Our leadership team

Claudia took on the position of CEO in 2020 following her tenure as Makers Chair since 2019. With a firm belief that the education system disproportionately favours the privileged few.

Claudia has dedicated herself to Makers' mission of creating inclusive pathways to tech careers. She is passionate about the transformative power of education, having previously held the position of CEO at The Careers & Enterprise Company, an organisation dedicated to connecting young people with employment opportunities.

She was featured on the Queen's honours list in 2021, receiving an OBE for her services to careers education.

Patrick joined Makers in 2021 from his role as COO and CFO of BMJ Publishing Group.

Having enjoyed building and growing education and technology business in the publishing sector, and experienced first hand the challenge of finding the right tech talent, the opportunity at Makers was too good to miss.

As well as keeping an eye on the finances, he actively supports the operational and commercial areas of the business.

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and spent the early part of his career in large listed businesses.

Dana Svoboda is the Chief Joy Officer at Makers. She joined the organisation in its first year, underpinning Makers' commitment to Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a key skill for developers. She is a seasoned personal and leadership coach with over 13 years of experience, specialising in empowering individuals and teams to achieve greater wellbeing and success.

Dana has developed and implemented the groundbreaking Emotional Intelligence Curriculum at Makers which is taught in conjunction with the technical programmes, aiding over 3,000 students in their career transitions.

With her wealth of experience and personal insights, Dana has come to recognise the foundational role that Emotional Intelligence plays in sustained joy and success. As the importance of emotional wellbeing is increasingly recognised over IQ in today's modern workforce, she champions its central role in promoting holistic wellbeing both in the workplace and beyond.

Diana joined the Makers team in November 2019, working as Head of Education promoted to Director of Delivery and now as our Chief Experience Officer.  Diana oversees the Training and Delivery team at Makers bringing a wealth of experience of Education as an ex-Head teacher. She is passionate about all things education and learning, committed to building inclusive, representative learning communities.

Makers’ training is a unique, immersive, transformative experience. Diana endeavours to respond to client needs using cutting edge education and ensure that all stakeholders’ experiences through partnering with Makers, are exceptional.

Matt joined Makers in March 2023 as Director of Training and Programmes before moving into his current Director of People, Operations & Tech role.

Matt has over 15 years of experience in the education and training sector, at independent training providers, where he held a variety of senior leadership positions.

Matt is passionate about education and is committed to developing innovative solutions that improve student outcomes. He is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Lauralei Chapman-Ludgate is the Chief Commercial Officer at Makers, where she drives growth, strategic partnerships, and client success.

Since joining Makers in 2022, she has played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s commercial reach—first as an Account Director, then as Commercial Director, before stepping into her current leadership role.

Lauralei is a champion for diversity in tech with extensive experience creating opportunities for underrepresented groups, particularly women, to thrive in the industry.