12th Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference 2023

Uduak Archibong is Professor of Diversity at the University of Bradford, UK, where she directs the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity and provides strategic oversight for equality and diversity across the institution. Uduak is a thought leader in inclusion and diversity and currently leading in setting agenda to drive research, learning and knowledge exchange activities internationally. She has a sustained, distinguished presence in this field and much of her work has focused on workforce diversity, diversity-competent leadership in public, private and third sector organisations. Uduak’s academic and professional work has major impacts locally, nationally and globally. Key among these impacts is that the body of her research work has provided a robust understanding of challenges of applying diversity interventions in enhancing workforce diversity and inclusive service delivery. Her research provides a clear international definition of positive action and application for representational and participative diversity. She has recently led a major multi-million European Commission funded action research project, GENOVATE, across 7 European Universities and is currently involved in a multi-million Horizon 2020 project, RRING, along with 22 international partners. Uduak has published extensively and is on the editorial board of a number of academic journals, including Guest Editor of a recently published Special Issue of the Journal of Psychological Issues in Organisational Culture entitled 'Reframing Diversity Interventions in Austere Times'. Uduak was listed in the New Year Honours list 2015 and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to higher education and equality.

I obtained my first degree in Genetics at Queen Mary College, London in 1986. After a travel break, I became a research assistant at East Birmingham Hospital and undertook my PhD research in the Regional Cytogenetics and DNA Diagnostic Laboratory.

Following 4 years as a postdoctoral scientist in the USA, I took up a lectureship in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at The University of Sheffield. There I taught clinical and molecular genetics and my research continued with an emphasis on genetic influences on repair of broken DNA during the production of gametes.

In 2012 I became head of my department in Sheffield and was fortunate to oversee an exciting period of growth. I developed the model of mixing teaching and research positions, with roles designed to play to the strengths of academics who had had a quality research experience and developed a great passion for innovative, supportive and exciting teaching. Here I had my EDI awakening when we took up the Athena SWAN agenda, which brought many surprises to me and opened my eyes for the need of deliberate and conscious actions to be more inclusive.  During my time as Head, we were awarded first Bronze and then Silver Athena SWAN recognition.

In 2017 I moved to the University of Bradford as Dean of the Faculty of Life Science.  After 5, or so, years in that role I have moved to spend most of my time supporting our strategy and activities in the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity.  I will never look back from my move to Bradford which put me on a continuous pathway of learning more and appreciating more about how exclusive our education system is, why it shouldn’t be so and how we can change it. Bradford is a fantastic melting pot in which those of us privileged to be here can develop consciousness and actions to empower those who are less privileged to raise themselves up. The interconnectivity between identity, education, wealth and health creates powerful opportunities – by drawing on these connections we are hopefully making a real difference to people’s lives.

Professor Zahir Irani studied Manufacturing Systems Engineering at the University of Salford before working as a Project Engineer in Bolton. He then secured a scholarship from Brunel University London, where he undertook and completed a PhD in Investment Decision Making. His professional development has seen him complete his leadership and financial management training at Harvard Business School (HBS) and University of Cambridge, respectively. 

He started his academic career in the Department of Computer Science at Brunel University London. Five years later becoming the youngest Professor in the UK, followed by a period as Head of Department, where he championed jobs, skills and infrastructure partnerships.

A move to a more senior management position saw him lead the Brunel Business School, where his research interests broadened, along with changes in his methodological approaches to include techniques such as Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM), which is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technique. His interdisciplinary background has allowed him to publish across: Engineering, Information Systems, Operational Research and Business related journals. Much of his work is now considered normative and evidenced with a sector leading citations and, a H-index of 93. He has attracted much funding throughout his career, from the UK research councils (ESRC, EPSRC), industry, EU as part of FP-6, 7 and H2020, Australian Research Council (ARC) and Qatar Foundation (NPRP-6, 7 and 8). In 2014 and again later in 2021, contributed to two Impact Case Studies in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF). Internationally, he is an adjunct Professor at Qatar University and, a Hooke Distinguished Scholar at McMaster University, Canada. He is also an editorial board member of THE CONVERSATION.

