10,000 interns to fill London stadium in landmark celebration of workplace equity

The largest ever gathering of interns in UK history: The 10,000 Interns Foundation have created over 10,000 paid opportunities for underrepresented talent.

The 10,000 Interns Foundation has created over 10,000 paid internship opportunities for underrepresented young people since its launch in 2020. To mark this historic achievement, the Foundation will bring together 10,000 interns at one of London’s most iconic stadiums later this year, the largest event of its kind and a bold signal to the future of work.

Born as a grassroots campaign to address the lack of Black representation in investment management, the Foundations work has become a nationwide movement. From the 100 Black Interns programme to 10,000 opportunities across 33 industries, the Foundation’s flagship programme – 10,000 Black Interns – has opened doors in finance, law, media, tech, healthcare, arts and culture, and beyond.

At the heart of the Foundation is a clear belief: talent is equally distributed. Guided by its mission to unlock opportunity, the Foundation has reshaped access to industries that once felt out of reach.

Impact at a Glance

• 10,000+ paid internship opportunities created since 2020
• 1,300+ employer partners have pledged opportunities across 35 sectors
• This year, 2025, our 10,000th candidate will receive their internship offer
• 71% of interns now in full-time employment (30% retained by host employer)
• 89% report increased confidence and career readiness

Thousands have launched careers, built networks, and stepped into industries that once excluded them. “What began less than five years ago has turned into something historic,” said Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, Co-Founder & Trustee of the Foundation. “Ten thousand opportunities, ten thousand lives changed, one internship at a time. This is a milestone and a mandate.”

The Foundation is reshaping the UK workforce – and redefining who gets to shape it.

New Leadership for a New Chapter

To help guide its next phase of growth, the Foundation welcomes two new leaders:

• Althea Loderick, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Southwark and long-standing champion for inclusion, joins the Board of Trustees.
• Charlotte Appleyard, Director of Development & Business Innovation at the Royal Academy of Arts, joins the Advisory Board, bringing decades of cross-sector and cultural leadership.

   

“Althea and Charlotte bring the kind of sharp leadership, deep networks, and lived experience that we need to scale what’s coming next. I’m so thrilled that they will be supporting our strategy toward this milestone celebration and beyond,” said Rebecca Ajulu-Bushell, CEO of the Foundation.

About the Stadium Celebration

Later this year, 10,000 interns will gather together – for the first time ever – to celebrate a movement that has transformed careers and challenged long-standing norms. Set against the backdrop of one of London’s most iconic stadiums, the event will be a moment of pride, power, and progress, a declaration that underrepresented talent belongs in the UK’s professional future.

“This talent belongs everywhere,” added Konotey-Ahulu. “And when you open the door wide enough, history walks through it.”