Ranee Thakar MD FRCOG became President of the RCOG on 9 December 2022. She is a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist at Croydon University Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer, St George’s University of London. She is an experienced leader with a clear understanding of the operational, clinical and training demands facing the speciality today. In recognition of her leadership, she was awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in 2023. She is the past President of the International Urogynecological Association and was awarded the Distinguished Service in 2022.

Ranee has a long-standing commitment to the RCOG, having fulfilled a number of important roles including Secretary of the British Society of Urogynaecology, honorary director of conferences, and Council representative for South Asia.

Most recently, Ranee was Senior Vice President for Global Health, from 2019-2022. Under her leadership, the RCOG global health team secured funding to implement the Essential Gynaecology Skills programme in Bangladesh and she also led the Making Abortion Safe programme, which promotes safe abortion and contraception in five sub-Saharan countries. Maintaining these programmes and expanding the RCOG’s global initiatives, to improve the health of women and girls globally is a priority for Ranee during her Presidency.

Ranee has a proven track record for supporting colleagues and has made ensuring racial equity within the speciality one of her Presidential priorities. She has led to the delivery of several essential initiatives including an e-learning module on tackling racism, a tool kit on differential attainment and a coaching programme to develop champions who will provide continuing support to the RCOG membership.  Ranee continues to lead the RCOG’s work to tackle inequalities across women’s health as one of her Presidential priorities. 

Ranee has an impressive academic profile with over 200 publications and has made a significant contribution to improving perineal trauma outcomes by training obstetricians and midwives to provide safer maternity care for women globally. She leads the national obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI) Care Bundle Project. Regionally, Ranee leads the Perinatal Pelvic Health Project and Urogynaecology network for South-West London, developing multi-disciplinary collaboration with urologists, midwives, physiotherapists, nurses and GPs.  

Dr Nusrat Mir is a Consultant General Adult & Perinatal Psychiatrist at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. He provided medical leadership to the Sheffield Perinatal Mental Health Service between 2009 and 2021, spearheading its development into a regional multidisciplinary service for South Yorkshire. He is currently a Consultant in the Sheffield North Adult Community Mental Health Team.

Dr Mir is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of Sheffield, a Fellow and Examiner of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He has delivered numerous educational lectures and seminars to Undergraduate and Postgraduate specialists over the years and co-authored research publications in peer reviewed neuroscientific journals. He has a special interest in the psychiatric disorders of pregnancy and the postpartum period.

He has been an Expert Witness since 2009 and is regularly instructed by lawyers from across the UK on Clinical negligence cases, particularly relating to birth trauma, in all its manifestations. He was selected as the winner of the prestigious ‘Medicolegal Expert of the Year (UK) 2023’ Award by Lawyer Monthly Magazine in December 2023.

Benash Nazmeen is a Midwife, a mentor and currently working in Midwifery Education. She is passionate about addressing health inequalities & invested in improving maternity services for those we care for and those who work in them.

She has co-designed and runs Cultural Competency and Safety Workshops for maternity Health care professionals. This successful course has been used as a case study of good practice for the NHS Equity and Equality Guidance for Local Maternity Systems, September 2021.

She co-founded The Association of South Asian Midwives (ASAM), they work to support marginalised midwives & raise awareness of barriers faced by diverse communities.

Benash is also the Co-Chair for the Racial Injustice in UK Maternity Services Inquiry by Birth Rights Charity.

She is a specialist advisor with CQC for Midwifery, Leadership, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She sits on the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Confidential Enquiry Review Panel; the RHO maternity stakeholder group & is a trustee for the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust. Benash is a Fellow for the Royal College of Midwives, has been shortlisted for the "RCM Race Matters awards 2021" and Winner of the "Ground-breaking Researcher" award at the BAME Health & Care awards 2022.

Professor Habib Naqvi is Chief Executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory in the UK, which works to tackle ethnic inequalities in health and care by facilitating research, making health policy recommendations, and enabling long-term transformational change.

