Our board members

Gurmit is currently self-employed but a lawyer by profession with 20 years of General Law Practice and appointments by the Lord Chancellor. He is a member of the District Notary Public, Social Security Appeal Tribunals and Chairman of Child Support Appeal Tribunals. Gurmit is President of the Sikh Gurdwara Cardiff and a prominent member of REF’s Interfaith Network and was awarded an MBA in the Queen’s Honours List in 2018.

Gurmit brings his knowledge of legal matters and human resources to REF. As well as this he brings contacts for his extensive network of BME communities in South Wales, especially the Sikh and Indian communities.

Catherine retired in July 2017 from a 45-year career as a British Airways pilot. She started (with one of the four original component companies of British Airways), at Cambrian Airways in 1972, but she says that she does not lay claim to any sort of pioneer status as a female airline pilot because she is a trans woman. However, British Airways described her as their “most senior woman pilot” and, in her capacity as their Flight Operations Diversity Champion, she regularly visited schools to encourage more young women to follow the career she loved.

Catherine’s diversity career is long and distinguished, as she has championed transgender people since the 1980s. She is chair of her local Community Cohesion Group and a Trustee of Trans Media Watch, as well as being a role model with Diversity Role Models.

She won the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Award in 2016 for Personal Achievement, The Excellence in Diversity Awards EiDA in 2017 as Diversity Champion for the Private Sector, and she was shortlisted for the NatWest British LGBT Award in 2017 for Outstanding Contribution to LGBT+ Life. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and an Upper Freeman of The Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

Kebba is a senior physiotherapy technician working for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. He is a practising Senior Magistrate, is Chair of Cwmbran Community Council and is currently Chair of the UK-wide UNISON National Black Workers Committee. Kebba has campaigned for equality, human rights and social justice, especially racial equality. For over 15 years, Kebba was chair of the Board of Directors of SEWREC (South East Wales Regional Council) until 2015/16 where he gained in-depth knowledge of charity board governance. As an advocate for racial equality, Kebba works closely with Stand up to Racism, Show Racism the Red Card, Muslim Council of Wales, Windrush General Elders and Tiger Bay FC amongst other organisations.

Khalid is the Into Work Manager at Cardiff Council where he has worked for the last 10 years.

His role consists of co-ordinating a number of employability projects and ensuring services are delivered effectively within local communities. Khalid has extensive experience of working across Cardiff to ensure barriers to employment are removed for local citizens, and he works with a wide range of partners from the public, third and private sectors.

Taha was the Chief Executive Officer of REF’s partner Race Equality Council, Swansea Bay Regional Equality Council, from 2000 to 2019.

During this period Taha also served as a member of the board of partner racial equality councils in Wales and Lancashire and has a wide range of experiences as a board member of three different grant making bodies, BBC Children in Need, Community Fund and Big Lottery Fund. He continues to serve on the boards of various organisations such as Swansea Council for Voluntary Services, Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Services and WCADA.

Taha worked in the local government and Policing sectors for almost 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s and was Head of Financial Accounts for Lancashire Constabulary from 1993-2000. He was a member of the Lord Chancellor’s advisory Committee for West Glamorgan and was appointed by the Home Secretary as assessor to the County and High Court Judges in 1991.

Taha is a hereditary Freeman of the City of Swansea and he has also been honoured by the Welsh Government First Minister with the award of ‘Recognising Achievement for Service to Wales’ and was granted the status of an Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen in 2010.

Hugh is a healthcare professional with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Philippines and now working in, and employed by the Cardiff and Vale UHB.

Hugh is the founder and Chair of the Filipino Sports for Wales (FS4W) which serves as a research and training centre for sport, physical activity and recreation in building peace, cohesion and understanding in diverse communities.

Hugh is also founder and President of the Filipino Community Association in Cardiff, the founder and Chairman of Samar Leyte Association Wales UK and the European Network Filipino in Diaspora UK Advisory Council.

Reynette is the founder and former CEO of Oasis which is based in Cardiff. Reynette set up Oasis in 2018, having worked with refugees and asylum seekers from the age of 18. Her work has not gone unnoticed as she was awarded an MBE in 2020 for her exceptional work with refugees.

Oasis is now a thriving charity which employs 24 staff and supports up to 150 refugees each day from around the globe. Throughout the week the organisation runs various women-only sessions and groups, art classes, English language classes, sports sessions, daily advisory sessions and advocacy forums, with lunch provided free of charge every weekday.

Professor Meena Upadhyaya OBE obtained her Ph.D. from Cardiff University and completed a fellowship with the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) in 2000. She is an honorary distinguished professor in Medical Genetics at Cardiff University, Wales, and Professor of Practice with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Her research career focused on many genetic disorders, especially neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). She has published 200 papers and has edited 4 books on NF1 and FSHD. She was awarded the European Theodore Schwann award for her outstanding contributions to NF1 research in 2013, an OBE in 2016, and the Saint David Award in 2017.

She is a Fellow and Council member for the Learned Society of Wales and the Royal College of Pathologists. She is a Trustee for Nerve Tumours UK and Race Council Cymru. She joined the Welsh Government Civil Service Board as a Non-Executive Director in 2020 and the Welsh Government Steering Group for the Race Equality Action Plan in 2021.

Meena is an advocate for promoting equality, diversity, community cohesion, and integration. She is the founder and Chair of the Ethnic Minority Welsh Women’s Achievement Association (EMWWAA) and the Ethnic Minority Women in Welsh Healthcare (EMWWH). She is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Purple Plaques and Monumental Welsh Women.

Sakina is a qualified teacher, now retired. She has over 10 years’ of teaching and lecturing experience in business and adult education. In addition to lecturing, Sakina also designed, developed and delivered courses for women in fundamental Office Skills and IT, with an emphasis on building confidence and providing opportunities to working adults to have access to fundamental education and continuity of training and development. Sakina has also designed and delivered courses to organisations such as Hitachi and L’Oreal Cosmetics.

During her time with Coleg Morgannwg, Sakina also participated in a number of road shows in conjunction with the BBC, creating awareness within the community of the importance of lifelong learning and accessibility of the same. Prior to that, whilst living in the United States, Sakina was employed as a Human Resources Coordinator for 10 years by the world-renowned, multinational Sheraton Organisation.

Samina is Equality, Diversity and Community Development Manager at Cardiff and Vale College.

Julian is a highly experienced and dedicated senior social worker with over 24 years of professional practice, currently serving within Swansea Bay University Health Board. Since qualifying as a social worker in 2002, he has developed a rich and varied career across the public, private and third sectors, with particular expertise in mental health and older people’s services.

Julian’s professional journey spans several local authorities across South Wales, where he has worked in community-based older persons’ mental health teams and with individuals with learning disabilities. His leadership credentials are equally strong, having held senior management roles, including overseeing residential and dementia care homes as a locum senior manager within local authority.

Within the NHS, Julian has spent the past six years in a specialist role at Swansea Bay Health Board, where he continues to champion human rights and person-centred care. He is well-versed in the legal and ethical frameworks that underpin social work, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights and the Mental Capacity Act, which inform his everyday practice.

In addition to his professional work, Julian is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion. He believes deeply in treating everyone with dignity and respect, and in celebrating the individuality and cultural richness of our multicultural society. He currently represents staff as the Black Officer UNISON representative at Swansea Bay Health Board, ensuring that the voices of marginalised groups are heard and represented.

Julian’s commitment to the profession is further demonstrated by his previous service on the Board of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), where he also contributed as a lay member. Academically accomplished, Julian holds five diplomas - three in management - and has studied at postgraduate level, completing a standalone module at Level 7 in a specialist area.