Principal Creative
Raphael Laurent
Raphael lives for creation, working best in collaboration and thriving in ideation, bringing innovative solutions to every project. His methodology centres on community action research, facilitating equitable relationships throughout the process. Deeply committed to working with individuals and organisations dedicated to creating structures that curate pervasive human flourishing, Raphael believes in the transformative power of storytelling as the chief reconciling force. Through this, he helps people chart trajectories toward justice and collective empowerment.
Raphael spent a lifetime at Oxford, most significantly pursuing a Bachelor of Theology, where he focused on Black Liberation Theology and its antecedents. Currently, he is reading for an MA in Political Science, seeking to formally connect his theology with the histories of African peoples and imperial states. Reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to understanding systems of power, equity, and justice. Raphael holds that beauty is essential to life and integrates visual culture into his work, recognising its capacity to evoke meaning, foster connection, and sustain hope. These academic and creative foundations inform his work, blending rigorous research with creative practice to achieve meaningful, community-centred outcomes.
Principal Action Resarcher
Jerry Amokwandoh
Jerry is a community action researcher and strategist at Nyar K’Odero Group, with ancestral roots in Ghana, West Africa. With a degree in Classics and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, he brings a deep understanding of historical and cultural systems to his work addressing systemic inequities. His work focuses on directly addressing systemic inequities through grassroots collaboration and building global solidarity for and among Indigenous peoples.
In 2021, he co-initiated the landmark Young People vs United Kingdom Government, a legal case, holding the government accountable for its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. His work prioritises empowering marginalised communities with evidence-based insights to inform transformative policy and action. At Nyar K’Odero Group, Jerry combines rigorous research with participatory methodologies to support grassroots leadership and confront on-going structural violence and equity from the ground up.
Oliver Bradley-Baker
Ollie is a visual artist and cinematographer specialising in documentary filmmaking. After two years at Oxford University’s Ruskin School of Art he graduated with a Masters degree in Fine Art. His projects make extensive use of the medium of film: shooting in a mix of Digital, DV, VHS and 16mm film. Ollie has been a long time collaborator with NKG, shooting our long and short piece film work.
Mica Vidal-Taylor
Dr. Mica Vidal-Taylor BSc, MSc Oxon, MRes, PhD is a consultant, professional coach, scientist and writer. She completed her PhD at Imperial College London. She also holds Masters degrees from the University of Oxford. Mica is an Argentinian native who now calls London home; she has over 10 years of experience in the corporate world; working for major consulting firms in London. Mica has a longstanding interest in personal development and growth. She is the founder of a professional coaching combing solutions-based coaching with science-based approaches—all this she brings to NKG, assisting the team with their corporate relations development and growth.
Legal Advisor
Anthony O’Driscoll
Anthony is an associate in the Dispute Resolution team at Travers Smith LLP, he is developing a broad commercial litigation practice with a particular interest in regulatory and transactional issues. Travers Smith works on complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes heard before the Commercial Court and High Court. Anthony is also a member of the firm's BAME and LGBT Groups. He is a former international athlete and graduate of the University of Oxford where he read Human Sciences as a Moritz-Heyman scholar and was a Full Blue athlete. Anthony is also a recipient of the Dover Straits Award for the fastest CS&PF English Channel crossing in 2014.
Founder & Advisor
Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell
Our Founder was the first Black woman to swim for Great Britain (GBR), quitting the 2012 GBR Olympic Team to attend the University of Oxford. She graduated with a BFA (Hons) degree before moving to Paris; there she worked as a communications strategist and learnt French. Her work now is mostly concerned with Decoloniality through storytelling—often crossing into gender, social, and cultural politics—this mostly happens through her writing and filmmaking. In 2019 she directed and produced the acclaimed documentary Breakfast in Kisumu.
Community Engagement
Chiara Stennett
Chiara graduated from SOAS with a degree in Politics and International Relations. Chiara is a freelancer working closely with the team at Walks of Life Films. In addition she supports our work on Fallism. Chiara is interested in all aspects of film making and is building a portfolio of her work.
Creative Producer
Lucasta Emley
Lucasta joined NKG following her BA in History of Art and Spanish. Well-traveled and deeply immersed in diverse cultural experiences, she spent a year studying plastic arts and printmaking at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, which enriched her artistic perspective.
With a solid foundation in the creative arts, Lucasta has become an established set designer highly regarded for her ability to craft immersive and visually stunning environments. Her work has been celebrated for blending cultural motifs with contemporary aesthetics, creating spaces that tell compelling stories and elevate productions. From large-scale cinematic sets to intimate installations, Lucasta’s innovative approach and meticulous attention to detail have positioned her as a sought-after creative force in the industry.
Johnathan Brown
Johnathan Brown is an American creative and filmmaker dedicated to innovative storytelling and cultural representation.
A graduate in Communications and Cinematic Arts, Johnathan was a Robertson Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. In Summer 2022, he joined NKG as an researcher, he work was central to developing our decoloniality praxis and pedagogy in support of our clients. He spent serious time reflecting and curating his narratives prior to launching into production. Johnathan is active on LinkedIn
Charity Sector Advisor
Thesia Kouloungou
Thesia was born in Congo Brazzaville but moved to Ivory Coast after the 1994 civil war. Thesia graduated from Northampton University with a degree in multimedia journalism and sociology. She worked for the National Lottery Community Fund, latterly overseeing grant making activities supporting organisations to engage more fully with communities. Thesia was also appointed the London and South east EDI lead for NLCF, leading initiatives to reduce inequality. Thesia was the EDI Lead at London South Bank University with a strategic focus on embedding equality diversity and inclusion in the lifecycle of staff and student experiences. She is now at the DCSM.