Habib joined the NHS in 2001 and spent several years working at the Department of Health and Social Care where he led national policy. From 2013, Habib directed the development and implementation of national health equity programmes for the NHS and has given evidence to the UK’s House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee.

Habib was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to equality and diversity in the NHS; he received a Fellowship through distinction at the Faculty of Public Health in 2023 and was awarded the title of Honorary Visiting Professor of Health Equity at the Queen’s Institute for Medicine, University of Bolton. Habib is listed in the Health Service Journal’s ‘100 most influential people in health’.

Dr Nighat is a GP specialising in women's health, family planning and menopause care with over 15 years of experience in the NHS and she runs her own private practice. She is the resident Doctor on BBC Breakfast and ITV This Morning. She is a health content creator working with YouTube Health and the WHO Fides programme.

 
Dr Nighat is the Ambassador for Wellbeing of Women and the recipient of the 2023 Prime Ministers 'Point of Light' Award in recognition of her work of raising awareness of Women's Health issues in the UK. Dr Nighat was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from City University, London for Science and Public Health. 

 
Dr Nighat is the author of her debut book 'The Knowledge. Your guide to female health from Menstruation to the Menopause". It is an illustrated, inclusive book for all things Women's Health available now and her extensive clinical work has been featured in HELLO!, The Times, GOOD Housekeeping and British Vogue. 

Prof Angie Doshani is a highly accomplished consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. Committed to advancing women's health on local, national, and international fronts, she persistently strives to provide the utmost quality healthcare to her patients. Fuelled by a fervour for innovation and excellence, Angie has been instrumental in fostering a culture of safety and quality across diverse organizations.

Prof Doshani has invented the “JanamApp”, a revolutionary information portal empowering South Asian mothers with culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate evidence-based information, enabling informed choices and decision-making.

As a leading researcher, Angie focuses her research on ethnicity and health, specifically within the unique population mix of Leicester, UK. Her research endeavours encompass areas such as ethnicity and incontinence, and more recently impactful research in areas to reduce inequalities in maternal health and improving outcomes for mothers and babies.

With a dedicated career spanning two decades, Prof. Doshani has significantly influenced medical training and education. Through various roles in undergraduate and postgraduate education, both locally and nationally, she has made a positive impact, ensuring that the future workforce receives high-quality education to meet the evolving healthcare needs of society.

She strongly advocates for an inter-professional approach to training and delivering clinically effective care.

With a strong foundation in coaching and mentoring, she actively supports and co-creates with colleagues to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

Dr Aaliya Goyal is a General Practitioner, nationally elected member of RCGP Council and Vice Chair of RCGP Midland Faculty. She has previously worked as an Integrated Care Board Primary Care Clinical Leadership Executive in Health Inequalities, Ethnic Minority Health and Population Health.

Aaliya has a special interest in Occupational Health and Wellbeing. She has worked with the NHS Menopause Hub and shared thoughts on supporting perimenopausal women at work in the BMJ. She has been a panel speaker at numerous conferences including the International BMJ Research Forum, on unmet needs and research priorities for sexual and reproductive health in the workplace, and the national Primary and Integrated Care Training Hubs Conference on Health Inequalities and EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion).  

She delivered the opening talk for the Health Inequalities module on the NHS England GP blended learning programme. She has been recognised for her work to improve parity of outcomes for South Asian Patient Communities, including from APNA NHS, the South Asian NHS leaders' network, and the Faculty of Public Health, who awarded her Membership through Distinction this year. In 2023 she was named among the Top 50 Influential Muslims in Europe and NHS GEMS (Gifted Ethnic Minority Staff) 75@75 list to celebrate 75 years of the NHS.

My name is Sadia Haqnawaz, I am a British Pakistani Muslim woman with lived experience of baby loss due to a genetic condition (ARPKD) as a result of consanguinity. As a family, we have experienced a number of losses due to ARPKD from terminations to full term baby loss.

I started my PPI (patient and public involvement) journey in April 2021, after a report release by Birmingham City Council, highlighted high rates of infant mortality in the Pakistani community due to consanguinity. I challenged the council based on lack of patient representation on this report and was invited to join the infant mortality taskforce, to share patient experiences and represent the stories behind the statistics.

