Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Director operating in the Children space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Michael Kraftman
Non Executive Director of My 1st Years
Michael Kraftman is an Executive Director at My 1st Years.
Follow Michael Kraftman:
About My 1st Years: My 1st Years offers personalised gifts for babies and children.
Jonny Sitton
Co-founder / Director of My 1st Years
Jonny Sitton is a Co-Founder and Director at My 1st Years.
Follow Jonny Sitton:
About My 1st Years: My 1st Years offers personalised gifts for babies and children.
Jerry del Missier
Board of Directors of Room to Read
Jerry del Missier is former COO of Barclays Bank Plc and former Co-Chief Executive of Corporate and Investment Banking. Before joining Barclays in 1997, Jerry was the Senior Managing Director of Derivative Products at Bankers Trust, responsible for European Business. Jerry is a former Chairman of the Board of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and has served on the Boards of the Global Financial Markets Association, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, and the Markets Management Group of the International Institute of Finance. He served on the Board of Trustees of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and is currently on the Advisory Board of the Queen’s School of Business. Jerry received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA from Queen’s University, Ontario.
Follow Jerry del Missier:
About Copper Street Capital: Focus on two areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact: literacy and gender equality in education.
Myrna Atalla
Executive Director of Alfanar
Myrna Atalla serves as Alfanar’s Executive Director. Since 2010, Myrna Atalla has overseen Alfanar’s growth and expansion. Prior to joining Alfanar, Atalla worked for the National Democratic Insititute for International Affairs (NDI) in Beirut, Lebanon from 2004 to 2008, managing its civil society strengthening partnerships. Atalla also engaged in regional initiatives, including women’s candidate training and international election observation missions in Egypt, Jordan Morocco, and Yemen. Atalla holds a BA in International Relations from Brown University and a dual-degree Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University and the London School of Economics.
Follow Myrna Atalla:
About Alfanar: Alfanar is a venture philanthropy organization to improve the quality of children’s education.
Fadel Zayan
Investment Director of Alfanar
Fadel Zayan is Alfanar’s Investment Director, overseeing Alfanar’s portfolio of venture philanthropy investments, including monitoring and evaluation of portfolio impact and sustainability. Zayan has been pivotal to rationalizing Alfanar’s investment cycle, developing Alfanar Sustainable Social Enterprise Training (ASSET), and establishing Alfanar’s real-time impact management platform. After graduating in History & Politics at the University of Kent, Zayan worked in communications in Cairo, before completing a Master’s in International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He later worked as a Programme Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme in Tripoli, Libya, where he was in charge of managing various portfolios, including Gender, Poverty Reduction, and HIV/AIDS. Zayan returned to London in 2009 to work in a political risk consultancy firm and was in Egypt in 2011 during the revolution. Following that, he consulted for Human Rights Watch in Libya over the course of the revolution.
Follow Fadel Zayan:
About Alfanar: Alfanar is a venture philanthropy organization to improve the quality of children’s education.
Joe Jenkins
Executive Director, Social Impact of The Children’s Society
Follow Joe Jenkins:
About The Children’s Society: The Children’s Society focuses on the well-being of young people with various social services and counseling to meet the necessary needs.
Diana Whitmore
Director Scotland of Ecologia Youth Trust
Follow Diana Whitmore:
About Ecologia Youth Trust: Ecologia Youth Trust is an international charity that supports youth facing tough life challenges.
Mark Bates
Founder and Managing Director of Banana Moon Day Nursery Limited
Mark is the Managing Director and founder of Banana Moon Day Nursery. After becoming frustrated with the shortage of good, high quality nurseries into which he would have been happy to place his own children, he decided to take matters into his own hands and build his own! Mark’s approach has always been from the point-of-view of a concerned parent and it is this approach which has led to Banana Moon developing such a unique and distinctive model. Whilst every nursery is clearly governed by current legislation, the Banana Moon system adds a whole new layer of experience on top of this and it is this approach which has resulted in the success that Banana Moon now enjoys.
Follow Mark Bates:
About Banana Moon Day Nursery Limited: Banana Moon Day Nursery is the leading franchise in UK for best day care services which build up with quality environment of child care.
Dean Dempsey
Marketing and Innovations Director of Naturelly Jelly Juice
Follow Dean Dempsey:
About Naturelly Jelly Juice: Naturelly is a fun & fruity juicy jelly snack for active kids.
Emma Porteous
Director of Finance and Resources of British Asian Trust
Follow Emma Porteous:
About British Asian Trust: British Asian Trust is a non-profit organization that provides support to marginalized people from various regions.
Claire Purcell
Company Director of Child Angel
Claire’s sales experience and organisational skills help to steer the Child Angel family and being a Mum she adds that real hands on protective instinct that is paramount to our focus.
Follow Claire Purcell:
About Child Angel: Child Angel™ is one of the smallest and most advanced child tracking devices available in the world today.
Kim Herbert
Managing Director of Happy Days
Follow Kim Herbert:
About Happy Days: Happy Days is a UK-based nursery catering for children between three months and five years of age.
Ian Sanders
Finance Director of Happy Days
Follow Ian Sanders:
About Happy Days: Happy Days is a UK-based nursery catering for children between three months and five years of age.
Ger Graus
Director of Education of KidZania
Follow Ger Graus:
About KidZania: KidZania is a privately held Mexican chain of family entertainment centers currently operating in 16 locations worldwide.
