Trustees & Advisory Boards

If you're interested in joining our advisory or youth boards, please email [email protected].

Will Grant-Brook
Our Middle East and peacebuilding guide

William is a Research Assistant at Prospect Peace Limited, working in the field of peacebuilding and conflict prevention. He specialises in countries in the Middle East, including Iraq. He also has worked with the International Crisis Group, as a consultant, and in research. William studied at the University of Sheffield, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in History, and then at the SOAS University of London, earning a MSc in Middle East Politics.

Rich Grahame
Our charity sector expert

Rich is a co-founder and Chief Executive of Settle, a homelessness charity that supports vulnerable young people moving into their first home. The charity helps with the transition of young people in the UK moving away from temporary housing, teaching them practical skills. He has won the Shackleton Leadership Award. Rich studied at Bayes Business School and the University of Nottingham, he also is a Social Innovation Fellow at Year Here. He has worked with developing Trading Up, a project designed to help young homeless people develop working skills.

Helen McCord
Our Education expert

Helen is a Lecturer at the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education. The Centre offers fully funded; research informed professional development for secondary school teachers to support them when teaching the Holocaust to young people. With over 20 years’ experience in education, Helen’s previous roles have included secondary history and Politics teacher, initial teacher educator, school governor and board member for a schools based initial teacher education provider.

Raahim Zafar
Our Interfaith and Youth Leadership advisor

Raahim is the strategic communications lead at the UK's largest interfaith charity. His work is twofold: (1) it documents and amplifies the voice of faith-inspired individuals and communities to improve faith and belief literacy in the UK, and (2) it connects, promotes and empowers social action projects, particularly youth-led initiatives, to deliver positive collective impact in local communities and beyond.

 

In addition, Raahim facilitates workshops in the youth and community leadership space, confronting polarising issues including Israel-Palestine and the 2024 UK Summer Riots; he further writes op-eds, drawing on these real life encounters, to bring human faces to the conversation. These experiences have led him to policy conversations in parliament and the INGO space, particularly on Islamophobia and community cohesion. Lastly, outside of his day job, Raahim works to give young Muslims across England and Scotland opportunities that equip them with the skills, knowledge, connections and experiences to thrive through organising career focussed events and retreats.

Community Advisory Board

Academic Advisory Board

We are pleased to have the following educators and community leaders advising Solutions Not Sides:

Ben Abram

Raghib Ali

Philip Brooks

Ashfaque ChowdhuryAssociation of Muslim Schools UK

Kelly Jacobson Collins

Peggy ForellAdvocality

Alex Goldberg – Jewish Chaplain, University of Surrey

Cameron Howes

Ed KesslerThe Woolf Institute, Cambridge

Lauren Keiles

John Lyndon - Executive Director of ALLMEP

David Mason - Muswell Hill Orthodox Synagogue

Jonny Newton - Community Security Trust

Esmond Rosen

Jeremy Rosenberg

Nathan Servi - Head of Education, Maccabi GB; Head of Streetwise and Stand Up!

Sajeela Shah – Secondary School Teacher

Bruce Thompson – the Methodist Church, Lincolnshire

Ifza Tindal

Greg Rack