Cindy Boa

I lead Young Residents in Partnership, a peer research programme at Partnership for Young London. Its researchers are young people living in Clarion, Hyde and MTVH homes, and its aim is to make their involvement in housing association decisions standard practice. In January 2027 I start a dual master's at the African Centre for Cities in Cape Town and Sciences Po in Paris.

Before that I spent two years at Google, in sales, account management and a Google.org programme for generative AI projects. I graduated from UCL in 2024 with a First in Human Sciences, and my dissertation took me to Abidjan for six weeks of fieldwork.

Ivorian and French, I grew up between France and London. The next two years will be spent largely on African cities, Abidjan in particular. Research, urban policy and development finance all interest me as directions after that, and I haven't chosen between them yet.

A dual master's between Cape Town and Paris

Cape Town

First semester, from January 2027

Paris

August 2027 to June 2028

Cape Town

Final semester, July to November 2028

From January 2027 I'll be in the first cohort of a dual master's run by the African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town and the Urban School at Sciences Po.

The ACC's work on Southern urbanism is what drew me to the programme. It starts from cities like Cape Town and Abidjan rather than measuring them against European and North American models, and pairs that theory with grounded, applied research. Governing the Large Metropolis at Sciences Po brings a different emphasis: metropolitan governance, public policy and the political economy of urban development, with a strong comparative focus on the Global South.

I hope to focus my own research on Abidjan, in particular the contrast between Plateau, the city's business and administrative centre, and neighbouring Adjamé. I'm interested in how investment, regulation and urban management shape infrastructure, public space and daily life in two districts that sit side by side. The proposal is still developing.

University of Cape Town, African Centre for Cities

MPhil in Urban Studies, specialising in Southern Urbanism

Sciences Po, Urban School

Master in Urban Governance, Policy and Planning, Governing the Large Metropolis stream

Undergraduate

BSc Human Sciences, University College London

2021 to 2024

First Class Honours

I studied on a full David Twumasi Scholarship from the Syncona Foundation, awarded on merit. Human Sciences is an interdisciplinary degree across the natural and social sciences; for me it was a grounding in governance, anthropology and political economy.

In 2022 I won the Bloomberg Sales and Analytics Top Performer Prize at Bloomberg's Global Data Summer Insight Week.

Dissertation

HIV prevention and treatment in Côte d'Ivoire

Six weeks of independent fieldwork in Abidjan in May and June 2023, based at the Institut National de Santé Publique. Through semi-structured interviews with health workers, administrators and residents, and observation, it examined how fragmented urban infrastructure, institutional legacies and uneven public systems shape access to HIV prevention and care across the city.

Work

Partnership for Young London

2023 to 2027

I joined as a peer researcher on the first phase of Young Residents in Partnership (YRIP) and now lead the programme. Alongside it I've worked on two other PYL research commissions, one on youth unemployment and one on climate policy.

Youth Research Lead, Young Residents in Partnership

Aug 2026 to Jan 2027

I manage six paid peer researchers, based in London and Nottingham, and the relationships with the three housing associations that fund the programme: Clarion, Hyde and MTVH.

Wrote the programme's business plan for 2026 to 2031. It sets out an ambition to grow from three housing associations to fifteen, and from six peer researchers to thirty.
Peabody and SNG have since expressed interest in joining.
Now setting up an advisory group, and a sector update with PYL's Centre for Youth Voice in January 2027.

Peer Researcher, Greater London Authority and Mayor's Fund for London

From Jan 2026

Youth-informed research on unemployment among young Londoners, intended to inform recommendations to the Mayor. I ran focus groups, spoke at events, contributed to the design of the data collection, and led a workshop with practitioners who support young people with experience of prison, so that their circumstances were not left out of the youth unemployment strategy.

Peer Researcher, Rethinking Green Cities, LSE Cities and Islington Council

From Feb 2026

A study of how London boroughs involve young people in sustainability and climate resilience work, and whether that involvement shapes decisions or remains a formality. I facilitate focus groups and lead the analysis and report writing. Findings are due to be presented at City Hall and shared with the Deputy Mayor for Climate and Environment and the London Climate Fund. Through this work I also contributed to a GLA workshop that drafted youth principles for London's climate action plan.

Cindy with fellow researchers and Islington Council colleagues — With the Rethinking Green Cities team and Islington Council

Peer Researcher, Young Residents in Partnership, Phase 1

Apr 2023 to Jul 2024

The research phase of the programme. We surveyed 79 young residents aged 16 to 30, ran focus groups, and interviewed staff at every level of the three housing associations, including all three chief executives. My own interviews included Clarion's chief executive and senior leaders at MTVH and Hyde. I recruited additional participants through the Damilola Taylor Foundation's Hope Hack, and their responses formed a substantial part of the final report.

Three in four young residents told us they had little or no say in decisions about their housing.

Shaping Housing Futures, 2024

I co-authored the report, published as Shaping Housing Futures in September 2024, and presented its findings to Homes England, the Labour Party and the House of Commons.

Google

2024 to 2026

Three roles over two years, across new business, account management and Google.org.

Account Strategist, Google Ads

Jul 2025 to Jul 2026

Managed a portfolio of approximately 120 advertisers each quarter. The role covered campaign strategy, performance analysis and growth planning, as the advertisers' main point of contact, working with Google's analytical and product specialists.

Gen AI Project Success Manager, Google.org

Jun to Dec 2025

Managed delivery of a Google.org Generative AI Accelerator project with Signvrse, a Kenyan organisation building 3D sign-language avatars for deaf communities. I worked with the founders to set success metrics, and the project shipped three scoped MVPs in 14 weeks. I also designed and ran a user discovery session in Nairobi so that deaf Kenyan users, rather than our own assumptions, shaped the product's direction.

Cindy with the Signvrse team — With the Signvrse team at the Google.org Accelerator

Business and Sales Development, Google Cloud

Aug 2024 to Jul 2025

New business development for Google Cloud in the UK and Ireland, rotating through healthcare and life sciences, then insurance, and finally Google Workspace for large enterprise clients. Alongside outreach, I ran customer education events.

Cindy on stage at the Google Cloud EMEA go-to-market kick-off — On stage at Google Cloud's EMEA go-to-market kick-off, February 2025

Amazon Web Services

Jul to Oct 2023

Technical Business Developer Intern

Built a go-to-market strategy for UK data and analytics from interviews and external research, projecting a 10 per cent increase in opportunities. I was offered an extension.
Secured £25,000 to host the first Women in Data Summit, and organised a generative AI customer event that drew the highest turnout in its segment across the UK.
Qualified as an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.

Elsewhere

In 2021 I founded YouthCycle, a TfL-funded community interest company in Croydon that gave young people free bikes, equipment and cycling training. I ran its fundraising, partnerships, recruitment and delivery.

From 2021 to 2023 I was one of 11 members of the Youth Futures Foundation's national Future Voice Group, working on youth unemployment with MPs, BBC Three and the heads of youth organisations. I directed a short film on the move from school to work, and reviewed grantees for its Invest Subgroup.

Since 2022 I've been a National Ambassador for Clarion Housing and Shelter, working on youth homelessness. I represented Clarion at a European study session on youth homelessness in Budapest, and pushed internally for Housing First for Youth.

During the pandemic I volunteered as a COVID-19 vaccinator with St John Ambulance and gave more than 400 vaccinations. I mentor young people in London, and I'm a certified Leader as a Coach through Circl's 12-month programme.

Outside work I make my own clothes and jewellery.