G20 YOUTH SUMMIT UK DELEGATION 2024
Tom Maidment
Head Delegate
Climate Change, energy transition and sustainable development Delegate
Tom has spent his career so far working with businesses to tackle climate change. He joined Jaguar Land Rover at 18, spending five years working on their first electric car while studying Automotive Engineering & Sustainability at the University of Warwick, before moving into sustainability full time and developing the company’s net zero strategy. During this time, Tom chaired the company’s Early Careers Association, advocating for staff on the company’s training programmes.
He is excited to represent youth perspectives on the role of technical education at Y20, particularly for non-graduates. Recognising young people often feel shut out of a climate discourse dominated by solar panels and electric cars, Tom recognised food as a choice we could make every day. In response he co-founded a company to improve public understanding of the carbon footprint of food.
He now works as Group Product Sustainability Senior Manager at Hilton Foods, where he works with government, academia and the wider industry to decarbonise the livestock sector. At Y20, Tom is keen to understand food’s place on the agenda and how young people can engage at a global level to secure a just transition for farming communities.
Outside of work, Tom has worked with activists and academics to develop an alternative climate strategy for his city, to improve the one put forward by the council. He is keen to see how cities and regions can influence the outcomes at Y20, and to what extent that can be independent of their national delegation.
Innovation and Future of Work Delegate
Paula Imafidon holds multiple world records from passing mathematics A/AS-level aged eight, becoming one of the youngest students ever to pass the University of Cambridge Advanced Mathematics paper at nine, to being the youngest British child to attend high school at that time. Paula’s exceptional academic achievements have garnered international recognition and serve as a testament to her dedication to excellence, whilst driving improvement especially in education and the workplace.
Beyond her academic prowess, Paula is deeply passionate about empowering youth and continues to play pivotal roles in initiatives aimed at bridging the gap and nurturing the next generation of leaders. Her focus on encouraging, educating, and mentoring underrepresented talent has resulted in tangible shifts in industry and beyond. Paula currently works as a Lead Analyst within Data & Analytics at Bank of New York Mellon.
Within a year of joining the firm, Paula was awarded an advocacy award for“displaying a deep commitment to empowering and supporting women... Paula has highlighted and shared opportunities for other early in career women, while providing opportunities for visibility internally, and always speaking up for others”. Paula’s journey exemplifies resilience, determination, and selflessness inspiring people to speak up for the minority and strive to serve others.
In her role as a G20 Youth Delegate for the UK, Paula looks forward to driving real change, advocating for youth, and shaping policy on an international stage.
Paula Imafidon
Candengue Diversity and Inclusion Delegate
Denise Candengue is a Politics and Sociology student at the University of Warwick, well-known for her deep commitment to fostering social justice. Her involvement with the Fair Education Alliance, alongside research and consulting experience within the local government, has equipped her with a robust understanding of educational inequities and has sharpened her analytical skills, making her an advocate for systemic change in education.
As a Welfare Officer for Prosper Warwick, Denise has demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting welfare, focusing on supporting Black students wanting to break the glass ceiling. These experiences have provided her with a unique perspective and a set of skills that she is eager to bring to the Y20 Summit as a youth delegate. Denise is particularly excited about collaborating with other young leaders and government officials to explore and advocate for policies that ensure fair education to enable youth democracy and promote diversity and inclusion on an international stage.
Her goal is to contribute to the development of a more equitable global community, starting with the education sector.
Denise Vidal
Orlaith Lindsay
The Fight Against hunger, Poverty, and Inequality delegate
Having recently graduated with a First in English Literature from Hertford College, the University of Oxford, Orlaith now works in government communication at the UK Civil Service. At university, her dissertation focused on portrayals of gender and nation, and she worked as her college Vice-President and Returning Officer as well as a member of the Student Union Council.
A longtime supporter of youth engagement, Orlaith chaired her local UK Youth Parliament branch, leading on issues like discrimination and sexual harassment in schools. She also volunteered with the UK Student Climate Network to organise the televised Climate Leaders debate, and with Teach the Future on the English Climate Emergency Education Bill, the first student-written Bill to enter Parliament. She continues to be a presence in the youth voice sector through engagement with the charity Sculpt UK, as a graduate of the Patchwork Foundation’s Masterclass Programme, and in her continued membership of the youth boards of Barnado’s, YoungMinds, the NHS, and others. She is excited to represent young people once again in Rio.
A mental health advocate, in 2016 she founded a mental health service in her local borough which provides early intervention and prevention. This model has been replicated across London and Orlaith continues to consult on youth services for charities and local authorities, including the GLA. She also acts as a speaker and educator on mental health issues and adverse childhood experiences, based on her own experience of mental illness and as a young carer. In her spare time she additionally volunteers with education groups and in schools to help disadvantaged young people reach their full potential.
Orlaith is passionate about ending inequality and very grateful to be the UK’s youth representative for the first priority of this G20 presidency: fighting hunger, poverty and inequality. She is looking forward to engaging young people worldwide and working with her fellows across this priority and others to drive policy solutions.
THEO HARRIS
Innovation and Global Governance Reform Delegate
Theo is dedicated to a more equitable and democratic global governance system, that can empower all people to prosper on a liveable planet. He studied history and economics at Oxford University and now works as an assistant researcher at the New Economics Foundation, focussing on how to finance a just transition.
Head Delegate*
Innovation and Global Governance Reform Delegate*
Frankie Walker is a public affairs professional for an Edtech company and an elected politician. She holds a bachelors and masters degree in history and politics. Since the age of 16, Frankie Walker has worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of children and young people to ensure that they are at the centre of policymaking. She previously was a member of Youth Parliament representing young people locally, regionally and nationally.
Currently, Frankie is the youngest Councillor in her borough and holds the position of Vice-chair of the people’s overview and scrutiny subcommittee and has been a Member Champion for Young People for two years. She has met with a range of young people to hear their views, put forward their ideas and represent them in the Council chamber.
Previously, Frankie had been involved in a non-partisan educational programme as the Head of Careers for GetInWestminster which aims to empower young students of colour about careers in the political world. The success of the program is evidenced by its nomination for the House of Commons Diversity and Inclusion award.
In her role as head delegate, Frankie is excited to work with UK and international delegates to ensure that young people remain at the heart of decision-making and inspire positive change globally.
*Interim Until July 2024