My journey into PPI led me onto joining various different research projects focussed on genetics, health inequalities, women’s health and maternity safety. I trained as a Community Researcher and am now studying for a PhD exploring Muslims parents experiences of terminating pregnancies for congenital anomalies.

Faiza Rehman was born and raised in the U.K. in a tight knit south Asian family. She is the mother of two young children and a qualified midwife, who has been practising since 2011.

She comments, “I am hugely passionate about all things midwifery and ensuring we care for families so they emerge from their birth both physically and emotionally safe. This passion has driven me to start a grassroots organisation: Raham Project, a platform to support families from diverse ethnic backgrounds”.

Daghni Rajasingam is deputy Chief Medical Officer at Guys and St Thomas Hospital Foundation Trust (GSTT) with a portfolio for professional fulfilment and resilience. She has had significant operational leadership experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and leads the trust’s response to planning for medical industrial action. She is a consultant obstetrician with an interest in maternal medicine and was lead regional obstetrician for NHS England South-East Region. She has a longstanding commitment to reducing health inequities and racism both locally and nationally. She cochairs the Maternity Advisory Group of the Race and Health Observatory. Daghni is now the Medical Director for Secondary Care Transformation (NHS England, South East region).

She was maternity clinical advisor to the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (now Maternal and Neonatal Safety Investigations) and has a Masters in Leadership and Partnership Working and an honorary readership with Kings College London in Healthcare Management and Leadership, supporting design and delivery of leadership development programme for Kings Business School and GSTT Commercial. She is Trustee for the Foundation for Education to improve family planning (FEFP). Daghni is the lead for the Data-Led Prioritisation programme with Factor-50 and supports healthcare innovations.

She is an accredited Executive Coach and trained mediator in alternative dispute resolution, engaging in coaching, mediation and facilitation. She was an elected Council member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and a RCOG trustee board member. Daghni is also an official spokesperson for the RCOG.

She was the national lead for inclusion and a council member of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management and was co-chair for the South-East London Local Maternity System and supported integration of the maternity governance framework within the Integrated Care System. She was responsible for implementing the ‘supra-hub’ concept of the maternal medicine networks across South-East London and Southeast England.

Daghni was NHS London’s clinical lead for leadership development, clinical lead for London’s Clinical Leadership Network and a member of the National Task Force for senior female medical leadership. She was listed in the 2013 HSJ BME Pioneers list and 2014 HSJ Inspirational Women in Healthcare Awards.

Preya is a South Asian Mum of two to Amba (5) and Uma (3), GBS Campaigner, Group B Strep Support (GBSS).

Arnie is the Research and Policy Manager at The Race and Health Observatory, and leads on our maternal and neonatal health initiatives. With a wealth of experience spanning two decades in the NHS, Arnie has also contributed to various arm's length bodies, government agencies, higher education, and the voluntary sector.

Drawing upon her background as a Physiotherapist, Arnie possesses frontline clinical insights into the health disparities faced by local populations. Her previous role at Health Education England focused on enhancing ethnic diversity and inclusivity in the current and future healthcare workforce to mitigate discrimination and inequalities.

Having joined the RHO in April 2022, Arnie is dedicated to fostering equity and transparency. She is enthusiastic about facilitating new research endeavours that contribute to social justice, aligning with her commitment to advancing the well-being of diverse communities.

Geeta is the Founder and Medical Director of Create Fertility and abc IVF UK and  Lead Consultant for Reproductive Medicine at St George’s University Hospital London ( currently on sabbatical leave). She is the co-founder of the Ginsburg Women’s Health board, which is an independent advisory board for women’s health. Geeta has campaigned tirelessly for women’s health rights in pursuit of closing the gender health gap. Her research interests and publications are in the field of natural and mild IVF and the role of advanced ultrasound in reproductive medicine. She is the co-founder and president of ISMAAR, the International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction. She has served on many national and international scientific and professional advisory boards. She is an Authority Member on the board of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. She is a member of the guild of health writers, UK and contributes to articles on women’s health and reproductive rights. She is a contributor to Westminster Health and UNFPA events. She is currently working in partnership with NHS Confederation on a report on “Women’s Health Economics” which is due to be published later this year.