After completing a 7-year tenure as Head of the Brunel Business School, where he won the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Business School of the Year award, he accepted an invitation to work in Central Government, where he was seconded to Whitehall as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Cabinet Office during the UK coalition Government. On completion, he returned to academia, as Founding Dean, of the newly established College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences at Brunel University London; an amalgamation of four previous Schools – Business, Law, Social Sciences and Education.

In 2016 the University of Bradford appointed Professor Irani as Dean of Faculty (Management and Law), where he led a successful merger with the Faculty of Social Sciences before then assuming the role of a Founding Dean of the new Faculty. During this time, he also secured the the Times Higher Education (THE) Business School of the Year award - for the second time!

Professor Zahir Irani has remained an active researcher throughout his career, graduating 31 PhD students to date and, was featured in 2022/23 by Guide2Research in their top scientists - 64th World rank and 6th UK ranked (for Business and Management).

As a senior academic leader, Professor Irani expanded his portfolio when appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford, where he is accountable for: Four academic Faculties (via Deans), Directorate of Outreach, Recruitment and Marketing (via Associate Directors), Directorate of Student & Academic Services (via Registrar, Head of Career Services and Head of Counselling) and, the Directorate of Learning and Teaching and Quality Enhancement (via Pro-Vice-Chancellor). 

Professor Irani also leads the transformation and growth of the University’s undergraduate, postgraduate (taught and research) educational portfolio through Faculty and Professional services, where he leads on innovation and enhancing the quality of the student experience, teaching practice, curriculum development and support for student learning and success. 

He continues to enjoy a long and successful career in academia, combining wide-ranging research interests, consulting work for leading companies and overseas governments. He has consulted with and for numerous multinationals throughout his career, including BMW, Shell, Deloitte, KPMG, QinetiQ, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), DEFRA to mention but a few. 

Professor Irani is values driven and, deeply anchored in the Bradford District community, where he supports charities such as Age UK (Bradford and District) and the Volunteering Interfaith Partnerships (VIP) that help vulnerable communities. Professor Irani is also a Governor on the Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. He has received the district governor's award from Rotary International for services to the community.

He is also passionate about leading social, economic and cultural value creation, having been appointed by the Bradford Metropolitan District Council as the Chair of the Bradford Covid-19 Economic Recovery Board that developed a 5-year economic recovery plan (2021-2025); approved in 2021 by the council executive and elected officials. He is also a Higher Education representative on a Cyber Security Steering Group for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport with a focus on skills development in West Yorkshire.

Professor Irani was named by the Sunday Times, Asian Standard and Bradford Means Business as a leading Bradford influencer.  

He tweets at: @ZahirIrani1

Chris is the new Associate Director of the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity, recently joining the University from De Montfort University, where he was the head Equality and Diversity.

He has supported universities consider and advance diversity and inclusion for many years and undertook a leading role in De Montfort’s decolonising efforts. Chris first began to support EDI work when the Race Relations Act was introduced, supporting the University of the West of England develop and deliver its first ever Race Equality Action Plan. From there he went on to work in several universities, HEFCE (now the Office for Students) UCEA, and the Equality Challenge Unit.

Chris passionately believes in tackling injustice, unfairness and discrimination when and wherever it manifests. He has a legal background, with a specialist knowledge in rights at work and approaches to addressing pay gaps and pay inequality.

Outside of work, he enjoys running and spending time with his two young children.

Obiora Francis Ike is a Scholar, Writer, Publisher, Teacher, Professor and Philanthropist with several years of experience and a demonstrated history of working in civil society organisations, non-profit and religious institutions. Professor Dr. Ike has held several positions of service in the Church, Society, and State within Africa and Europe. He has been a professor at Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, the Theological Faculty Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and most recently, Professor of Ethics and Intercultural Studies at the Godfrey Okoye University, Nigeria. He has served at University Councils at Enugu State University of Science and Technology; and Advisory Board member of the University of Stellenbosch, Executive Development; the Board of Trustees of Godfrey Okoye University. In May 2021, he was appointed to serve as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of Plateau State University Bokkos, Jos, Nigeria.

