Staff and Trustees

Jane Winter

Jane has worked on a number of projects including extensive work around disability and access, the environment, community development, organisational change processes.

Jane has developed an empowerment model of co-consultancy which focuses on developing skills to meet desired aims and objectives. She believes in collaboration requiring accountability and shared responsibility for work. She has a can do approach to work and is described as a deep listener and good encourager. She is committed to working with others to achieve social justice, drawn from a Christian faith perspective.

 

Malcolm M Deboo

Malcolm  is FbRN’s Finance Officer.  His role is to maintain sound financial accounting procedures; administer and ensure that robust accounts are kept; produce financial reports for the Trustees / Directors and prepare the Annual Accounts for verification by external accountants.  Malcolm is also active with the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (of which he is the President), with a focus on events organisation, community cohesion; inter faith dialogue, and religious education at national, regional and local levels.

 

 

 

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The Trustees of FbRN are drawn from the nine faith traditions identified as the main traditions in the UK, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian. The nine Trustees have an involvement or an interest in faith based regeneration and community development.
   
Hon John Barnabas Leith (Chair)
Mr Dorab Erach Mistry (Treasurer)
Ms Frances Mary Beckett
Mr Aurangzeb Khan
Mrs Leonie Rachelle Lewis
Ms Jan McHarry
Ramesh Pattni
Dr Natvarlal Keshaval (Natubhai) Shah
Mr Harmander Singh
 

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Hon Barney Leith OBE

Barney Leith has been an active Bahá’í since the mid 1960s and has served on the community’s national governing council since 1993. He was its Secretary for seven years and subsequently served as Director of the community’s Office of Public Information.
An important focus during this period was working with Government and Parliament on the protection of the human rights of Bahá’ís in Iran. He is currently on the Bahá’í community’s web presence team and helps coordinate the community’s healthcare chaplaincy service.

Barney has been engaged at the interface between religion and public life for many years. He was FbRN’s observer on the Inner Cities Religious Council, represented the Bahá’í community on DCLG’s Faith Communities Consultative Council, and chaired the Religion and Belief Consultative Group, advising the Equality and Human Rights Commission about religion and belief equality issues.
He also served on the previous Attorney General’s Diversity Advisory Group, the Crown Prosecution Service’s Community Accountability Forum, and the Government Equalities Office’s Senior Stakeholder Group.

In addition to being a founder Trustee of FbRN, he is a Trustee of the Inter Faith Network for the UK and a founder member of the Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy.  He is committed to promoting good relations between people of different faiths.

He was appointed OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the Bahá’í Faith and inter faith relations.

Barney is married, has three grown-up offspring and four grandchildren.

 

 

 Dorab Mistry

 Dorab Mistry is a Zoroastrian by birth and has been active in his faith community for the past 25 years. He served as President of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe for 8 years from 1997 to 2005 and during that period, headed the team which bought and established the Zoroastrian Centre in Harrow.

Dorab has also served the ZTFE as Treasurer for a further period of 5 years. In 2005 he was Chair of the 8th World Zoroastrian Congress held in London. Currently he is the Zoroastrian Trustee on the Interfaith Network of the UK and is also Treasurer of the Council of Dharmic Faiths.

Dorab is a chartered accountant by training and works for a large Indian company as head of its commodities segment.  He is well known in the commodities field as a leading analyst of price behavior and speaks at commodity conferences all over the world.

He is also a past Treasurer of the Indian Maritime Association (UK). Dorab and Shenaz have been married for 25 years and have 3 daughters.      
 

Fran Beckett OBE, FRSA, MSc

 Formerly CEO of national charities the Shaftesbury Society and the Church Urban Fund Fran is now pursuing a ‘portfolio’ life which includes working as a senior consultant with Anthony Collins Solicitors, being a Board member of the London Development Agency, and general charity consultancy work. Also a speaker, trainer, and writer on issues of faith-based social action, organisation effectiveness, and leadership/governance she has advised organisations of various sizes and complexity on developing greater effectiveness in these areas.

