HAY is fortunate to have a committed Board of Directors who strive to ensure that the charity operates as effectively as possible. Currently, our Board of Directors is made up of the following people:
Muzamil Tahir (Treasurer and Co-Chair) – Muzamil is a Senior Accountant with many years’ experience working with small organisations, and wanted to become involved in charity volunteering. He provides financial expertise and support to the board of directors. In his spare time he likes to keep himself fit and enjoys playing cricket.
Rachel McAdam (Co-Chair)– Rachel is an experienced Director of Partnerships for an employability charity. She is responsible for building strong business relationships with corporate partners, working closely together to achieve long-term goals and objectives. She is passionate about helping young people build the skills required for working life and creating equal opportunities to improve their lives.
Laura Leonard – Laura has over eight years of experience in the charity sector and currently works as a Fundraising Manager at a national literacy charity. She has expertise in bid writing, securing income from trusts and foundations and building long-term relationships with funders. She first started working with HAY in 2020, supporting the team as a fundraising volunteer during lockdown. As a writer in her spare time, she was particularly inspired by HAY’s young women’s creative writing programme and the quality of work produced in the annual anthology created by the young women.
Paul Bufton Paul is Managing Partner at Licensed Ltd, a consultancy built to connect entertainment, sport and music brands with the fans who power them. He turns IP into products people actually want—activating licensing and merchandising, dynamic franchise management, retail programmes and smart line-extensions to unlock reach, demand and revenue. Across 28+ years in consumer products, Paul has helped steward some of the world’s biggest franchises – Jurassic Park, DC Comics, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, Fisher-Price, LEGO and Star Wars – designing strategies that transcend categories, channels and countries. Before founding Licensed Ltd in May 2024, Paul was VP, EMEA at Universal Products & Experiences, shaping integrated licensing plans in partnership with theatrical, theme parks, television and interactive. Earlier, he served as VP, Category & New Business at Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA; VP, EMEA at Rovio Entertainment; General Manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK; Director of consumer Products, EMEA at Fisher-Price; and Franchise Director for the LEGO Company’s breakout BIONICLE brand. He began at Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), leading European marketing and licensing for Lucasfilm’s Star Wars. Away from the day job, Paul mentors young people as a volunteer and trustee of Hounslow Action Youth and sits on the board of Chelsea Pitch Owners. He holds a BA in French and Film Studies from the University of Warwick.
Gurpreet Basra
Zehra Haider