Founder CEO, Skills Enterprise
Malathy Muthu is a visionary social entrepreneur leading Skills Enterprise, a Newham-based digital‑inclusion charity.
With over two decades of community impact, she’s been instrumental in tackling the social determinants of health, poverty, mental wellbeing, and digital exclusion through tech-enabled support, crisis advocacy, and employability programmes.
Skills Enterprise Founder & CEO Malathy Muthu on BBC news with Helen Miller, CEO of Good Things Foundation
Mala is a Newham Changemaker for Step 37. There is a step for everyone.
Spearheaded online skills training during the pandemic—ensuring prescriptions, GP appointments, and employability pathways were accessible.
Through VoiceBox cafés and coding clubs, she focuses on women’s empowerment, community cohesion, and scalable volunteer programmes.
Elevated via national platforms, from BBC features to parliamentary citations and ministerial speeches, underscoring her influence and effective advocacy.
A passionate advocate for economic independence, Malathy has created pathways for women, especially from marginalised and migrant backgrounds, to enter the workforce. Through tailored employability programmes, digital literacy training, and partnerships with employers like the NHS
Malathy Muthu exemplifies a forward-thinking, results-driven leader. Unafraid to challenge systemic exclusion, she’s translated community needs into scalable solutions, marked by real outcomes (jobs, digital resiliency, empowerment).
Her next frontier: pushing Skills Enterprise from borough-level change-maker to national model in digital equity and social impact.
Sir Chris Bryant, Minister for Data Protection & Telecoms, showcased ‘Kalpana’s’ journey, from digital novice to confident laptop user and volunteer, thanks to Skills Enterprise’s training, highlighting the power of tech inclusion.
So when Baroness Hilary Armstrong, Chair of the Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Committee, visited our charity, it wasn’t just an honour, it was a turning point. For once, the voices of those furthest from the digital world were not only heard, but were at the centre of national policymaking.
In a Parliament speech, Sir Stephen Timms MP praised Malathy’s quick pivot during COVID, distributing devices to the digitally excluded, scaling support by 50%, guiding residents through universal credit forms, online banking, job hunts, and saving £300+ a year on energy.
