True North: Northern Star — Samuel Remi-Akinwale

Samuel Remi-Akinwale is the CEO of Young Manchester, a youth-led partnership organisation that strengthens, connects and champions opportunities for children and young people across the city.

Working with schools, communities, businesses and public institutions, Young Manchester is a partnership of over 160 local non-profit organisations and groups providing opportunities for children and young people — including skills development and youth leadership programmes. 

Their vision is simple but ambitious: to ensure that every young person in Manchester can shape their city and reach their full potential through vibrant, connected and inclusive opportunities.

We spoke to Samuel to find out more.

The power of agency 

Manchester is a city built on defiance, reinvention and resilience. It’s also a city where inequality remains deeply entrenched, especially for young people. My leadership journey has been shaped by living with both of those realities.

I stepped into my role as CEO at 22. While it wasn’t something I felt ‘ready’ for in the traditional sense, it was clear that the organisation and the moment demanded leadership that trusted young people with responsibility rather than waiting for permission. Now, at 25, I lead an organisation that not only creates safe spaces for children with transformative opportunities but also focuses on building equitable systems that share power, wealth and opportunity.

Earlier this year, Young Manchester facilitated a participatory budgeting process in which 113 young people allocated £230,000 of funding in their local area. They questioned organisations, debated trade-offs and made collective decisions about investment priorities. The outcome mattered but the process mattered more. Young people weren’t consulted — they governed.

That experience reinforced a lesson that applies far beyond the youth sector: agency is a strategic asset. Organisations that co-create with those closest to the challenge are more resilient, innovative and legitimate. Tokenistic engagement creates fragility, whereas shared ownership builds durability.

For businesses, the parallel is clear. When people feel genuinely heard and trusted, they invest more of themselves in the organisation. Agency builds trust, community and long-term loyalty — qualities no strategy can substitute for.

Listen — even when it’s uncomfortable 

One of the projects I’m most proud of is w/Youth, a youth-powered consultancy developed to help organisations to understand how young people experience them — as employers, brands and institutions.

Through partnerships with organisations including University of Manchester, the Sister innovation district and public bodies such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we’ve supported organisations to listen more honestly to the next generation and translate insight into action. That work has influenced organisational strategy and — in some cases — public policy.

The starting point is always the same: listen properly. Ask young people how they perceive your organisation. Do they trust you? Do they see themselves reflected in your culture? Do you feel relevant in their world? While the answers aren’t always comfortable, they’re invaluable.

The second step is structural, not symbolic. Opening pathways through paid roles, mentoring, procurement, governance or leadership changes outcomes for young people and strengthens organisations from the inside out. Young people bring challenge, creativity and long-range thinking. Organisations that create genuine routes in don’t just ‘do good’ — they gain strategic advantage.

Systemic thinking, not surface change

Manchester’s story includes real success, but too many young people still feel excluded from the city’s prosperity.  Too often, progress is just adding a garnish to the same old recipe. It might look different, but nothing truly changes. Real progress happens when we’re bold enough to question the whole recipe and create something new.

That requires honesty and interrogating your own systems and strategies. Are they truly delivering transformation or are they just maintaining the status quo with a different gloss? Are you addressing root causes of social challenges or simply patching symptoms?

The lesson for businesses is that resilience doesn’t come from surface tweaks. It comes from being willing to tell the truth about what isn’t working and embracing bold, inventive solutions. Whether you’re in finance, tech or retail, if you want long-term progress, don’t settle for incremental fixes. Build systems that can withstand change because they’re rooted in honesty and bold thinking.

Reflections for purpose-led leaders

• Listen deeply — true engagement is more than consultation. It’s about giving real power and influence to those whose voices are often ignored. Whether it’s through budgeting, decision making, or inclusive meetings, listening deeply is a superpower that can give organisations a competitive advantage.
• Think in decades — young people naturally bring long-term thinking to the table. Their perspective is about the next 20 or 30 years, not just the next financial quarter. Businesses that build with that kind of future-facing vision are the ones that will endure.

• Never forget the importance of joy — work is serious, but young people remind us that play and joy are vital. Innovation comes when people feel alive, curious and unafraid to bring their whole selves to the table. For organisations, creating space for joy builds stronger, more creative teams.

   

Shape what’s next for the North

Samuel is just one of the members of True North who want to build something better — together. 

If you’re committed to supporting the future talent of the North, join our growing collaborative network of purpose‑driven leaders.