Forum Membership

This is the membership list of the Yorkshire and Humber Refugee Integration Forum, and is current as of April 2024. For more information, please contact us on our email.

Current Membership List

• Co-chair: Zahra Niazi - Strategic Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead, Wellbeing Board, Bradford Council
• Co-chair: Akoi Bazzie - Community Development Officer, Refugee Council
• Migration Yorkshire: Dave Brown (Vanessa Lendzionowski and Dinah Beckett to attend) - Head of Migration Yorkshire (Regional Asylum and Refugee Integration Manager)
• Local Government (West Yorkshire): Pria Bhabra - Migration Programme Manager, Leeds City Council
• Local Government (South Yorkshire): Rachel Payling - Head of Stronger Communities, Barnsley Council
• Local Government (York and North Yorkshire): Laura Williams - Assistant Director, Customer, Communities and Inclusion, City of York Council
• Local Government (Humber): Sarbast Murad - Asylum Services Coordinator, Hull City Council
• Voluntary and Community Sector (Resettlement): Duncan Wells - Regional Manager, Resettlement Programme, Refugee Council
• Voluntary and Community Sector (Health and Wellbeing): Kathryn Ashworth - Director, SOLACE
• Voluntary and Community Sector (Housing): Rachael Dean-Revill - Advice Team Leader, Shelter
• Department of Health and Social Care: Cathie Railton - Yorkshire & Humber Programme Manager, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department of Health and Social Care and Chair, West Yorkshire Migrant Health Board
• Bevan Healthcare: Mat Sidebottom - Chief Nurse/Director at Bevan Healthcare CIC and Clinical Lead for Inclusion Health at NHS England
• Healthwatch: Tracy Slattery - Delivery Manager, Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire
• Mental Health (NHS): Yasmin Khan - Medical Director, System Improvement and Professional Standards, NHS England, Northeast & Yorkshire Region Specialised Commissioning Team
• Police (Humber): Andy Maultby (David Dosdale to deputise as needed) - Detective Chief Inspector, Humberside Police
• Police (South Yorkshire): Gareth Thomas and Joseph Hunt (Angela Greenwood to attend on occasion)- Chief Inspector Neighbourhood Policing and Chief Inspector, South Yorkshire Police
• Fire Service: Sarah Baker - Prevention Inclusion Advisor, Humberside Fire Service
• Department of Work and Pensions: Rebecca Owen - Bradford and Calderdale Senior Operations Lead
• Business: Lorna Holroyd (Jonathan Pickles and Jonathan Stephen to attend on occasion) - West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Business Support and Employment & Skills Teams)
• Trade Union: Safiyya Patel - Policy and Campaign Office, TUC
• Library Services: Steph Shaw - Asset Development Manager, Libraries (Kirklees), Huddersfield Library of Sanctuary
• The Arts - Theatre: Rosie MacPherson (Firas Chihi to attend on occasion) - Artistic Director, Stand & Be Counted Theatre (Theatre of Sanctuary)
• The Arts - Galleries: Dr Helen Pheby (Emma Spencer attending) - Informal Learning Manager, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
• Sport: Mehrun Ahmed - Co-Chief Executive, Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD)
• Higher Education: Sara de Jong and Rebecca Murray - Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of York and part of Migration Yorkshire regional research network - Lecturer in Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
• Further Education and ESOL: John Zavos - Director, MESH
• Schools: Kate Hart - Project Co-ordinator, Bradford Schools and Colleges of Sanctuary
• UASC and Young Refugees: Lindiwe Mapuranga - Service manager (Connecting Opportunities and Hearts project for young people), Children's Society
• Faith Sector: Phil Champain - Director, The Faith and Belief Forum
• LGBTQI+: Patrick Hands - MESMAC (Humber)
• Ukraine: Julia Vidal - New Migrant Welcome Manager, Migration Yorkshire
• Hong Kong: Ewa Jamroz - Welcome Hong Kong Support Officer, Migration Yorkshire (Policy, Data & Development Officer, Migration Yorkshire)
• Refugee Community Organisations: Ali Maghoub - Chair, Leeds Refugee Forum
• Experts By Experience (Red Cross Voices Network): Miriam Tansia & Shah Mahmood Nasiri (Job Sharing) - Red Cross Voices, Participation Officers
• Refugee Women/Experts By Experience: Zenebu Hailu Dubale - Support Worker, Women Centre
• Experts By Experience (Migration Yorkshire): Rawand Ahmed - Refugee & Migration Participation Officer, Migration Yorkshire
• Experts By Experience (Refugee Action): Ejiro Ikhifa - Experts by Experience participant
• Experts By Experience (City of Sanctuary Ambassadors): Gaida Dirar - City of Sanctuary Ambassador, Hull
• Experts By Experience (City of Sanctuary): Ibtissam Al Farah - Experts by Experience Coordinator, Sheffield City of Sanctuary
• Experts By Experience (Regional Organiser): Sarli Nana - Regional Migrant Organiser, Migrants Organise