There are moments in leadership that stop you in your tracks.
For me, it was standing at Emirates Stadium, looking out at a sea of faces – 10,000 interns strong – and realising that what began as a bold idea had become a movement.
When I first told my team, “I want to invite 10,000 interns to Emirates Stadium,” it sounded audacious. But ambition has always come easily to me. Because ambition, for us, isn’t about scale – it’s about belonging. It’s about proving that opportunity, when made visible and accessible, can reshape the narrative of who gets to lead.
At The 10,000 Interns Foundation, we’ve spent the last five years challenging an old promise of scarcity: the idea that underrepresentation is inevitable.
It isn’t.
It was engineered and it can be unbuilt.
We have done more than open doors; we’ve held them open. 10,000 internships later, we’ve seen lives changed through mentoring, training, networking, and a growing sense of community. A generation of future leaders who no longer question whether they belong, they know they do.
As CEO, I stand on the shoulders of our co-founders, partners, mentors, and an extraordinary team who believed that inclusion could be designed, not demanded. And I stand beside our interns and alumni — a living testament to what hope looks like when it becomes action.
Because this work has never been about ticking boxes or counting placements. It’s about rewriting systems, reshaping rooms, and reimagining leadership.
So, what comes next?
Yes, more internships. But also, something deeper — the official launch of our 10,000 Alumni Programme. This next chapter will follow our interns into their leadership journeys, ensuring they not only enter the room, but belong in every room.
I believe in a world built on equity, not exceptionality. A world where ambition and belonging walk hand in hand.
We’ve opened the doors. Now, it’s up to all of us to keep them open.
Rebecca Ajulu-Bushell
CEO, The 10,000 Interns Foundation