Our diverse group of Trustees, Directors and Youth Advisors brings a broad range of experience and expertise to our growing organisation.
These individuals are responsible for shaping Mission 44’s strategy, informing our decisions and advising on our campaigns.
This dynamic group of passionate young people ensures every decision we make truly reflects the needs of those we seek to empower.
Find out more about the inspirational Trustees directing our UK operation.
Baroness Valerie Amos has been the Master of University College Oxford since September 2020. Prior to this she was the Director of SOAS, University of London. She was a Cabinet Minister, 2003-2007, including serving as Secretary of State for International Development and Leader of the House of Lords. She has also served as UK High Commissioner to Australia.
From 2010-2015 she was the United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Her interests include foreign policy and development matters, social justice, equality and inclusion as well as education. She is on the board of the Mastercard Foundation, UN Foundation and advisory board the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. She is also Co Founder and Patron of the Amos Bursary.
Dawid is Co-Founder of Redington, Mallowstreet and 10,000 Black Interns.
Dawid qualified as a barrister and spent 16 years in investment banking. He was named Black British Business Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018 and is on the Prime Minister’s Business Council 2022.
He is passionate about mentoring young people and helping them learn to speak confidently in public so that they can tell their story and ‘hold the room spellbound’. He believes that every child needs in their life at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about them.
Anne is Vice President, Content at Netflix UK, where she leads the teams across all genres. Prior to this, she was Director of Drama and Sky Studios at Sky UK, Head of Independent Drama at the BBC and Head of Drama for BBC Scotland. She oversees all Netflix UK commissions including BAFTA, Emmy & Golden Globe award winning Netflix drama The Crown and BAFTA award winning Netflix series Sex Education.
Anne is a trustee of Into Film, as well as a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. Anne was named Britain’s third most influential Black person in The Powerlist 2023.
Anne has experience in the creative industries as well as experience of organisational growth.
Natacha Minniti is a Managing Director and Head of 23 Wall for EMEA, APAC and LATAM at J.P. Morgan.
In 2023 and 2024 Natacha was named to PAM 50 Most Influential List, earning her place among those individuals that shape the sector and are at the forefront of innovation in wealth management to bring the best to clients.
Ms. Minniti is actively involved in several foundations and philanthropic initiatives, both in the United States and Europe, and she mentors several upcoming founders. She is a strong supporter of the development of women’s talents within the bank, as well as in the financial industry, and is passionate in supporting female entrepreneurship.
Matthew Otubu is Head of Strategic Communications for International Projects in the Government Communication Service at the Cabinet Office. He leads on delivery of the UK Government’s security, defence, development and foreign policy priorities as a technical adviser overseas. Matthew also sits on the Advisory Board of the British Foreign Policy Group.
His career spans both public service and private-sector consulting at the intersection of geopolitics, information disorder and crisis communications. He is a regular guest lecturer and speaker on these themes.
Beyond international affairs, Matthew is committed to strengthening representation, leadership and opportunity in public life. He is Founder of Black Politicos, a private members’ network for professionals in policy and public affairs, and he sits on the Policy Forum of the Black Equity Organisation. Matthew also serves on the Global Board of Mission 44, the charitable foundation established by Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Hayaatun is CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation.
She chairs the government’s Business Innovation Forum and St. Andrews Prize for the Environment and co-chaired with Sir Lewis Hamilton his Commission on Black representation in UK motorsport.
Hayaatun is NXD at Laing O’Rourke and the UNBOXED festival; trustee of EngineeringUK and Foundation for Science & Technology; member of the Levelling Up Advisory Council; and advisor to EQL:HER and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. She has been named as one of the ten most influential women in both UK engineering and UK tech. She has a PhD in Biochemistry and was made CBE for services to International Engineering in 2019.
Meet the Directors of Mission 44 US.
Jason is CEO of Mission 44. After starting his career as a teacher in East London, he has held leadership roles in the non-profit sector, including at Teach First, the #iwill campaign and Youth Futures Foundation. Jason also served as a senior local councillor in London. He holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford and a Masters in Education from the University of Cambridge.
K. Don Cornwell is Dynasty Equity’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Dynasty Equity, Don was a Founding Partner at PJT Partners, a premier global advisory-focused investment bank and is now a member of their Board of Directors. Prior to PJT, Don worked at Morgan Stanley in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group and established a particularly focused area of expertise in media and entertainment, specifically in sports and gaming. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Don worked at McKinsey & Co. as a management consultant and in corporate development for the National Football League.
Don sits on the Board of Trustees of the Harlem Children’s Zone, an education and social services organization in Central Harlem; the East Harlem Tutorial Program, an after-school program for children in East Harlem; the Board of Directors of New York Cares, New York City’s largest volunteer organization; and the VFILES Foundation, an organization with the mission to increase business ownership for creators in underrepresented communities. Don received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and an AB in Government from Harvard College.
Grace is the Co-Founder of Touch Capital, a venture capital fund investing in consumer brands across the food, beverage, pet, beauty and personal care sectors. Grace’s investment portfolio spans consumer brands across the US, UK and Asia. Prior to Touch Capital Grace worked for Sir Lewis Hamilton on his business and philanthropic work. Grace started her investment career at Index Ventures in London and she currently resides in New York. Outside of work Grace has been an advisor to the U.K. Government’s Digital Industrialisation Strategy and was a commissioner for the IPPR Commission on Economic Justice.
Mellody is Co-CEO of Ariel InvestmentsAs Co-CEO, Mellody is responsible for management, strategic planning and growth for all areas of Ariel. Additionally, she chairs the board of Ariel Investments’ publicly traded mutual funds. Prior to being named Co-CEO, Mellody spent nearly two decades as Ariel’s President. In 2025, she founded Project Level® to change the game in women’s sports. Mellody co-founded Ariel Alternatives, LLC in 2021 and its inaugural private equity fund, Project Black®. Beyond Ariel, she serves as a director of JPMorgan Chase and is the former chair of Starbucks Corporation. Mellody was a long-standing board member of the Estée Lauder Companies and chairman of the board of DreamWorks Animation until the company’s sale in 2016.
Mellody’s community outreach includes her role as chairman of After School Matters, a Chicago non-profit that provides area teens with high-quality after-school and summer programs. She is also co-chair of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and a board member of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the George Lucas Educational Foundation, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Mellody is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the LA28 Olympic Games and past chair of the Economic Club of Chicago.
In 2015, Time Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential People” in the world.
This intergenerational group oversees all of Mission 44’s grantmaking activity.
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USA
Outside of the USA
