When did you join ELBA?
April 2025.

What is your role and what does it involve?

I work as a project manager in the skills-based volunteering side of ELBA’s Community team. In my role I work closely with both our corporate and community partners to deliver impactful capacity building programmes that respond to community needs. I facilitate events, workshops and online training sessions where employee volunteers give their time, skills and expertise to support community organisations to address challenges in HR, IT, business planning, project management and more.

I currently lead on ELBA’s BoardBuilders programme, which supports community organisations to recruit trustees and board members from ELBA’s corporate partner organisations. BoardBuilders supports ELBA’s community partners to access volunteers with key skills such as finance, legal and risk management, to maximise the effectiveness of their boards.

Three words to describe yourself
Thoughtful, Humorous, Flaneur.

Tell us one thing that people may not know about you
I am named after Bob Dylan (real name Robert Zimmerman). My parents are both huge “Bobcats” and all my siblings also have references to Dylan songs in their names.

Tell us the best thing about working for ELBA
The people: ELBA is the most welcoming and supportive place I’ve ever worked. Every person cares deeply about our work to support communities in east London and it’s amazing to be part of such a diverse team that reflects the communities we are part of. In my short time at ELBA, I have learned a huge amount and met so many people doing incredible work with and for the local community. Seeing the enthusiasm and commitment of both volunteers and community partners to give back inspires me to give my best in order to support them in their amazing work.

Name your favourite place in east London and why
I love Stoke Newington in Hackney. It’s got a bit of everything and has a really nice community feel. I love to spend an afternoon exploring the independent shops on the high street and it’s great for a charity shop crawl!

Away from the high street there are some amazing coffee shops like Luminary Bakery (one of ELBA’s community partners), and Woodberry Wetlands nature reserve is a peaceful haven away from the bustle of the city. To top it off there are lots of great pubs, including possibly the smallest pub in London located in an old stable.

Complete this sentence: ‘The absolute best thing about volunteering is…’
…connecting with new people from all walks of life over a shared desire to give back and contribute to the community. Volunteering helps me personally to feel part of the community and is also a really fun and rewarding experience.