Theme: Shifting Paradigms

The event wishes to show a shift in paradigms within various fields. The wide range of speakers available are world renown, and will bring forward an element of inspiration and fresh new ideas.

There will be delicious Iraqi cuisine served and entertainment performances throughout the day.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London
London, WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom

Maryam Al Khawaja

“The Importance of Standing Up For Human Rights” Maryam is a Bahraini human rights defender. She is the daughter of the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and head of the foreign relations office and acting president for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. By using social media she has spread the massive untold uprising of Bahrain. Receiving death threats, she still remains adamant, advocating for Human Rights regardless of the cost. Maryam was active in participating in protests and volunteering for human rights organisations since she was a young teenager. She also worked as a fixer and translator for journalists who came to Bahrain to report on the situation there. In 2006, Maryam was part of the delegation that went to the UN building in New York and met with the Secretary General’s assistant to hand over the mass petition of demanding that the Prime Minister resign, due to his human rights violations. In 2008, Maryam was invited by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to testify at US Congress about religious freedom in Bahrain. The government led a smear campaign in the media against the group of activists that spoke at this session including Maryam, and their case was adopted by organizations such as Frontline, OMCT and FIDH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p5zsks3Qlzk

David Magliano

"How a 5 minute film helped London win the Olympics" David Magliano was Director of Marketing for London's Olympic Bid. He was responsible for devising the presentation given to the International Olympic Committee just before the vote to choose the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Phil Clark

"Doing Justice and Seeking Forgiveness after African Conflicts" Dr. Phil Clark is a Lecturer in Comparative and International Politics at SOAS, University of London. He specialises in conflict and post-conflict issues in Africa, including questions of justice, peace and reconciliation. He has written extensively on international, national and community-level responses to mass violence in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr Clark's latest book is The Gacaca Courts, Post-Genocide Justice and Reconciliation in Rwanda: Justice without Lawyers (Cambridge University Press) and he is currently finishing a book on the work of the International Criminal Court in central Africa. He holds a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Francesca Temitope Danmole

Francesca is a Psychology graduate whose previous roles have included Student Society President, Youth Worker, Student Mentor and Community Teacher. In her work, she has helped turn issues faced by young people into positive outcomes. She is firmly convicted that young people need to be empowered to be the change they wish to see, then equipped with the tools to be that change. She has been named a Future Leader on the Powerful Media UK Power List and various other accolades. Although these may be noteworthy achievements, Francesca says her biggest accomplishment is the work she has done through the workshops she facilitates. Here she provides young people with the time and space to explore their hopes and dreams, whilst enforcing the idea that today's actions shape their tomorrows. Francesca is passionate about seeing young people realising and reaching their full potential; regardless of what their background, environment and circumstances say. Francesca is particularly interested in how youth development and youth participation can impact education. She was recruited by Commonwealth Secretariat and has been head of the first ever pan-commonwealth student body.

Michael Finnigan

“Making the Impossible Inevitable” Michael Finnigan works with the world’s most famous businesses, helping them to understand how to unleash the power lying dormant within their people. Michael consults with corporate, public sector and sporting clients all over the world to lead and deliver positive change Michael works extensively within elite sport. He spent six years alongside Sam Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers, winning promotion to the Premier League, before enjoying five years at Everton as they qualified for the UEFA Champions League. In cricket, Michael worked with the South African team that beat England in 2004, the England side that regained the Ashes in 2005, and the Indian world cup winning team of 2011. As Performance Director of Chubby Chandler’s ISM, Michael’s most recent sporting success came as the ever popular Darren Clarke won the Open Championship at Royal St George’s in 2011. Michael is constantly in demand in the media, contributing to Radio 5Live, Talk Sport and Sky Sports News. He has written two books, ‘Impossible to Inevitable’ and 'They Did; You Can', aimed at inspiring our young people.

Arnold Sarfo-Kan

Multiple award-winning entrepreneur and social change enthusiast Arnold Sarfo-Kantanka is the founder of the company Me FiRi Ghana and operations director for the charity WAM Campaign. Selected as a Global Poverty Ambassador for the Global Poverty Project, Arnold sincerely believes in the concept of ‘people helping people’ as he believes that every person has a gift/talent/skill which can help to not only shape their lives but also impact the lives of others. Arnold’s passion for helping others first took shape whilst studying at University where he was a founding member of the youth empowerment charity Elevation Networks. It was during his time working as part of Elevation Networks that Arnold also developed an information careers networking project entitled B.E.S.T (Brunel Enterprising Student Talent). The project is now an annual event as part of Brunel Business School’s Academic Calendar and is helping to shape both the professional and personal life of a number of University students.

Aamer Naeem

“Intolerance: My Secret, My weapon” Aamer Naeem is a qualified adult trainer and facilitator. With cross sector experience he originally trained as a pharmacist and completed his MBA with distinction from Nottingham University Business School. He has worked and trained with clients such as Windsor Fellowship Trust, Brent and Derby Councils, West Midlands Police and the Department for Communities and Local Government. He is the director of Innov8 Training Solutions Ltd, the trustee of a number of charities, has been a council member of the General Teaching Council for England and is now a Fitness to Practice committee member of the professional regulators; the Teaching Agency and the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Paulo Dos Santos

"Interdependencies and Entrepreneurship: Recasting Thinking About Planning in Economic Life" Paulo L dos Santos lectures on financial and microeconomic theory at the Department of Economics of SOAS, University of London. His research focuses on the political economy and macroeconomic content of contemporary financial practices.

James Grant

"The Value of Imaginativeness" James Grant is a lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, specializing in the philosophy of art, ethics, and the philosophy of language. Previously, he was a lecturer in philosophy at The Queen's College, Oxford. His most recent book, The Critical Imagination, is a study of the nature of imaginativeness, metaphor, and art criticism.