Interested in Human Rights activism and Human Development, Prof Ike initiated several educational and development organisations in Nigeria and internationally. He is Chairman of the Enugu State Government Economic Advisory Committee; immediate past Executive Director of the Geneva-based leading Foundation for Global Ethics "Globethics.net” in ECOSOC Status of the United Nations; as well as a member of the European Academy of Science and Arts and the World Academy of Science and Arts. He was a participant in the International Higher Education Interfaith Leadership Forum. He is President of the Club of Rome, Nigeria Chapter since 2006; member of several science and arts institutes, and founder and director of over 17 NGOs in Nigeria and abroad.

Prof Ike is the founder of the Catholic Institute for Development Justice Peace and Caritas (CIDJAP), the Prisoners Legal Education and Assistance Scheme, the Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs Training Association, the Grassroots Women Empowerment and Development Education and was part of the founding of the leading Umuchinemere Pro-credit Microfinance Bank Limited in Nigeria where he serves as Chairman.

Prof Ike’s activities are dedicated to youth development, poverty eradication, health, conflict management, interreligious dialogue and values-driven leadership. A recipient of over 50 awards globally, he has published several journal articles and books.

Dr. Ike studied from 1975 to 1986 in Nigeria, Austria, Germany, France, and the UK, and holds degrees in philosophy, theology, economics, journalism, and political science. He gained his doctorate degrees in Bonn, Germany, with a specialisation in Ethics and Christian Social Thought.

Alison Scott-Baumann is a professor of Society and Belief in the Law, Media and Gender Studies department at SOAS, University of London. She team-managed SOAS’s recent very successful REF impact submission. Her work represents a clear paradigm shift in British parliamentary relations with Higher Education by supporting knowledge creation between mainstream universities and Westminster. Alison’s small HEIF funded research team has developed a project with blog (Influencing the Corridors of Power (ICOP)) that communicates influential one-page briefings to each member of both Houses of Parliament on urgent topics, written by experts from SOAS, from law firms and from medical experts.

On 11 July 2022 Alison and team launched an All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the House of Commons. Members include Bell Layla Moran, Sir Peter Bottomley, David Davis, John McDonnell, Baroness Prashar and Lord Balfe. The group runs live and online sessions on urgent topics with experts. 

Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig has worked in global education for over a decade. Born in Germany, he participated in many international educational programs during his youth and undergraduate education, allowing him to live in and experience first-hand conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and the U.S., where he worked as a U.S. Congressional intern during 9/11. In 2003 he permanently moved to the U.S. and received his Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations from the University of California, Irvine (2009).

During his graduate studies, he founded and became the inaugural Executive Director of the Olive Tree Initiative, an award-winning experiential learning program based in the University of California system and housed at UC Irvine. He also created and taught in the Certificate Program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and served as the Vice-Chair of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine. In his doctoral work, Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig studied Israeli-Palestine and Northern Ireland comparatively in the context of citizen involvement in the peace processes.

In the last 15 years, he has traveled to the Middle East over 25 times and dozens of times to the South Caucasus (Turkey, Armenia, Georgia), Colombia, and Northern Ireland, mostly bringing groups of students and community members with him on educational travel. 

Dr. Nenna Ndukwe is a British clinical and forensic psychologist currently working as Lead Psychologist within the Witness Protection and Support Unit of United Nations Investigative Team to Promote the Accountability of Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD). She holds a Doctorate in clinical psychology and Master of Science in forensic and legal psychology. Nenna has worked in the NHS, & UK prisons in the past, and internationally in Singapore and Sri Lanka, in addition to conflict/post conflict affected settings including Afghanistan, South Sudan, and currently Iraq.

Her main areas of expertise include assessment and treatment of mental health disorders in children and adults, psychological interventions for survivors of traumatic life events, psychological assessment, and implementation of special measures for vulnerable witnesses in preparation for legal processes.

Nenna has contributed to and supported the development of mental health and clinical standards of care for survivors of adverse life experiences in various international contexts, provided expertise in the management of mental health cases within international justice processes, trained staff on workplace mental health and wellbeing, and been an advocate of trauma-informed practices. She is actively involved in mentoring, teaching, training, and supervision of practitioners within the field of psychology, mental health, and international human rights.

