Ahmad Makhdoom Chishti

I have over 40 years experience of working in the public, private, third and voluntary sectors.  Within which I have gained extensive experience in social, cultural, interfaith, community work, strategic and budget planning, policy implementation, strategy and project development, community development, management change, localisation and devolution.  My working experience involves four different public services, ten voluntary organisations and charity trusts; and has over 27 years experience of working in large and complex organisations.  In addition to this, I have 40 years experience of working with volunteer sector which includes interfaith and community work.

Maurice Irfan Coles

Maurice has worked in both the public and private sector for over 45 years. Over 18 years he has held eight different portfolios and led two large support services. Maurice is a registered OFSTED inspector in all three education phases and he was the first CEO of the School Development Support Agency (SDSA), a social enterprise based in Leicester City which continues to operate with an annual turnover of £3 million.

Maurice has led on a number of collaborative projects including the internationally acclaimed Islam and Citizenship (ICE) Project, Curriculum Enrichment for the Common Era, a company dedicated to producing heritage materials and the Sacred Spaces Project which placed artists in four faith based supplementary schools. He has published extensively on School Improvement, Race Equality, Intercultural Education and CPD. He has published two books; Faith, Interfaith and Cohesion: The Education Dimension and, Every Muslim Child Matters. His report, Mending Broken Britain: Education’s Response provides causal analysis and recommendations concerning the UK riots of summer 2011. Maurice comes from a Christian background, converted to Islam, and has been married to a Hindu for over 30 years. He believes compassion; humour, collaboration, organisation and commitment are the keys to stopping conflict, and building a just and cohesive society.

Jo Hallett

Jo has substantial experience of teaching in nursery, primary, special and secondary schools across a long and varied career.  She has experience in social work, youth work and travellers’ education, and has worked in education in the UK and USA. Her leadership experience includes holding a science leader role, deputy headship and two periods as acting headteacher of a primary school.  Jo has a BA Hons. in Social Studies & Political Institutions; a Diploma in Social Science and a P.Dip. in teaching mathematics in secondary schools. Jo was a Fulbright Scholar at Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia USA. She has also spent a year in Ghana in 1962 as a Quaker Overseas Volunteer teacher. Jo continues volunteering in primary schools in Coventry, running a science club and teaching recorders to children. She is an active member of the Quakers and a trustee of Ghana School Aid, Friends of Sangam School Foundation and West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project.

Deepak Naik MBE

Balbir Sohal

Balbir has over 40 years’ experience in education, ranging from primary to Higher education; devising and delivering learning and teaching programmes to many varied audiences which include adults, children and young people. Throughout her career she has been involved in education in one guise or another, whether it be working within an anti-racist context, or on equality issues. She has worked abroad in partnership with many organisations in the areas of equality, diversity and peace education. She is passionate about teaching and developing children and people whether it be personally or professionally, in particular, she interested in promoting marginal voices and is a community activist. Currently, she is a freelance education consultant; working for the Anne Frank Trust UK, focusing on the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda with West Midlands Police and promoting Peace Education. Balbir job shares the role of Prevent Education Officer for Coventry Local Authority.

Mandip Singh Sohal

Mandip is the UK’s President of United Religions Initiative since 2005, an organisation dedicated to developing interfaith cooperation and to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing.

His career background of over 30 years is in the financial services industry, Senior Vice President regulatory compliance / AML and finance roles, over a broad range of companies and with different nationalities. He often has had multiple roles attached such Company Secretary, Data Protection Officer etc.

Working with senior management, Boards, governance committees, both internal and external audit, clients, regulators and staff as well as advising on the regulatory impacts to all areas of the business whilst being commercially aware to keep the business goals in sight.  As regulations are constantly changing, Mandip has been involved and lead various projects to ensure the business complies with deadlines and dealing with project and change management. All his roles have involved systems implementations to help mitigate regulatory risks, provide scalability and automation.

Mandip has worked with a wide variety of businesses including small / start-up scenarios where he has managed growth by ensuring an operating infrastructure and appropriate staffing exists. As well as working with charitable and non-profit organisations.

Steve White MBE

Steve was recently awarded an MBE for his service to Education and Sport in Leicester. Steve has 50+ years in Education and Sports Leadership and Administration. Steve started his teaching career in a school for pupils with Learning Disabilities in London in the mid 1960s. In the early 1970s moved back to Leicester as Head of Remedial and Diagnostic Services at Leicestershire High School. In 1980 Steve was appointed Deputy Head at KRIII Secondary School in Braunstone and in 1985 appointed to Rushey Mead Secondary School serving with distinction up to his retirement in 2002. Since official retirement Steve has served on a number of School Governing bodies and an Interim Executive Board including Abbey Primary, Leicester College and Gateway Colleges. Steve is currently at Fullhurst Community College and of course proudly Chair of Governors at the ever-improving Ellesmere College! Steve loves sport both playing (mainly Table Tennis) and helping all types of groups when he can. Steve is particularly wedded to supporting Special Olympics in Leicester and helping prepare Athletes for Sheffield and the British Championships later this year. Steve is Chair of Directors of the School Development Support Agency and Director of AimStrongSport trying to find ways of developing Physical Literacy with and for our youth. Steve is very keen to forge links with India especially with the Rushey Mead Foundation School in Nagore in the state of Gujarat of which he is one of the co-founders.