In recent years Fran has served on various Boards and advisory bodies including – four years chairing the Home Office/Cabinet Office Advisory Group on the Voluntary and Community Sector; membership of several Government review groups including two Treasury Voluntary Sector Reviews; membership of the Boards of NCVO and the Faith Based Regeneration Network; Vice-Chair and Chair of ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations); Vice-Chair of the EA (Evangelical Alliance); and Chair of XLP/Soul in the City. She has recently joined the project Board of BLiSS (Business Link in London Successor Service).

At a local level she leads an inner city experimental church plant/Christian community called RESTORE (Peckham), is involved with Southwark Day Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, chairs a local inter-church social action initiative, and is on the organising committee of the annual community festival. 

Aurangzeb Khan

Aurangzeb is a Muslim, born and raised in Bradford West Yorkshire in a predominantly South Asian area.  He studied Biochemistry at Liverpool University and graduated with a bachelor in science in 2000.  Since then he has worked in Hospital Laboratories predominantly in Tissue Typing and Transplant Immunology.  He has always been involved voluntarily in community Development at a local level and is a trustee of a number of charities.

Since 2003 he has been working for the New Deal for Communities programme known as Bradford Trident; predominantly on Neighbourhood Management and also facilitating an interfaith forum.  The forum was originally a Home office Pilot Scheme and is now a thriving locally based forum.  His hope is to bring what is needed to the table to ensure our communities benefit in their entirety from the opportunity this role has created.

Leonie Lewis

Leonie Lewis is Director of the Jewish Volunteering Network; a charity that seeks to match volunteers to volunteering opportunities in the UK. She is also consultant to the United Synagogue the largest synagogue body in Europe, where she consults on a variety of community challenges. She is also consultant to the new Responsibility Unit at the London School for Jewish Studies, whose focus is responsibility, citizenship and faith.

Leonie has a Masters in Sociology of Education from South Bank University and is an UJIA Ashdown Fellow having just received her MBA. She is involved in many aspects of Jewish Communal life, both professionally and voluntarily and arguably also manages her home and being a grandmother. She is particularly interested in faith, young people and community development issues and holds several voluntary positions including Trustee of the Faith Based Regeneration Network (FBRN), member of the consulting group on a Faith Forum for London, advisor to the Children’s Aid Committee, and to the Faith in Leadership Course. Leonie is also a visiting Lecturer on the Faith and Community Development Masters Course at the University of Westminster.

Jan McHarry

Jan McHarry is co-director of Community Environment Associates (CEA). She has a unique range of experience in work with both secular and faith-based organisations on social justice and environmental issues. She holds an MSc in Rural and Regional Resources Planning (Aberdeen 1982). Prior to self-employment, Jan worked for Friends of the Earth UK as Information Officer (1987-1990) and Recycling Information Officer (1985-1987). She is an Associate of the Community Development Foundation.  She is  a Western Buddhist with a particular interest in the links between Buddhist practice, social justice and ecology.

Jan has been involved in the development of various local environmental/sustainability projects, has experience of running a Government grant-funded project, event organization and facilitation. She is an experienced researcher with skills ranging from feasibility studies and local sustainability research projects to information and communications work. 

Jan lives in the London Borough of Hackney and as a local citizen has been involved in practical environmental / community since the mid 1970’s. She is author of ‘Reuse, Repair, Recycle’ (Gaia Books 1993 + international editions) and ‘The Great Recycling Adventure’ (Marshall Editions 1994, for children). In the past Jan has been a Trustee of StudentForce for Sustainability, the ECO Information Trust, and the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN). She is involved in various environmental/social justice/interfaith outreach initiatives undertaken by the London Buddhist Centre (LBC), and is an LBC representative to Telco/London Citizens community organizing movement; Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum (Steering Group member) and the local Fair Trade groups.

Mr Ramesh Pattni

Ramesh Pattni is the Chair of the Interfaith Committee of the Hindu Forum of Britain. He is also a Trustee of the Chinmaya Mission UK and a Trustee of the National Council of Faiths and Beliefs in Further Education. He is the Secretary of the Chaplaincy Board of the Hindu Forum of Britain and Secretary (Steering Group) of the Council of Dharmic Faiths.

In his professional life he works as a business/management consultant and company director. He has also been trained as a Counsellor.
His first degree was in Physiology and Biochemistry which was followed by an MBA.

