Deepak Naik MBE has over 40 years of experience in the community and voluntary sectors, with a particular focus on inter-faith engagement, social cohesion, and international collaboration. He is the current Chair of the United Religions Initiative (URI) UK Board, having also served as a Board Member of URI Europe since its formation, and is an active member of the European Network on Religion and Belief.

Deepak is the Director of the charity Together in Action, which builds on the achievements of the Coventry-based organisation Minorities of Europe (MoE), where he oversaw 15 years of work spanning four key areas: interfaith dialogue, European and international development, community cohesion, and youth empowerment. Today, Together in Action works alongside partners:

• to create opportunities that transform lives,
• to design and deliver projects with lasting, positive impact, and
• to foster harmony between people of different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds.

Throughout his career, Deepak has been committed to bringing people together across divides and enabling faith communities to contribute to the wider good. In recognition of his exceptional service to inter-faith relations and community development, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). His leadership continues to inspire inclusion, mutual respect, and collaboration both within the UK and internationally.

Vivian Wineman brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to interfaith dialogue as a dedicated trustee of URI UK. With a robust background in commercial law, he has effectively navigated complex legal landscapes while fostering community engagement and understanding.

He was elected president of the Board of Deputies in 2009. Before that, he was the senior vice president. In addition, he is chairman of the Membership Council of the Jewish Leadership Council. In 2013, he was elected chairman of the Council of the European Jewish Congress and World Jewish Congress.

In 2007, he became vice-chair of the Inter Faith Network for the UK, the umbrella body for interfaith organisations and national faith bodies working in the UK, and on 1 July 2013, he was elected co-chair. Previously, he was joint chair of Peace Now and chair of the New Israel Fund of Great Britain.

Vivian Wineman is also currently the trustee of the following registered charities in the United Kingdom: Wineman Charitable Trust and The Rofeh Trust

Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor is an Associate Professor in the Sociology of Islam at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK. She is Chair (2020-2023) of the Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN) and is editor of the Review of Social and Scientific Study of Religion.

Her research emphasises collaborative methodologies that work with and for research participants. As a feminist sociologist of religion, she has a keen interest and appreciation of the power dynamics within knowledge production and the implications of the processes and systems of knowledge on society as a whole.

Her research portfolio critically interrogates how we ‘do’ knowledge while also giving voice to lesser-heard and harder-to-reach sections in society. Feminist, Pragmatist, and Decolonising methodologies are central to her methods toolkit. Her publications include Muslim Women in Britain: Demystifying the Muslimah (Routledge 2012), Religion or Belief, Discrimination and Equality: Britain in Global Contexts (Bloomsbury 2013), Islamic Education in Britain: New Pluralist Paradigms (Bloomsbury 2015), Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion (Bloomsbury 2015), Islam on Campus: Contested Identities and the Cultures of Higher Education (OUP 2020), several journal articles, book chapters and mass-media articles.

Warwick Hawkins MBE has been a leading figure in promoting the role of faith communities within public life in the United Kingdom. As the founding Head of the Faith Communities Unit in the Home Office, he pioneered new ways of engaging with religious groups and encouraged recognition of the positive contribution faith can make to society. His work focused on strengthening inter-faith dialogue, supporting social cohesion, and highlighting the role of faith-based organisations in community well-being and regeneration.

In recognition of his outstanding service to inter-faith relations and public life, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Since leaving government service, Warwick has continued to be active in projects and discussions that promote religious literacy, encourage collaboration across faith traditions, and underline the ongoing importance of faith in civic society.

Mandip was the President of URI UK between 2005 and 2018. His career background of over 30 years is in the financial services industry in 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 as Company Secretary, Data Protection Officer etc.

Working with senior management, Boards, governance committees, both internal and external audits, clients, regulators and staff, as well as advising on the regulatory impacts to all areas of the business whilst being commercially aware of keeping the business goals in sight.  As regulations constantly change, Mandip has been involved in and led various projects to ensure the business complies with deadlines and deals with project and change management. His roles have involved systems implementations in helping mitigate regulatory risks, and provide scalability and automation.

Mandip has worked with various 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.