialise in person-centric support, Heather is an experienced marketeer dedicated to improving people’s lives through the power of employment.

Sheeja Sethumadhavan MIEP | Communications Adviser

Sheeja is a former participant of the Grow Programme. With a strong background in IT she focuses on development of the GRoW App and working with participants in an advisory role. Fluent in six community languages, Sheeja excels in connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and specialises in helping participants recognise their skills and build their confidence.

Zoiya Mahmood | Employment Coach

Mother of three, Zoiya is an inspiration to many mothers in the community. After completing the Grow Programme, she is now dedicated to supporting other mothers, leveraging her extensive background as a Functional Skills English and Maths Teacher. Additionally, she works part-time at Shama Women’s Centre, providing ESOL training and support.

Michelle Grenada-Bryan MIEP | Employment Coach

Michelle specialises in working with participants who are neurodivergent to overcome workplace challenges through personalised coaching sessions. Michelle’s extensive background in coaching and her experience working with neurodivergent children enable her to provide tailored support and strategies, helping participants achieve their professional goals and improve their workplace performance.