Working in partnership with social mobility charities, Stephanie has also co-led social mobility work experience programmes (aimed at students aged between 16-18 from lower social economic communities), supporting VMO2 with its corporate social responsibility and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Stephanie is passionate about helping individuals to build confidence and resilience. This led to her founding Arise & Shine UK – a personal development platform for individuals. The aim of Arise & Shine UK is to help individuals to build confidence and resilience, so that they can maximise their full potential.
Stephanie attributes her hard work ethic and resilience to her environment growing up in Peckham (South-East London) – having been raised in a single parent household and witnessing the financial struggles of her mother (a working-class first-generation migrant). From a young age Stephanie made a commitment to herself that she would not be a product of her environment. At a young age she understood the power of education, training, mentorship, and networking, and made an effort to utilise all the resources available to her to change the trajectory of her life, and create a new narrative for herself and the generations that would follow after her.
In May 2007, Stephanie graduated from The London School of Economics and Political Science with a 2.1 BA (Hons) in Geography. Following her degree, Stephanie decided to embark on further studies and undertook a law conversion course – the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course, at BPP Law School, London.
In June 2011, following several job applications (and rejections), interviews and assessment centres, Stephanie finally secured a training contract at DLA Piper LLP (“DLA Piper”) (one of the largest international law firms in the world).
In August 2013, Stephanie qualified as a lawyer in the Technology, Sourcing and Commercial legal team at DLA Piper and was admitted into the body of solicitors – The Law Society.
After five and a half years of working in private practice, Stephanie decided to continue her legal career in-house and work for a business.
Stephanie now works in-house as a lawyer for Virgin Media O2 (“VMO2”) (within the Commercial Affairs Legal Team), supporting the B2B and Wholesale business directorate, by advising, drafting, negotiating, and concluding a wide range of commercial contracts. She is often appraised for her customer first and “can do” attitude when supporting the business to mitigate and control risk, and her ability to deliver her advice in a clear and concise way.