Michelle has 30 years’ experience in the NHS, 26 of them as a registered nurse and progressing to the rank of senior nurse in NHS England. She was the lead for Military Veteran Health at Cheshire and Merseyside Primary Care Trusts over a decade ago, where she worked to request priority access for vulnerable groups. Michelle worked in various Improvement and Transformation programmes and has a particular interest in health inequalities of mostly marginalised groups. Michelle, who self-identifies as a black, has worked to illuminate issues affecting not only people from black and minoritized ethnic communities in Liverpool, but regionally across the North of England, in addition to leading on other national programs. Her desire has always been to elevate understandings around Equality Diversity and Inclusion and to ensure that challenges are addressed, and EDI practices are embedded throughout the NHS.

Michelle has also unapologetically discussed issues such as Female Genital Mutilation, Asylum Seeker and Refugee issues, Gun, Knife and Gang Culture.  Interjecting these issues into public forums, Michelle is a pioneer in many ways—often highlighting these concerns before they became mainstream. She has become more passionate about challenging discrimination and injustice over time. Her position as a nurse has enabled her to use her healthcare expertise as a platform for social justice. This has led to her current position as Chair of the Steve Biko Housing Association, ensuring that the elderly and vulnerable residents in local communities have access to quality affordable homes, free from race discrimination. Michelle has successfully engaged with all protected characteristics and continues to fight for those unable to fight for themselves and defining their lived experiences, whilst advocating for change within public, private and charity organisations.

It comes as no surprise to hear of Michelle’s landmark win in a recent tribunal against her employer, the largest NHS organisation in England, for race discrimination, racial harassment, victimisation and whistleblowing. The Employment Tribunal Judgement captures just an element of the fight she undertook on behalf of all black and ethnic minority colleagues in the NHS and other places of employment. She has been described as authentic, honourable and faithful to all causes.

Siobhan Morris is Head of Programmes for UCL's Grand Challenges of Cultural Understanding and Justice & Equality, responsible for a portfolio convening and leading impactful research, cross-disciplinary innovation activities, and cross-sector collaborations. Specialising in equalities and structural inequities in society, she has published extensively on intersectional inequalities in the UK, including for The Conversation, Times Higher Education, The Independent, WonkHE and UCL Press. More broadly, Siobhan is an experienced knowledge broker, with expertise in cultivating and managing strategic high-level relationships and leading award-winning research projects, centres, and engagement activities. She is co-founder of the Structural Inequalities Alliance, expert advisor to the Universities Policy Engagement Network's EDI committee, expert advisor to the Fairness Foundation, and previously policy consultant at the British Academy. 

Kath has worked in the field of access and inclusion for over 20 years. She is experienced in engagement, training, and people development across a wide range of sectors, as well as having an excellent project and programme management track record. She is an expert in diversity issues and has provided strategic advice to a range of organisations to support their diversity aims. She is also an experienced researcher and evaluator, with a track record of successful impact assessments. Kath is currently working with CfID as their Insight and Evaluation Lead on a range of access, progression and social integration research and evaluation activities to support decolonisation across the University as part of understanding and affecting structural change for student and staff success.

Engobo Emeseh is a professor of law and head of the School of Law, University of Bradford, United Kingdom. She is a seasoned academic with extensive experience in higher education both within and outside the UK.

Professor Emeseh has a keen interest in capacity building, and policy development both within and outside academia, often working with civil society groups, intergovernmental organisations, governments and their agencies.  This includes with organisations such as UNECA IDEP, the African Capacity Building Foundation, and African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results (AfCoP) on Governance and Social Responsibility in Natural Resources Exploitation.  She is currently a member of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission chaired by the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

Professor Emeseh obtained her PhD from the Centre for Energy Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee.  She graduated with first class from the Nigeria Law School and Distinction from the University of Wales Cardiff. She is a former British Council Chevening Scholar, and a Ford Foundation (IFP) doctoral fellow. Prior to her academic career, she practiced as a barrister and solicitor in Nigeria.

Kingsley Utam (Utam) is the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lecturer at the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity [CfID]. His job involves making scholarly contributions to research, teaching and knowledge exchange and supporting the University’s sub-strategies of Research and Innovation and Learning, Teaching and Student Experience.

Before assuming this role, Utam was EDI Advisor at the CfID between April and October 2021. He also worked within the CfID as a Research Associate on the Responsible Research and Innovation Networking Globally (RRING) project - a European Union sponsored Horizon 2020 research project involving 20 international partners from different parts of the world (September 2019 to April 2021). He co-authored two chapters of the Horizon 2020 RRING report. He has also authored/co-authored several publications including journal articles, book chapters, and published instructional materials.