Geeta is a dedicated charity worker and is a Board member and Vice Chair of the British Red Cross, Founder of Create Health Foundation having previously served as the Chair and founding trustee of the Five Foundation. Create Health Foundation  published and launched a report in Parliament in November 2023 on “ Understanding pre-pregnancy experiences of BAME women” . This report is helpful to improve maternal outcomes for BAME women across our country. Geeta is also the Chair of the organisation, The Pipeline which offers tailored leadership programmes for women.

Amina Hatia is a Midwifery Manager at Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby loss research charity, and is an NHS midwife in antenatal care. Amina also works as Research Midwife for Imperial College London and Hearts Milk Bank, focusing on research around donor milk and how to improve accessibility for all families that may need it.

Amina is passionate about ensuring that everyone has equity of access to knowledge that can impact their pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding journey, however that may look for them – with evidence-based, compassionate and person-centred care.

Miti is a Clinical Lead Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Non-Medical Independent Prescriber working in the NHS. She is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at a central London teaching hospital and a co-lead for the Perinatal Pelvic Health Services in North West London, an NHS Maternity Transformation Program.

Having been an Honorary Board Treasurer from 2019 to 2023 for the Pelvic Obstetrics and Gynaecological Physiotherapy, a national professional network and a charitable incorporated organisation, she continues to be a Pelvic Health Spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Passionate about pelvic health she ensures that the services are inclusive of a gender diverse population and was recently awarded a grant for her research on pelvic floor dysfunction in the trans masculine population. 

Miti is a Clinical Lead Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Non-Medical Independent Prescriber working in the NHS. She is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at a central London teaching hospital and a co-lead for the Perinatal Pelvic Health Services in North West London, an NHS Maternity Transformation Program.

Having been an Honorary Board Treasurer from 2019 to 2023 for the Pelvic Obstetrics and Gynaecological Physiotherapy, a national professional network and a charitable incorporated organisation, she continues to be a Pelvic Health Spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Passionate about pelvic health she ensures that the services are inclusive of a gender diverse population and was recently awarded a grant for her research on pelvic floor dysfunction in the trans masculine population. 

Nafiza is a highly experienced Nurse Midwife with over 38 years of expertise in health-related and women's health issues. She qualified as a Nurse in 1989 and completed her midwifery training at City University London in 2002. Her career has spanned various roles including clinician, educator, manager, service improvement specialist, and project manager. She is particularly passionate about addressing health inequalities in maternity services and is dedicated to initiating change in healthcare systems both in the UK and globally.

Driven by this passion, Nafiza pursued a Master's degree in Public Health and earned a scholarship with the Department for International Development (DFID). She has worked as a project manager for women's health initiatives in South Asia. Nafiza co-founded the Association of South Asian Midwives (ASAM) to improve maternity services for women and families, focusing on overcoming barriers faced by these communities and the diverse maternity workforce facing challenges and barriers.

Nafiza is an active panel member for MBRRACE-UK's perinatal confidential enquiry and serves on the Capital Midwife Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory group. She also contributes to the Men and Diversity in Midwifery: National Equity and Equality Steering Group, which aims to promote equity for women and babies within the NHS and ensure equality for all staff. As a consultant volunteer with the Bangladesh RCM Twinning project, Nafiza mentors young midwifery leaders and has supported the Bangladesh Midwifery Society. Additionally, she is a member of the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Midwifery Officer BAME Strategic Advisory Group.

Under her leadership, ASAM secured funding from the Florence Nightingale Foundation to develop a welcome programme for internationally recruited midwives, assisting them in their NHS journey. In her role as Lead Maternal Medicine Midwife for Northeast London, Nafiza was instrumental in developing the Maternal Medicine service across the North East London region during her role as North East London Maternal Medicine Lead Midwife. In her current role she is actively addressing the inequalities agenda within North East London and is a driving force to implement change and make a difference for marginalised communities. 

