Adrian has been involved with the Community Voluntary Sector for 25 years across reconciliation and youth work activities. Recognising that over time considerable progress has been made on reconciling various sections of Northern Irelands community. However, social and economic deprivation continues to exist and impact on the most vulnerable within our society.

As society changes new life challenges, vulnerability and prejudice arise for many diverse individuals, groups and community’s in our society. Public and private sector funding for community based projects has continued to reduce over the past number of years. Adrian firmly believes that the role of CFNI will be crucial in further enhancing social cohesion and ensuring everyone in NI understands their role in advancing our collective community.

EJ is currently the Northern Ireland Director for the charity, Adoption UK.  She has spent the last 30 years employed and volunteering within the local community and voluntary sector and is committed to community development principles and practice, to achieve sustained impact through building empowerment and resilience.  Inspired by her involvement with the CFNI Grants & Impact Committee, she aims to leverage her experience to support strategic outcomes on issues of poverty, equity, and social justice.  She is proud to facilitate opportunities for seldom heard voices through enabling courageous and innovative processes.

Sarah is a Chartered Accountant working as Associate Partner for Sumer Northern Ireland specialising in Accountancy and Advisory services to local SME businesses. In her recent career, she was also involved in accountancy and audit services for a range of charitable organisations.

Gerard has worked in the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland for almost 30 years. As the Director of Holywell Trust, he leads a community relations and development organisation that strives to create positive and lasting change in the North West of Northern Ireland. He is passionate about empowering people to help themselves and their communities.

Gerard has led up several organisations within the sector and held a number of board positions. He currently sits on the board of Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and is a co-opted member of Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust’s Northern Ireland Committee.

Mr Kouame was formerly Chair of the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers and member of the Northern Ireland Race Equality Sub-Group and Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. He has been a strong advocate for the refugee community in Northern Ireland for the last decade and he holds the belief that BME voices need to be heard and valued at every level of Northern Ireland society. He is currently a trustee of NACRO and a Commissioner for NI human Rights commission.

Rhyannon is a Director at the NI Human Rights Commission, with responsibility for strategic litigation and advising government on matters affecting the promotion and protection of human rights in NI. Prior to this role, she practised as a barrister in Northern Ireland. Rhyannon also serves as a Trustee on the board of Advice Space.

Stephen has over two decades of experience shaping strategy and driving change across government. His career has focused on tackling complex economic and social policy challenges, working to create positive impact and build a better future.

Originally trained in music, Stephen continues to perform as an opera singer alongside his other work.

Scottish by birth and vowel pronunciation, Adele made Northern Ireland her home nearly 14 years ago. She is an experienced public sector leader having worked in Edinburgh, Brussels, London and Belfast in a variety of senior roles across devolved and national government. Her academic background is in public international law and she is currently Director of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime, a public health-focused initiative to reduce violence and harm. Adele is passionate about trauma-informed approaches and impatient about positive social change.

With over 20 years of experience as a Community Development Worker in Greater Belfast, Lekan is a Bilingual Professional Counsellor, the founding member and Clinical Co-ordinator of Counselling All Nations Services (CANS). Lekan is deeply committed to promoting Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, working to ensure that the needs of BAME and Migrant communities, including Refugees and Asylum Seekers, are addressed within organisational strategies and activities. Lekan also participates in local mental health groups and works closely with statutory bodies to advocate for the needs of BAME communities, ensuring their access to essential services.

Christo is an experienced public leader having managed several programmes focused on the Voluntary & Community Sector delivered through initiatives at regional, subregional and council level which support voluntary and community organisations in serving their communities and delivery of services. He was also responsible for developing the Fair Funding Principles between Government and the Sector in Northern Ireland. He has previously worked in the areas of external affairs and engagement, information risk, innovation and public sector reform as well advising on strategy and policy as a management consultant. Christo brings his passion for community development, fair funding and community empowerment.