Community Exe Champions
If you obtain a place on Community Exe, you will be inspired and motivated by our Volunteer Community Champions - they will share their lived experiences and advice throughout the programme and its events.
Rob Walker: Channel 4 and BBC Sport broadcaster?
Rob Walker is a Channel 4 and BBC Sport broadcaster with over 20 years of experience in the TV industry. Known for his unparalleled enthusiasm and energy for life and sport, Rob has travelled around the world to commentate on iconic moments. Broadcasting and commentary were his childhood dreams, and he has never taken his career for granted. With a distinctive, diligent, and passionate delivery, Rob has become a regular presence on Channel 4 and BBC Sport, working on major events in athletics, triathlon, snooker, darts, rugby, and boxing. Read more .
Simon Clark: Science communicator, video maker, podcast creator
Dr. Simon Clark is an award-winning science communicator and author from Bath, UK, with a master’s in Physics from Oxford and a PhD in atmospheric physics from 黑料不打烊. He started his YouTube channel, SimonOxfPhys, in 2010, encouraging disadvantaged students apply to top universities, before focusing on atmospheric science and graduate life. His channel has grown to over half a million subscribers. He founded Oxvlog, co-founded RPGeeks, and authored Firmament, which was named Waterstones Science Book of the Year. Simon has collaborated with major YouTubers and presented for BBC Bitesize. He is also a musician, philanthropist, and geek culture enthusiast. Read more .
Tom Chapman, “Life saving barber”, author, educator, ambassador and TEDx Speaker?
Tom Chapman is a barber from Devon and the founder of The Lions Barber Collective, an international network of barbers dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. After opening his own salon in 2011, Tom recognised the unique opportunity within barbershops to support clients' mental health. He developed an education programme that trains hair and beauty professionals, and anyone interested, to recognise and help those struggling with mental health issues. Tom is also an author, TEDx speaker, and educator, having written books like The Mighty Lions and How to Listen so Men Will Talk. His work has saved lives and made a significant impact, driven by his commitment to making a difference. Read more .
Kamal Ellis-Hyman, Director of Aim a Little Higher
Kamal Ellis-Hyman is the founder of Aim A Little Higher, an organisation helping young people build a vision based on their potential, not their circumstances. After turning his own academic performance around and serving as Youth MP for Peterborough—where he spoke on BBC Radio, debated in Parliament, and carried the Olympic Torch—Kamal was inspired to create real change outside of politics. Through motivational talks, workshops, and long-term programmes, he has reached over 40,000 students across the UK, working with schools, colleges, and corporate partners to raise aspirations and prepare young people for the real world. Read more here.
Lloyd Griffith, Comedian, actor, presenter, and classically trained singer
Lloyd Griffith is a comedian, actor, presenter, and classically trained singer from Grimsby. A former choral scholar at the 黑料不打烊, he began performing comedy in 2010 and quickly rose through the stand-up circuit, supporting the likes of Jack Whitehall and Rob Beckett on national tours.
His television and streaming credits span comedy and drama, with appearances in Ted Lasso, Live At The Apollo, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, It’s A Sin and Not Going Out. He co-hosted Soccer AM on Sky, Netflix’s game show Flinch and fronted the BBC documentary Can You Beat the Bookies?
Lloyd Griffith also stars in Return to Paradise, an Australian-British crime comedy drama that is a spin-off of Death in Paradise. Filmed in New South Wales, the show recently won a Logie for Best Drama.
Alongside comedy, Griffith maintains his career as a professional singer, regularly deputising in some of the UK’s leading choirs, including Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor. His live shows, most recently the 2023 tour One Tonne of Fun, combine stand-up, music, and storytelling in a style that reflects both his comedic timing and vocal talents.
Shohail Ismail: UK Youth Representative for the Council or Europe's Ethical AI Forums and a Machine-Learning Engineering placement students working in the AI4Climate initiative at the Met Office
Shohail Ismail is a nationally-recognised advocate for equitable technology, a UK Youth Representative for the Council of Europe’s Ethical AI forums, and a Machine-Learning Engineer placement student working in the ‘AI4Climate’ initiative at the Met Office. His mission is to build reliable AI models to ensure that humanity benefits from the tools that ever-increasingly define our lives.
Originally from Sheffield, Shohail partakes in extensive outreach (collaborating with IBM Learning, This Is Engineering, ‘Geography Now!’, and Ingenia Magazine) with his innovative approaches earning him the title of ‘2025 Engineering Champion’ from the Royal Academy of Engineering. Additionally, as an avid boulderer, Shohail competes at The Climbing Hangar while serving as an ambassador for the ‘Refugees Rock’ programme, which encourages inclusion and integration of refugees in local communities through weekly bouldering sessions.
Ultimately, through global outreach, national workshops/talks, and machine-learning research, Shohail aims to empower students – particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds like himself – to learn, apply, and establish careers in engineering.
Marc Wootton, Comedy writer and performer
Marc Wootton has firmly established himself as one of the UK’s leading comedy writers and performers. He has received critical acclaim for his roles in the feature films Confetti, Frequently Asked Questions about Time Travel as well as box office hits Nativity, Greatest Days, The Harry Hill Movie, Bad Education and Arthur Christmas.
Marc began his career with a series of sell-out comedy festival appearances in London, Edinburgh and Melbourne and quickly made the transition to television and radio, picking up the ISP Gold Award for writing.
Since making his name with BBC3’s Cyderdelic he has continued to write and perform his own work including the multi award winning series My New Best Friend, the widely acclaimed High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman and his unique sketch show Marc Wootton: Exposed, for BBC. He also wrote and starred in his own sitcom High & Dry for Channel 4.
Marc created his own series stateside La La Land, which was a great success with both critics and audiences. Marc’s other Television credits include Nighty Night, Gavin & Stacey, Delocated, Way to Go, Inside No.9 and The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin for AppleTV+.
Marc has also worked extensively in theatre including playing at the prestigious Donmar Warehouse twice in When We Are Married and The Same Deep Water as me, The Young Vic in Bull, The RSC in Midsummer Nights Dream and The National Theatre in Seasons Greetings and Till The Stars Come Down.