Steering group

Justin Welby is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, the Spiritual Leader of the Church of England and Worldwide Anglican Communion. He was ordained in 1992 after an 11‐year career in the oil industry. He spent his first 15 years serving in Coventry diocese where he jointly led its international reconciliation work, working extensively in Africa and the Middle East. He was Dean of Liverpool Cathedral from 2007 to 2011 and Bishop of Durham from 2011 to 2012, before being announced as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in late 2012. He is married to Caroline and together they have six children.

Marco is PwC UK’s Executive Board Member responsible for Clients and Markets, covering all Lines of Service, Industries and Regions. He is also the Global Relationship Partner for two of PwC’s major priority clients in the Technology industry sector. He has 28 years’ of international experience in Advisory and Assurance services at PwC. His previous leadership roles include Head of Consulting for the UK and EMEA and Global and UK Head of the Risk Assurance Services business.

Qari Asim MBE is Senior Imam at Makkah Mosque in Leeds, and Legal Director at DLA Piper. Qari is Deputy Chair of the Government’s Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, Chair of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, and senior editor of Imams Online. Qari is a trustee of British Future, Peace Matters and Hope not Hate. He is a member of ITV Yorkshire’s Diversity Group, on the Oxfam advisory panel and regional leadership board of Mosaic. Qari is an executive board member of the National Council of Imams & Rabbis, a director of Forum for Promoting Peace, and a faith advisor to Near Neighbours.

Geoff was General Secretary of ASCL from 2017 to 2024. He studied English and Linguistics at the University of Lancaster, then trained to teach at Leicester University. From 2002 to 2017 he was headteacher of King Edward VI School. He is a Founding Fellow of the English Association and writes for a range of newspapers and journals. He has worked with organisations, including the Department for Education, on leadership and literacy. Geoff was a longstanding member of ASCL Council, former chair of its Pedagogy Committee, is Patron of the English and Media Centre, and a ‘Leading Thinker’ for the National Education Trust.

Sir Peter Bazalgette was Chair of Arts Council England 2013 – 2017. Previously he chaired ENO, Crossness Engines, and the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. He is currently Chair of ITV and LoveCrafts, and heads the trustees of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non‐Fiction. He sits on the board of UK Research & Innovation following his review of the Creative Industries for government in 2017. He’s written a number of books, a food column for the FT, and been TV critic of Prospect. In his 40 years in TV he created internationally successful formats and helped pioneer both reality TV and independent production.

Mark became CEO of The FA on 1 August 2019, heading up the team of 900 and taking full responsibility for the National Governing Body. He joined The FA in August 2016 as Chief Commercial and Football Development Officer where he was responsible for the commercial, marketing, digital and participation functions at the organisation. Mark was also responsible for all marketing output across the organisation, including award winning campaigns for the England football teams.

Angila has extensive experience of working across and within communities in developing capacity, promoting an appreciation of diversity and community cohesion. She currently serves as an Ambassador for the Community Foundation for N Ireland and sits on the Board of the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation. Previously she served on the Belfast City Council’s Good Relations Partnership, on the Board of Terra Nova Productions, an intercultural theatre company and as a Charity Commissioner with the Charity Commission for N Ireland.

Lord Dannatt was a soldier for forty years concluding his military career as Chief of the General Staff – the professional head of the British Army. Since retiring from active duty in 2009, he was Constable of the Tower of London until July 2016, becoming an independent member of the House of Lords in 2011. He is President of Help for Heroes and a trustee of the Normandy Memorial Trust. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for both Greater London and Norfolk. He is married with four children, and eight grandsons. He divides his time between London and his family home in Norfolk where he runs the family arable farm.

Kezia Dugdale is Director of The John Smith Centre. Based at the University of Glasgow, the non-partisan centre exists to make the case for politics and public service through the promotion of civilised debate and high quality research, and supports people with talent, but not means, to access politics and public life. Kezia was previously a Member of the Scottish Parliament for eight years during which she led her party through four national elections and the EU referendum. Beyond her working life, Kezia is on the board of Sistema, a social transformation charity using music to help children across Scotland.

Matthew Elliott was Chief Executive of Vote Leave, and Editor‐at‐Large of Brexitcentral. Matthew has been described by the Financial Times as “one of the most formidable political strategists in Westminster” and by the New Statesman as “one of the most successful – and feared – campaigners in British politics”. Previously, he led the successful NOtoAV campaign in 2011, founded the TaxPayers’ Alliance, and Business for Britain. In 2019 he co‐chaired Sajid Javid’s campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party and, outside of politics, is a Senior Adviser to Shore Capital.