Ramesh has many years experience in several areas of social, religious and charitable work. He was involved in several charitable grassroots projects in Kenya including, collecting funds and supporting the activities of an orphanage for children of HIV/AIDS victims, assisting in project work with a children’s charity and collection and distribution of food and clothing.

For 15 years Ramesh has specialised in teaching the universal values enshrined in the Vedantic Hindu tradition by adapting his teaching styles to suit the background and age of his audience and students. He also conducts workshops on spiritual themes like Mindfulness and Meditation and Self Management. He has written numerous articles on spiritual and religious subjects in various publications.

Ramesh passionately believes in building spiritual capital not only as a personal resource but also as a resource that can contribute positively towards creating cohesive and harmonious communities. He believes in the worthy Hindu principle of using personal skills and talents in the selfless service of society.

Dr Natubhai Shah

 Dr Natubhai Shah is a retired medical practitioner and Doctor of Philosophy in Jain religion. He is the author of  Jainism: The World of Conquerors 2 volumes.

The Faculty of Comparative Religions, Antwerp, Belgium, has appointed him as visiting professor in Jainism, the University of Birmingham has made him Honorary Fellow in Jain Studies and the School of Oriental and African Studies has appointed him as an Associate Fellow.

Dr Shah was the main force in the development of the Jain Centre Leicester, which has become a place of pilgrimage for the Jains and a major tourist attraction for the city of Leicester, and he is now involved in developing the Jain Centre for London

He is the trustee-chairman of the Jain Academy, the Secretary General of World Council of Jain Academies and lectures regularly on subjects related to Jainism.

Dr Shah holds many posts in Jain organisations and is the current chairman of The Jain Net work, The Jain Sangha of Europe and Ahimsa for Quality of Life

He has been involved in interfaith work for many years, is trustee of the Interfaith Network UK and the Faith Based Regeneration Network UK; Council member of the London Faith Forum; Chair of Council of Dharmic Faiths, Barnet Hindu Forum: Vice Chair of Barnet Multifaith Forum; Member of Barnet SACRE, Religious Council for England & Wales; Faith Advisor, UNICEF and represents the Jainism at the highest level. He is the Co-ordinator of the London Council of Jain Organisations.

The Queen invited him for a private luncheon at Buckingham Palace in 2000. He was chosen the ‘Man of the Year ' by the American Biographical Institute in 1991.

On 8th April 2001, he was awarded the highest Jain award the ‘JAIN RATNA’ for his outstanding contribution for the promotion of Jainism by the Prime Minister of India at a premier function organised to celebrate the 2600th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavira at Mumbai.
 

Harmander Singh

Harmander Singh is an Honorary Fellow of the University of East London, Justice of the Peace, Co-founder and Principal Adviser to Sikhs in England (Internet based social policy think-tank) whom he represents at national level and on the Faith Sector Panel of London Resilience. 

Active participation in the development of Community Cohesion initiatives led him to co-ordinate the Sikh/Muslim Corrymeela project that has initiated a number of new workstreams in conflict resolution.

Harmander has been an Independent Assessor for the Lottery and has held several Corporate and Strategic Policy roles during 24 years in local government. He undertook the development role of successfully establishing the Faiths Forum for London to help complete the vision of nine regional faith forums in England.

He is Chair of the National Sikh Security Forum and a member of the Central Independent (and Safeguarding Children) Advisory Group to the police with additional lay advisory/inspection roles in Education, Social Services and Health; drafts the Asian Manifesto and has drawn up a 25 year Community Development Plan for the UK Sikh community; is a Lecturer on Faith and Political Action; current affairs radio broadcaster, Trustee/Director of several Charities; authored publications for voluntary/faith led organisations and NIACE trainer.

Harmander chaired the first two years of the steering group that established the Vaisakhi at Trafalgar Square which is now an annual London-wide event attracting over 50,000 attendees with a complimentary Canary Wharf event that he still leads on since 2000. A personal motivator and trainer to the world’s oldest marathon record holder (now 99). Harmander has run nearly fifty marathons and 200 half-marathons including 25 consecutive London Marathons and 25 Great North Runs respectively.