A graduate from Durham University, Shena started her career as a writer for The Times before joining the BBC as an associate producer. She subsequently moved into drama and later became The Redwing Film Company’s Head of Film and TV. Shena is currently writing a novel – a political thriller set in Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In Oxford, she founded the children’s art charity, Young Art Oxford, which exhibits paintings from around 40 schools in Oxfordshire and celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2021 year having raised over £1 million for research into children’s cancer.

Shena is heading a team with raising money for an NGO school in Beirut that will be central to identifying Syrian refugee children for Oxford’s Refugee Scholarships; this is already in place at Somerville College and will be rolled out across all Oxford colleges over the coming years.