Lloyd joined Trinity Mirror in 1994 as a Sub-Editor on the Daily Mirror. He held the positions of Deputy Chief Sub-Editor, Assistant Night Editor, Night Editor and Assistant Editor, Editor of the Sunday People, Editor of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror, before being appointed Editor-in-Chief in 2012. Following Trinity Mirror’s acquisitions and rebrand as Reach Plc in 2018, Lloyd’s is now Group Editor-in-Chief, giving him editorial responsibility for all the national and regional news brands across the Reach Plc platform – one of Britain’s biggest newspaper groups, publishing 240 regional papers in addition to the nationals.

Katherine Grainger is the current Chair of UK Sport. She is Britain’s most decorated female Olympian and the first British woman to win medals at five successive Olympic Games. Katherine was born and educated in Scotland, she holds a degree in law from Edinburgh University, an MPhil in Medical Law from Glasgow University, and a PhD in the sentencing of homicide from King’s College London. She is the Honorary President of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association and Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University among many other notable accolades. She became a Dame in 2017 for services to sport and charity.

Melissa is the General Secretary of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. She has a professional background in the third sector, with senior leadership roles in a number of national membership and volunteer-led organisations and with a focus on children, families and communities. Previous roles include Head of Adult Support at The Scout Association, Interim CEO at Bliss, the special care baby charity, and Director of Operations at The Fostering Network. Melissa lives in East Sussex and enjoys walking on the South Downs and getting involved in her community, including running a Scout Group for young people with additional needs.

Tony Hall is the former Director-General of the BBC, and previously Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House. Joining the BBC as a news trainee in 1973, he served 28 years at the Corporation, launching Radio 5 live, BBC News 24, BBC News Online and BBC Parliament. Tony was Chair of Creative and Cultural Skills, Musical and Dance Scheme, Stratford East Theatre and the Cultural Olympiad Committee for London 2012. He was Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 Television, a Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Foundation Years Trust. Tony became a life peer in 2010.

Ronan is Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland. Prior to this he was VP of Google EMEA and Head of Google’s operations in Ireland. Ronan joined Google’s EMEA headquarters in Dublin in 2005. Since then he has focused on growing the company’s online advertising sales, and launched several other Google products and initiatives in the region. A graduate in electronic engineering at University College Dublin, Ronan began his career with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation in Japan. He spent nine years in Japan working in consulting and technology and returned to Ireland in 2001 to work in private equity before joining Google.

Ceylon is Head of Brand at Football Beyond Borders (FBB); an organisation that uses football as a vehicle for change in the lives of young people, helping to change their attitudes and behaviours towards learning. Ceylon joined FBB in 2018, and has since grown their girls programme from 16 participants to over 800. Her passion for social justice, education and young people saw her join the board of Step Up to Serve, the organisation that coordinated the #iwill campaign. She hosted the #iwill Advisory Council with HRH Prince of Wales, and is a member of the National Youth Advisory Board.

Tim Hollingsworth has been the Chief Executive of Sport England since 2018, the agency responsible for delivering sport and physical activity at community level across England. Previously, Tim was Chief Executive at the British Paralympic Association, serving as Secretary General for ParalympicsGB at four Paralympic Games. Tim has held senior roles at UK Sport, HBL Media, Granada Media plc, and the CBI. Tim is a Council Member of the University of Bath, a Trustee of the Football Foundation and a Member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Games Committee.

Toby Howarth was born in Kenya, grew up in London and studied Philosophy at Yale University. He worked as a research assistant before becoming a postman in the East End of London. After ordination training for the Church of England in Oxford, Birmingham and Uganda, combining Christian theology with Islamic Studies, he moved to India with his family where he did research in Islamic preaching for a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. Returning to Europe, Toby worked in Rotterdam and taught in Birmingham before becoming vicar in a majority Muslim parish there while serving as the bishop’s adviser for interfaith relations. In 2011 he became Interreligious Affairs Secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was consecrated Bishop of Bradford in York Minster in 2014.

Dilwar Hussain is Founding Chair of New Horizons In British Islam, an organisation that promotes critical discussions around muslim identity, tradition and reform. He is a Research Fellow at the University of Coventry’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations. Dilwar is a Trustee of the Faith & Belief Forum was Vice-Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. He has previously served as Head of the Policy Research Centre, on the Commission for Racial Equality and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Urban Life and Faith. He has advised government on issues of integration, identity and counter-extremism for over 20 years.