Utam earned his PhD in Inclusion and Diversity Management from the University of Bradford in 2021. He holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour and BSc in Business Administration from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Before embarking on his PhD, he was a Lecturer at the Faculty of Management Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria, where also played the role of Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Executive MBA and MPA (CEMBA/CEMPA) Programmes.

Dr Chuka Onwumechili is Professor of Strategic, Legal, and Management Communication at Howard University in Washington, DC (USA). He is the author of more than 10 books focusing largely on several communication issues that pertain to Africa. These books touch on varied subjects including sports, telecommunications, culture, and development. His most recent book is Africa’s Elite Football: Structure, Politics, and Everyday Challenges. His other works on similar subjects have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Presently, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Journal of Communications and serves on the Editorial Board of the Communication & Sport journal. It is important to note that before joining Howard University, Dr. Onwumechili served as Vice President for the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in Nigeria where his brief included executive visioning, managing and overseeing training programs at different levels for employees in both the Nigerian telecommunications industry and other interested markets.

Dr Unwana Samuel Akpan, a media scholar-practitioner with over two decades of broadcast experience. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies (CCMS), where he completed his Postdoctoral Studies in the School of Communication and Media Studies, Howard University, Washington DC, USA. He is the Editor of the University of Lagos Communication Review. He started his career with The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, and was deployed to The National Broadcast Academy, its training arm, after obtaining his PhD in Mass Communication. He’s presently a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria. He has been a visiting scholar in the Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies, Howard University, Washington DC, USA, where he completed his Postdoctoral Research. He has publications in the form of book chapters and research articles in prominent national and international journals. He has delivered several research papers at international conferences. His classes are where research, teaching and learning interface, and he’s dedicated to making students succeed in the classroom and beyond. His research and teaching investigate and explore Broadcast Contents, Sport Communication, African Communication Systems, Diaspora Communication Studies, Media Aesthetic.

Sharon is a Lecturer in Health and Wellbeing in Society at De Montfort University. She is currently completing her PhD in Sociology, investigating the most recent wave of Black activism through an exploration of Black millennial narratives on criminalisation and resistance. Her research interests focus on race and ethnicity, racism, maternal health and wellbeing, and anti-racist resistance in its intersections. Sharon has widespread experience as a community facilitator, volunteering and working in anti-racist community organising at grassroots level. She has taken part in community-led campaigns at local, regional, national and international level. She has worked collaboratively with researchers and activists in the US and Kenya.

Bhawna is currently a Rotary Peace Fellow pursuing MSc Sustainable Development at University of Bradford. Previously, she has pursued MBA in Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Management in India. As a facilitator, capacity building expert, consultant and researcher she has worked for safeguarding labour rights in supply chain, focussed on community initiatives to promote social equity and undertook research in the area. While at Bradford, she is exploring the linkages between sustainability and peace building.

Juanita is currently a Rotary Peace Fellow pursuing MS Peace, Resilience, and Social Justice at University of Bradford. Previously, she has pursued, Master’s in International Affairs Externado University in Colombia, Specialist in Public Policies and Gender Justice and Bachelor in Government and International Relations. She has 6 years of experience related to  research, analysis, systematisation, evaluation, and elaboration of recommendations for different entities, to restore the rights and dignity of victims of the armed conflict in Colombia.

Dr Ngoma Evelyn Moghalu is an interdisciplinary researcher with a focus on race, communication, culture, media, status, religion, social identity, decolonial discourse and immigration. Dr Moghalu received her Bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University and a Masters in Mass Media and Communication Studies from the same institution. She received her Doctoral in sociology from Texas A&M University, College Station. In her research, Dr Moghalu examines the invisibility of West African immigrants in western media discourses and policies that infringe on the civil rights of marginalized groups and people of color, especially West African immigrants. Her enquiry also investigates how race, class, religion, social identity, and immigration intersect in the racialization, marginalization, and criminalization of West African immigrants through policies (immigration, welfare, education, employment, health, criminal justice et al) in the United States of America. Dr Moghalu is passionate about supporting education about Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD), and spreading awareness and acceptance of ASD. Recently, she started her Webinar Series titled “The Conversation”, to bring awareness to the experiences of African/Black families living with ASD globally. Currently, Dr Moghalu is a staff in the Department of Faculty Engagement, Development, and Faculty Affairs in the Office of The Provost at the University of Houston, Texas, USA.

