Professor Kevin Fenton CBE MBBS

Professor Fenton is a senior public health expert and infectious disease epidemiologist, who has worked in a variety of public health executive leadership roles across government and academia in the UK and internationally. Professor Fenton is the Regional Director for London in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities within the Department of Health and Social Care, and the statutory Public Health Advisor to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority and the Regional Director of Public Health for NHS London. He provides leadership across London for health and wellbeing, prevention of ill health, health protection and reduction of health inequalities. He was named by Powerlist as the second most influential black person in Britain in November 2020 for his work leading the fight against coronavirus and his public health leadership in tackling inequalities, and was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year honours list for services to public health.

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Professor Udak Archibong MBE

Professor Uduak Archibong MBE is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Bradford, where she also serves as Professor of Diversity and directs the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity. She earned her BSc with First Class Honours from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1990, and completed her PhD at the University of Hull in 1995. Recognised as a leading authority in diversity management, Professor Archibong has over 30 years of experience in the health and higher education sectors. Her extensive research focuses on developing cultural solutions and interventions to promote inclusion across public, private, and third-sector organisations.

Throughout her distinguished career, she has led significant initiatives, including a major European Commission-funded gender equality research project across seven European universities and contributions to the Horizon 2020 project, RRING, involving 20 international partners. Professor Archibong's contributions to higher education and equality were recognised with an MBE in the 2015 New Year Honours. She is a Fellow of both the Royal College of Nursing and the West African College of Nursing.

Her leadership continues to influence policies and practices, advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion within academia and beyond.

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Irene Hulede

Irene Hulede is a visionary leader in STEM education, known for her dedication to increasing equity and inclusion in science. She has spent over 25 years driving systemic change, co-founding and managing ABRCMS, a conference that has seen over 55,000 attendees and 24,000 student presentations. Through her leadership, ABRCMS has become a gold standard in scientific conferences, providing an environment where emerging scientists from all backgrounds can find mentorship, network with peers, and gain visibility for their work. Beyond ABRCMS, Irene is a principal investigator for ASM’s MOSAIC program and serves on advisory committees for multiple national STEM initiatives. Her passion for mentorship and her belief in the power of community have made her a driving force for change. Through her work, she continues to inspire thousands of scientists, ensuring that the future of STEM is one that reflects the full diversity of talent and potential.

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Gisela Abbam Hon FBSA, FRSA

Gisela Abbam Hon FBSA, FRSA, is a global leader in health, life sciences, and STEM, dedicated to driving change and improving access to healthcare worldwide. As Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council, she plays a key role in shaping the future of pharmacy regulation in the UK. Previously, as Chair of the British Science Association, she championed equality, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. With executive roles at GE Healthcare and Abt Associates, Gisela has worked with governments, the WHO, the UN, and multilateral organisations to enhance global health outcomes. She is currently the Senior Director for Government Affairs at Revvity, a life sciences and diagnostics innovator, and serves on several advisory boards, including the Bar Standards Board. She is also a Commissioner for the National Preparedness Commission and a judge for the Everywoman Technology Awards.

Gisela’s contributions to leadership and social change have earned her multiple accolades, including Black British Business Person of the Year, the Woman Creating a Better World for All Award, and the Woman on Boards Award. She is an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her impact on social change.

 

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Dr Shera Chok

Shera Chok is a GP and the Chair of the multi award-winning Shuri Network which she founded in 2019. She is passionate about increasing diversity, innovation and safety and empowering women from minority ethnic groups to lead and engage with digital transformation. She is a non-executive director with the London Ambulance Service and the national lead for research in community settings with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). She has extensive experience of working in acute, community and primary care settings, commissioning organisations and national leadership roles including Chief Medical Officer at NHS Digital. In 2023 she was awarded the Zenith Global Health Special Recognition Award for her contribution to patient care and equity, and has also won national awards including the HSJ Award for race equality in 2021 and DHSC AI Visionary in 2025. Shera has volunteered as a clinician in countries including Sudan, Laos, Indonesia and Greece with NGOs working in war and disaster zones and with displaced populations.

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Dr Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 22-year-old British-Bangladeshi birder, conservationist & environmentalist. In 2024, she was included in the Sunday Times list of 25 most influential young people. Having previously been the youngest person awarded an honorary Doctorate at age 17 for her pioneering work with her charity Black2Nature, leading the fight for equal access to nature, organising nature camps for ethnically marginalised young people for the last ten years. At 12 she was listed as one of Bristol's most influential young people and became a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador the following year. She is a Diana, Women of the Future, and National Geographic Young Explorer 2023, award winner.  She has written three award winning books, including her memoir, Birdgirl, published in the UK, Commonwealth and North America and translated into seven languages.

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Professor Robert Mokaya

Professor Robert Mokaya OBE FRS is Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield. Robert obtained a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from the University of Nairobi after which he spent a year working for Unilever in Kenya. He was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1992. In 1992 he was elected to a Research Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge and in 1996 was awarded an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship. He was appointed to a lectureship in Materials Chemistry at the University of Nottingham in 2000, was promoted to Reader in Materials Chemistry in 2005, and to Professor of Materials Chemistry in 2008. From 2016 to 2018 he was Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement at the University of Nottingham and then the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global Engagement from 2019 to 2024. He is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder (2017-2022). He was appointed OBE in 2022 for services to the Chemical Sciences and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2023. He is President-Elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2024 – 2026) and will be President for the period 2026 to 2028.

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Professor Leanne Williams

Prior to working in HE Leanne gained extensive experience in technical and research supporting roles, working on both the C.elegans and Human genome project at the Sanger institute, shortly followed by a senior research assistant position in University of Cambridge Biochemistry department. Leanne then taught for many years FE, before completing a PhD at the University of Nottingham.

In 2012 she joined the University of Warwick as a Teaching Fellow. Her experience in FE, and a focus on identifying and minimising transitional barriers, provided a framework for institutional recognition winning the Warwick award for teaching excellence. As Senior Tutor and Director of student wellbeing Leanne affected cultural change in placing student wellbeing and representation at the front and centre of curriculum development, provision and support. The impact was again recognised with the Warwick award for Personal Tutor Excellence. Leanne continues to lecture at Warwick, whilst also full-time Academic lead for LearnSci, drawn to their progressive and innovative support of technical and analytical skills, and the vast potential for edtech to add value and equity of opportunity for both learners and practitioners.

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