Matt Hyde is Chief Executive of The Scouts. Formerly Chief Executive of the National Union of Students, he has undertaken a number of leadership roles in the charity sector. He was a trustee of Step Up To Serve until 2020, is a trustee of Comic Relief and a patron of UNLOCK (the National Association of Reformed Offenders). He was previously Vice-Chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Queen Mary University of London in 2012. Matt still volunteers in his local Scout Troop.

Catherine became Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service in August 2017. Her key passions are frontline service delivery and enabling the gift of voluntary service which recently saw her leading the development of a number of initiatives to support the NHS and our communities during Covid-19. Before joining Royal Voluntary Service, Catherine was Chief Executive of Samaritans, which provides confidential support to anyone experiencing a tough time in their life.

Sunder Katwala is Director of British Future, an independent and non-partisan think-tank, which works on identity and immigration, integration and opportunity, with a focus on engaging the public constructively in issues which can be polarising and divisive. Recent projects include the National Conversation on Immigration and Remember Together, a project with the Royal British Legion which brings people from different backgrounds together to learn about and commemorate our shared history. Sunder was previously an Observer journalist and General Secretary of the Fabian Society.

Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE is a British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. In 2018 he became Artistic Director of the Young Vic Theatre. Previously, he was the Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage, Festival of Black arts and Culture in Senegal, Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse, Chancellor of the University of Art London and Chair of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. He serves on the boards of the National Theatre, Tricycle Theatre and Theatre Communications Group, is a patron of Ballet Black and a visiting fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.

Nicola Mendelsohn is currently Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Facebook. She serves on The Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board, the Industrial Strategy Council, a non-executive director of Diageo and Co-President of the charity Norwood. Previously, Nicola worked in advertising at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Grey London and Karmarama. She has served as Chair of the UK Creative Industries Council, President of the IPA, Trustee of The White Ribbon Alliance, Chairman of Women’s Aid Development Board, President of the Women in Advertising and Communications London Club and Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

James Mitchinson is Editor Of The Yorkshire Post, recently awarded most trusted newspaper in Britain status by PAMCo. He is the Editorial Director for JPIMedia Yorkshire, as well as a Westminster Correspondent and City Editor, both based in London. The JPIMedia Yorkshire print portfolio for which James is responsible sells around 300,000 copies per week, reaching around 1m people every week across God’s Own County. James is a married father of two boys who – when not at work – can be found in the countryside with his seven-year-old trusty Golden Retriever, Wilf, by his side.

Dame Helena Morrissey is a financier, campaigner and author. Helena was CEO of Newton Investment Management, before joining Legal & General where she launched the Gender in Leadership UK Equity Fund. Helena founded the 30% Club in 2010, a campaign for more gender-balanced UK company boards. Since then, the representation of women on FTSE350 boards has risen from 9.5% to over 30%. Helena chairs the Diversity Project, and was a Commissioner on the IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice. Her first book ‘A Good Time to be a Girl’ was named one of Forbes’ five most empowering books for women.

Victoria Newton is Editor of the Sun on Sunday. She is an award‐winning journalist with more than 20 years experience in the industry. After graduating from Cambridge, Victoria began her career as a graduate trainee on The Daily Express. For most of the last 15 years Victoria has worked at The Sun, rising from deputy Bizarre editor to Bizarre editor in 2003. Victoria was made Head of Features in 2007 and after an 18 month spell at the News of The World, between 2009 and 2011, she re‐joined The Sun, becoming Editor of The Sun on Sunday.

Jamie is the Chief Executive of UK Music, the body representing the UK music industry. Jamie is an experienced campaigner, a communications specialist and a former political adviser who has held senior roles at the highest levels of Government. He previously worked as a special adviser to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock and was also a special adviser at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Maurice is Vice-Chairman of the Council of Christians and Jews. He is a serial entrepreneur in commercial spheres, creating companies in fields ranging from gemstones, to logistics for the aviation industry. He also has a number of charitable innovations, creating Collaboration House, a unique initiative bringing together many interfaith and ethnic community charities and organisations; and as Founder Patron of the Faiths Forum for London. He often advises the UK Government, including recently on the Holocaust Commission, and was previously a member of the Young Presidents Association. Maurice holds three degrees including from Oxford and New York University.

Angela is Chief Executive of Girlguiding, the UK’s leading charity for girls and young women. She was previously CEO of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Director of VSO UK, and Head of Nations and Regions at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Prior to these roles she has a background in communications and stakeholder management. She was a Director of Communication at Millennium Commission and at the Electoral Commission and worked at a senior level on projects such as the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and on public inquiries.

