Growing up on a council estate in a single-parent household, Jamie was often labelled as disruptive and problematic. The education system failed to recognise his dyslexia until college and his voiced was suppressed - but youth workers, volunteers, neighbours and community leaders saw something different: potential.

Starting his volunteering journey at just 12 years old, he went on to chair his local Youth Cabinet, serve as a Youth MP, advise government through the National Youth Scrutiny Group, and spend time volunteering in Burkina Faso supporting children affected by HIV/AIDS.

At 20, he was elected as a local councillor and later became Deputy Cabinet Member for Communities, helping to shape public service reform while also working for a Member of Parliament and supporting regional political campaigns.

For more than two decades, Jamie has dedicated his career to improving the lives of vulnerable people. His work has spanned youth mentoring, homelessness, housing, employment, neighbourhood reform, Family Hubs, fostering, care leavers and regional children's services improvement programmes. He currently leads a major Localities Programme within one of the UK's largest local authorities.

Combining lived experience with senior leadership expertise, Jamie speaks passionately about social mobility, youth voice, public service reform, community power and the life-changing impact of investing in people.

His story is living proof that when communities choose to see potential instead of problems, extraordinary things can happen.