Early career professionals: Agents of change in anti-racist leadership

Dr Arun Verma is a leading figure in integrating intersectionality, inclusion and equity in higher education systems change, policy and programmes both nationally and internationally. He is Head of Equality and Inclusion at the University of London and Fellow of the RSA. He has led the embedding of intersectionality, inclusion and anti-racist practice in higher education, government, and a variety of national and global programmes, policy development and practice. He has been granted a number of awards facilitating his research and impact for equality, inclusion and intersectionality including a Doctor of Laws honoris causa from the University of Dundee. Dr Verma is an established and respected voice for change in the sector and holds several senior board roles facilitating constructively disruptive conversations about inclusion and impact. His leadership is well regarded, and his edited collection ‘Anti-racism in higher education: An action guide for change’ continues to influence the future of equality and inclusion in higher education.

Dr Lindy-Ann Blaize Alfred is a Lead Consultant for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at Advance HE. With over three decades of experience in education sectors both nationally and internationally, Dr. Blaize Alfred specializes in developing staff professional competency through progressive approaches, including post-colonial feminist research and race equity. Her doctoral work focused on the persistence of international women in higher education, a theme she continues to explore. She is also involved in initiatives supporting gender equality and social inclusion in developing countries. Outside her professional work, she has volunteered as an Adult Reading tutor, a school governor and on the panel hearing system in Scotland.

Dr Maisha Islam is the Research Culture Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Southampton’s Doctoral College. Her research areas of interest and expertise centre student engagement, and racial and religious equity in higher education. She is a co-editor of the recently published book ‘Uncovering Islamophobia in Higher Education: Supporting the success of Muslim students and staff’, and co-Chair of a Research England and Office for Students Steering Group looking at improving access into postgraduate research for racially minoritised students.

Ammarah Pandor is a Senior Student Recruitment Officer with extensive experience in widening participation, student recruitment and youth development. She has worked across higher education and the third sector to improve access and create opportunities for underrepresented communities. As an award-winning school governor, Ammarah is dedicated to strengthening leadership and ensuring that every student has the support and resources to succeed. She actively contributes to strategic decision-making, helping to shape policies that drive positive change in education. Ammarah is also the co-founder of Nutmegs, a community-led football platform focused on creating inclusive spaces for people of colour with marginalised gender identities. Through Nutmegs, she works to break down barriers in sport and promote diversity, equity and belonging.

Dr. Celestin Okoroji is a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE) and co-founder of Just Knowledge, a research organisation dedicated to building epistemic power in Black communities. A social and cultural psychologist, Celestin earned his PhD from the LSE in 2020, investigating how stigmatisation impedes relationships between individuals and groups, particularly regarding unemployment using mixed-methods approaches. As Head of Research at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), he led on a large-scale study of social capital and cross-class connection to be published later in 2025. Previously, as founding Head of Research at Black Thrive, he produced influential work on Epistemic Justice in Mental Health research and on stop-and-search impacts on young Black people's mental health. Through Just Knowledge, Celestin bridges data science, qualitative research, and community dialogue to transform data into actionable insights—empowering communities to advocate for real evidence-based policy change.