Jabeer Butt OBE

Jabeer has an international reputation for his evidence-based work tackling discrimination and disadvantage. His studies have been used to inform government thinking, including interventions such as Sure Start, as well as the NSPCC’s Grove House Family Centre.

Jabeer provides leadership on the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) parenting programme and is currently co-investigator on a £1.5 million NIHR-funded randomised control trial of the SFSC programme, being led by Professor Richard Watt at University College London. 

Jabeer has a key role in the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, which has helped create better conversations between the Black and minority ethnic-led voluntary sector and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England. 

He secured a £485,000 grant from the DHSC to support older people living with dementia as part of the emergency response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Jabeer was on the Marmot Advisory Group, supporting Sir Michael Marmot to produce his report on the social causes of health inequalities. 

He is also co-investigator on the £1.3 million National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded extension of the VirusWatch study focusing on COVID-19 and the Black, Asian and minority ethnic and migrant communities, led by Professor Robert Aldridge of University College London.

Jabeer also sits on a number of other boards and committees. He was awarded an OBE in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to health equality.

Rukaiya Jeraj, Head of Programmes, UpRising Leadership

Rukaiya leads on the design and implementation of UpRising’s leadership and employability programmes, delivered to 18-25 years olds from underrepresented and underserved communities. Since 2016 she has been the driver behind their flagship Environmental Leadership Programme designed to support young people and communities to create a deeper bond with the environment and to increase pro environmental behaviour change.

Before joining UpRising, Rukaiya spent nine years at the Muslim Youth Helpline as the Head of Advocacy working on the key objectives for the Advocacy Department, which included: engaging and empowering young people through creative campaigning, influencing policy via the dissemination of in house research reports and capacity building other third sector organisations through the delivery of online and in person training.

Rukaiya is a strong advocate on diversity issues with experience in undertaking service user consultation, developing policy and designing practical tool-kits for implementation in the public and voluntary sectors. She has participated in international delegations of the Foreign & Commonwealth Organisation to Iran and Singapore, sharing good practice and delivering training. She has also lectured at the University of Brighton on the role of creative writing in the virtual domain.

Becky Pullinger MRTPI

Becky works for The Wildlife Trusts as Head of Land Use Planning. She works to influence national planning policy and legislation, helping to put nature at the heart of spatial land use planning. Becky provides a strategic lead on the planning work of The Wildlife Trusts' movement, supporting 46 Wildlife Trusts to work with business and local government to protect and restore nature through the planning system.

Becky is chair of Wildlife and Countryside Link's Land Use Planning Group and has previously held planning roles at the Woodland Trust and CPRE, the countryside charity.

Dom Higgins, Head of Health and Education at The Wildlife Trusts

Dom Higgins is Head of Health and Education at The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts where he leads their policy and campaigning work in these areas. He chairs Wildlife and Countryside Link’s ‘Nature and Wellbeing Strategy Group’, is a member of the Green Prescribing for Mental Health Programme Board and has recently joined The Health Foundation’s strategic advisory board for their Health Equals campaign.   

He also has a deep interest in changing our education system so that it is fit for the 21st century with a view to what is taught, and how, in schools and other settings. He sits on Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA’s Strategic Advisory Board.  

Prior to working for The Wildlife Trusts, he was Director of External Affairs at TCV, where he led on the development of a strategic unit to amplify the impact of Green Gyms (one of the original green prescriptions!).  In previous roles, he has worked for The Department for Education and Skills on their youth and citizenship programmes.