FOUNDER & CEO

For the best part of 11 years, I worked in the community outreach team at Arsenal FC.

I held lots of different responsibilities at the Club, most notably managing the award-winning “Arsenal Double Club” modern languages project, which used Arsenal and football to inspire young people to learn a language.

In February 2021, after 15 years, engaging hundreds of schools and thousands of pupils, the project was suddenly dissolved, which sadly meant I was made redundant.

We are at a critical time in our country.

In the UK, fewer pupils are choosing to study a language at GCSE and beyond. There are fewer opportunities to live, study and work abroad. Incidents of hate crime against people speaking other languages in public are becoming all too regular.

These are some of my motives behind creating Mingalaba which, in case you’re wondering, is a simple greeting in Burmese, and a nod to my family heritage.

I may not wear the famous Arsenal badge on my chest anymore. But I’m still a linguist, with 15 years’ experience in education, not least at one of the world’s biggest football clubs. I’m also a qualified MFL Teacher, previously working at an all-boys’ secondary school, in South London. And, above all, I still deeply believe in football’s ability to inspire, build confidence, raise aspirations and challenge stereotypes - on and off the pitch.

BUSINESS PARTNER

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the intersection of sport and language.

I studied French, Spanish, and Management at Trinity College, Cambridge, travelling to Spain and France to immerse myself in the languages I love.

Having graduated from university I joined the community outreach team at Arsenal FC, coaching football in London and Ghana, where I saw first-hand the power of sport to connect and uplift.

Since then, I’ve spent ten years in business development and innovation across sport, working with the NFL, Liverpool FC, and Ascot, as well as in the beauty industry with the likes of Chanel and Dior.

I’m also a broadcast journalist working with BBC Sport and the Guardian among others, as well as a qualified fitness coach, leading weekly sessions for adults. 

Studying languages at school and university was the gateway for me into a career in sport, where communication is key and sharing a common language is everything.