Ruth Ibegbuna
- CEO and Founder of Rekindle, Roots Programme and Northern Soul CIC
- Northern Soul Ltd
Bio
After a successful teaching career in state schools in Bradford and Manchester; followed by a rather disruptive diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Ruth founded a number of programmes and organisations including RECLAIM, a Manchester-based charity supporting working-class young people into leadership positions.
Ruth used her platform as RECLAIM CEO for 11 years to campaign nationally with young people across the UK for greater levels of equality and to challenge the negative labelling of many pressurised communities. Ruth worked alongside young survivors of CSE in Greater Manchester to start their own organisation, REIGN, to challenge the systems that horrifically failed when they needed them most.
Ruth is the founder of The Roots Programme, an initiative born out of the Brexit vote of 2016 to bring those from vastly different communities together to connect across divides, embrace difference and to increase levels of compassion for others. The programme also supports state and private school pupils to meet, connect and build a more hopeful UK future.
Ruth is a Clore Social Fellow and an Ashoka UK Fellow and was listed in The Sunday Times as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK. She was also listed by Virgin as one of the top six female changemakers internationally. Ruth wrote a book in 2014 titled ‘On Youth’ to showcase the stories of Manchester young people. She was awarded a doctorate in Education from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2017.
Clients include Google, Amnesty International, RSA, PwC, Virgin Money Foundation and The International School of Geneva. Ruth is a powerful and motivational speaker and storyteller. She has overcome a great number of challenges and has an infectious strengths-based approach to her own life. Northern Soul was founded in 2019 to provide training, development and support to those seeking greater levels of social justice.
Ruth is also the founder and CEO of Rekindle School, a supplementary school in Manchester; supporting young critical thinkers from working-class communities. She is currently developing the national FUEL programme for UK community changemakers outside of London, which will launch in 2024.