Ute Kelly is an Associate Professor in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development and Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Bradford. She is interested in hosting and facilitating meaningful conversations across difference and is currently exploring what it might take to move towards trauma-informed practices in our approaches to teaching, learning and workplace cultures. 

Dr Colins Imoh is passionate about social action, sustainable development, diversity, and Peacebuilding. He is a scholar and teacher. He taught peace studies at the University of Toledo and California State University, Sacramento. Professionally, he obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Toledo, USA, An MA in Conflict Transformation and Organizational Leadership from Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, USA and an MPhil in Environmental Management and Sustainability from the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. He was the pioneer coordinator of the Africa Network of Young Peace Builders, a strong network of about 200 youth-based organization and individuals involved in Peacebuilding, human rights and good governance working from the UNOY Peacebuilders Foundation International Secretariat in the Netherlands. He served as the Partners for Peace (P4P) Project Manager, a network whose mission is to build social capital around Peacebuilding.  P4P is an initiative of Chevron Inc, USA. He is an Advisory Board Member of the International Institute for Peace Education (IIPE); Board Secretary, African Peace Fellows –California State University, Sacramento. He is on the editorial board of In Factis Pax journal of peace education and social justice. He has written articles and book chapters in his areas of interest.

Dr Abigail Odozi Ogwezzy-Ndisika is the first female Professor at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos. At different times, she had served as the Head of this Department. She is an expert in Development Communication, Public Relations and Advertising, with research interest in the gender dimension to development and strategic communication.   She has worked on multi-sector projects and with a number of international organizations across Nigeria. She is a recipient of ELF Petroleum Coy Ltd and British Chevening scholarships; laureate of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), laureate of the African Association of Political Science (AAPS)/Harry Frank Guggenheim (HFG); Laureate, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Washington, DC; Erasmus+ Staff Mobility grant for teaching at  Birmingham School of Media, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and 1991 best graduating student in Department of Linguistics, University of Port Harcourt. In addition, she is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Associate Registered Practitioner of Advertising (ARPA), member, Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), and member, International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). She has attended various local and international conferences; and published articles and books locally and internationally.

Yemi is a human rights activist from the Yoruba nation, championing human rights in Nigeria and the UK. Originally a qualified teacher, she has a BA Hons in Peace Studies, MA in Women’s Studies and NCE in Business Studies. Yemi is currently the CEO of Peacemaker International, a registered charity that provides community-based family support for vulnerable people. She is also a general coordinator of Women In Safe Hands (WISH), an organisation supporting women and children. They provide career support for job seekers and advocacy support for families. Yemi believes in community cohesion based on the principle of social justice.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Rosemary arrived in UK as a refugee. She is a Human Rights Activist at the Zimbabwe Human Right Organisation (ZHRO). Rosemary is passionate about human rights and dedicated her life to helping others.

Clementine is a PHD Researcher at The University of Bradford and a Community Ambassador. She is a founding member of Bradford City of Sancturay's Advisory Group and an Africa4u award recipient, in honour of the achievements of African and Caribbeans in Bradford.

Clementine identified a need in her community which leads to health inequalities, there was litter everywhere. She decided to address the need by picking up litter, so that the environment looks pleasant and so that the residents can develop a sense of pride regarding their estate.

Over the years, Clementine has been involved in many community projects in which she contributes to the wellbeing of those around her in small ways. For example, she volunteered as a play worker with Bradford Action for Refugees, supporting children and families and she also worked with Incommunities housing association as a customer service inspector, advising the organisation on how to improve the service that they provide to their tenants. She now volunteers with Collective Impact and City of Sanctuary simultaneously, to improve the quality of life in her local area. Clementine’s vision is to be an inspiration to young people by demonstrating that dreams can be achieved with a little effort and a little contribution, as such she has engaged in a continuous learning process and has emerged as a PHD student in the school of management, at the University of Bradford.

Admittedly, achieving all this is hard work and it means working long hours, besides holding down a job. But because she is determined to make a difference by inspiring young people, she keeps going.