June became the BBC’s first Director of Creative Diversity in 2019. She has enjoyed a 20-year career which has seen her become one of the most recognizable faces of British television, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic young hosts. June is Co-Founder of the Women:Inspiration & Enterprise and author of ‘Diversify’ and ‘Power of Women’. She has worked extensively with the Prince’s Trust and also campaigns for The One, Product (RED) and the United Nations. She was awarded her MBE in 2007.

As CEO of the BPA, Mike leads the organisation that selects, funds and manages the British team that competes at the summer and winter Paralympic Games and, through its success at the Games, to positively challenge perceptions of disabled people, with the aim of making a meaningful and sustainable change in society. Previously, Mike was an executive coach, working with leaders from the world of business and sport to support a more conscious form of leadership. This followed a 30 year international business career with BP. Mike is married with one daughter and lives in Oxfordshire.

Michael is a critically acclaimed actor both on stage and screen. His credits include Caligula, Frost/Nixon and Hamlet on stage. On screen he is known for roles in The Queen, Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris, The Twilight Saga, Alice in Wonderland, Passengers and recently The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle and Good Omens. Michael is a passionate activist. He is a UNICEF Ambassador, Patron of Social Enterprise UK and President of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action. He created the ‘End High Cost Credit Alliance’, and played an integral role in bringing the Homeless World Cup to Cardiff in 2019.

Julie has 25 years grassroots experience working with faith communities across the UK. She also supports companies and organisations to navigate their way through issues of diversity and inclusion. Julie recently established ‘Together We Thrive’, a network and online platform to train and inspire Muslim women to fully participate in society at every level, challenge patriarchal attitudes and ensure Muslim women are better represented in media. She is Co-founder of ‘Open My Mosque’, a campaign to highlight and speak out about inequalities in UK mosques and to find ways to address these needs. Julie was awarded an MBE in 2020 for Services to Promoting Interfaith Understanding.

Tim is Executive Vice-Chair, and Co-founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall. Born in Holland, Tim studied at Durham University before working for ten years in the music industry. Tim opened the Eden Project in 2000, and since more than 19 million people have visited. Tim is a Trustee, Patron and Board Member of a number of organisations both locally and nationally. He has received a variety of national awards including The Royal Society of Arts Albert Medal. Tim is also Executive Chairman for Eden Project International which aims to have an Eden Project on every habited continent by 2025.

Rt Hon Jacqui Smith is Chair of the Jo Cox Foundation. She chairs the University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sandwell Children’s Trust and Precious Trust. She is a Trustee of the Kings Fund and sits on the Advisory Board for the Children’s Commissioner of England. She was MP for Redditch between 1997 and 2010, serving as a Minister in the Education, Health, Industry and Equality portfolios from 1999, and as Chief Whip and the UK’s first female Home Secretary from 2007-9. She works in the Middle East on political development and is a regular media commentator.

Caroline became MP for Meriden in May 1997. During her career in Parliament, she has held a number of senior roles including as Secretary of State for DEFRA, Chairman of the Conservative Party and the first female Second Church Estates Commissioner. Previously, Caroline was Opposition Whip, front-bench spokeswoman for Health, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Shadow Minister for Women, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Shadow Secretary for Communities and Local Government and on the Joint Committee for the Modern Day Slavery Bill. Caroline also chaired the Parliament Choir. Caroline stood down in the 2019 General Election.

Professor Robert Tombs is a historian, who has spent most of his career teaching at Cambridge, where he is now Emeritus Professor of French History, and a Fellow of St John’s College. His main academic specialism is modern French political history. He has published and lectured on the subject of Franco-British relations, and has served as a member of the Franco-British Council. Since venturing into British history with the publication of The English and their History (2014) he has frequently been asked to comment on contemporary culture and politics, and is a Friend of the Migration Museum.

Appointed in 2013 Amanda leads the Rotary support Centre Team in delivering support services to Rotary Clubs and Districts across Great Britain and Ireland. Over the last 30 years Amanda has run her own specialist consultancy business working with a range of businesses from independent retailers through to major international blue chip companies, so will be bringing a breadth of skills and experience to the role.

Sabir was appointed CEO of Scottish Refugee Council in 2017. Previously, Sabir was CEO of Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre. Sabir came to the UK in 1999, seeking protection from the conflict in Afghanistan. Sabir’s early education was interrupted by the war in Afghanistan. However, he now holds a degree in Human Resources Management and a Masters in Community Cohesion Management from Coventry University, as well as an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Glasgow. Sabir is Honorary President of City of Sanctuary and a Visiting Practice Fellow at the Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.