About Us

Alex is a father of 2 (cats), a melomaniac, a movie and videogames geek and a digital nomad on-the-road wannabe. He recently returned to sunny Valencia in Spain after 6 years working as a graphic designer in mighty Scotland, which will always be his second home. Alex is an expert on branding, corporate identity and visual communication, and is currently coursing a UX/UI.

Becca was born in Liverpool, grew up in Belfast, and now lives in Carlisle. Her accent is confused. She completed a BA in performing arts in 2008 and worked in bars, offices, and cafes before turning to proofreading. A lifelong book lover with a skill for spotting errors (in signs, menus, and her husband’s poetry, which is met with equal outrage and gratitude), Becca enrolled in Becoming A Proofreader in early 2020, went on to work with Proofed, and joined the Knowadays team in January 2021.

Becca enjoys bouldering, both indoors and on real rock, as well as ploughing, planting, and picking at her allotment (plus pickling and preserving the produce). She also enjoys alliteration.

Ellie grew up in North East Scotland but is now based in London. She joined Knowadays back in 2021, first working in the customer service team and now helping Knowadays develop future courses. Alongside her work for Knowdays, Ellie is completing a PhD in history, researching imperialism, decolonisation and independence movements in Anglophone Caribbean and Britain.

Although she loves all things history, in her free time Ellie also has a passion for reading, food (both cooking and eating), running and travelling.

Emily was born in New York but moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, as a teenager. After returning to the East Coast for college, she received a degree in English in 2007 and a master’s in education in 2010. She worked in early childhood education for a number of years before deciding to pursue a career as a proofreader after her daughters were born.

Emily completed Becoming A Proofreader in early 2021 and is thrilled to now be working as a Knowadays tutor alongside her work at Proofed! In her spare time, she enjoys taking her
kids to the park, teaching Hebrew school, and attempting to bake.

Jess has a BA in English literature from the University of Bristol and a level 4 apprenticeship in PR and communications from the Cambridge Marketing College. Before joining Knowadays in 2021, Jess spent a couple of years honing her writing skills working as part of a busy local government communications team and creating content for an online retailer specialising in vintage and classic books.

In her free time, Jess enjoys reading (especially historical fiction and fantasy), walking in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, seeing live music, and going to the pub with friends. She has an ever-growing collection of houseplants, including cactuses in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Jude joined Knowadays back in 2021 after graduating from Sussex University. During his time there, he began developing his pedagogical skills by working on research projects in schools around Brighton. These days, he’s using those skills to help people advance their careers through industry-leading courses.

Outside of work, Jude is a lover of all things music – be it playing, listening, or seeing it live. Perhaps one day he will help us to create a musicians masterclass!

Kiran Chauhan is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished business leader with a passion for operations and finance. As the COO and co-founder of Knowadays, Kiran has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and business acumen, helping the company go from strength to strength since its inception in 2017.

Kiran’s expertise in operations and finance has been honed through years of experience working with start-ups and events, including the London 2012 Olympics. He is a natural problem solver and has a proven track record of making things run smoothly.

Laura’s professional life began in analytical science. After a seven-year hiatus spent giving birth to and hanging out with two small humans, she looked for work that would allow her to help others. This saw her supporting school children with their learning and prison leavers with making positive changes in their lives. Seeking a healthier work–life balance, she took the Becoming A Proofreader course and passed with distinction. She now loves making writing shine so that people can express themselves with clarity and confidence. As a Knowadays tutor, she feels privileged to help others to achieve their proofreading goals. She is also very fond of musical theatre (watching, not performing!).

Based in British Columbia, Canada, Mandy took the Becoming A Proofreader course in 2018 and since then has been working part-time as a proofreader with Proofed and as a Knowadays tutor. She very much enjoys the behind-the-scenes work at Knowadays and working with a great team.

Mandy has enjoyed travelling and working in new places, but her first home will always be Scotland where she was born and brought up. She has a medical degree from Glasgow University and works part-time in healthcare. Mandy loves reading, hiking and running long distances on the trails, and watching and photographing wildlife, especially birds. She also does volunteer work with a wildlife rescue organisation.

Myra has a BA in sociology and an MA in TESL. After a short career in the printing and copy industry, she became a teacher of English and academic writing, working in China, South Korea, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. She also spent her years abroad in travel research and writing and in managing study-abroad programs. Currently, she lives in Washington state until she truly becomes a digital nomad.

Working with writers and academics in other countries, Myra has seen language be a barrier to sharing knowledge. Becoming A Proofreader has helped her hone the skills to help more writers make their work accessible to a wider audience. In addition to working with Knowadays and Proofed, she enjoys exploring food and culture, walking, watching movies, reading books with a view on other cultures, and dabbling in yoga and ballroom dancing.

Rebecca was born and raised in California but now lives in the United Kingdom. After training with Knowadays in 2021, she joined Proofed as a freelancer. She has also provided editing and ghostwriting services for books, games, audio dramas, and social media for businesses.

She is currently immersed in a Creative Practice PhD in science fiction theatre at the University of York. As part of her work there, she also runs lectures, seminars, and workshops in theatre practice, feminist and queer theory, and interactive media. In her spare time, she trawls through used bookstores and runs an accountability group for procrastinating writers.

Simon has had an eclectic career working in labor relations, information management, and stakeholder relations for a major infrastructure project in Vietnam. He has a BA in sociology and an MA in media and communications.

Simon has always enjoyed cogitating and pottering around with words, so in 2020, he decided to take the plunge and hone his skills with the Becoming A Proofreader course.

Living proof that you can combine editing, proofreading, traveling, and a hopefully stable internet connection, Simon is now firmly ensconced in Latin America. Always a passionate traveler, he has been to over 60 countries and hopes to visit a few more.

William “Wiv” Hannay is Knowadays’ CEO, but he often thinks this should stand for Cheerleader ExtraOrdinaire, given the job is often just cheering on an incredibly high performing team and staying out of their way.

Wiv initially joined Knowadays as an early investor and board member, following an eight-year career in management consulting working on cross-border M&A deals, supporting Fortune 500 companies and private equity investors.

The pivot from management consulting and due diligence – a world of one-time deals with a revolving door of projects – to leading a team focused on growing something that has a long-term impact has been a welcome change. To work with colleagues who are obsessed with helping learners achieve their goals is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Wiv received an MBA from Columbia and London Business Schools and a BSBA in finance from Georgetown University. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his family, endurance sports (Ironman 70.3 finisher), a squash or chess game with friends, and, as an American now enjoying London life, a pint at the pub.