In recognition of her contributions, Nafiza was awarded the RCM Fellowship in 2022 and recently secured the prestigious Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholarship. She was honoured to be invited by HRH King Charles to Buckingham Palace for a celebration event recognizing nurses and midwives in the UK as part of his 75th birthday celebrations on November 14th, 2023.

Dr. Aziza Sesay is a GP, GP Educator, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, Host, Speaker and Health Content Creator. She runs a health platform called ‘Talks with Dr. Sesay' sharing evidence-based health information on a variety of topics specifically women’s health, cancer awareness, mental health and health inequity. 

Dr. Aziza is Vice Chair and Creative Director of Black Female Doctors UK. She is an ambassador for the charities Eve Appeal, Wellbeing of Women and Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) Hatfield Vision; and the Everywoman Festival.  She is fundraising lead for Keep it Fax charity, one of the Board of Directors of Prevention First Initiative and Trustee of Cysters Group charity. She is a member of the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) for Adult Faecal Incontinence (FI) steering group; as well as a member of World Health Organisation (WHO) Fides and is one of the select creators of the first YouTube Health Partner Programme. She is also on the YouTube IQ Creator Programme with a select few who create videos targeting underrepresented communities. She has collaborated and worked with a number of organisations including NHS England, Department of Health and Social Care, CoppaFeel!, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, and Black Women Rising UK. In addition, she has been involved in and worked in several national public health campaigns. She has been selected as a UN Women UK delegate for CSW67 and CSW68. 

She's been featured on BBC News, The Guardian, Telegraph, Metro News, Stylist magazine, Women's Health UK and more. She has hosted and presented as Keynote Speaker for women’s health events.  She has also been featured on multiple podcasts, radio and television interviews as well as written and contributed to health articles. 

Rohit Sagoo, a Children’s Nurse and PhD Researcher at the University of Bedfordshire, is deeply involved in a community-focused research. His work revolves around evaluating a community child and maternal health service – the Starting Well Partnership Programme in Luton.

This research, with its primary aim to improve health outcomes for mothers and children from preconception to two and a half years old, is particularly relevant for children and families in areas of high deprivation in Luton, as well as Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in Luton.

His objectives are clear-to explore the effectiveness and experiences of expectant mothers, mothers, and families of community-led child and maternal interventions, with evidence of reducing health inequalities before birth to three years with early intervention programmes.

A dedicated Nurse with over 30 years of experience in the health and social care. Asha has worked at the highest strategic level at the Department of Health (UK) advising Government Minsters, developing, and implementing national policy.

In 2017 Asha was awarded one of limited (100 nationally) prestigious Fellowships from the Institute of Health Visiting for her contribution to Public Health.

In 2020 Asha was recognised in the Queens New Years Honours list and received the British Empire Medal.

Asha’s advanced skills and expertise have enabled her to support organisations to develop, review and implement clinical and inclusion strategies to become operational realities, impacting positively on workforce and patient health outcomes.

Asha has gained a global reputation for her work in transcultural perinatal mental health. This has involved her working with international health and social care organisations. Asha for was recognised for this and subsequently invited and joined the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE CG 192) & Quality Standards (NICE QS 115).

Asha was one of the founding national executive team, vice chair, establishing the British Indian Nurses Association (BINA UK). Asha supported the organisation to grow and thrive from its establishment in November 2020 until leaving in December 2023 having completed her 3-year term.

Asha was nominated to be part of the ‘We Are The NHS Careers’ campaign 2023 which received recognition from local, regional, and national radio and television airtime.

Asha received the Midlands Inclusivity and Diversity Awards Scheme (MIDAS) 2022 and went on to be awarded ‘Highly Commended’ BAME Diversity Awards - Nurse of the Year 2023.

Asha has now been sighted on the list of top 75 South Asian Pioneers in the NHS 75th Anniversary (2023) and in the top 75 of Gifted Ethnic Minorities (GEMs) in 2023.

Asha is currently Vice Chair Community Practitioners & Health Visitors Association (CPHVA). More recently she took up post as Co General Secretary of Asian Professionals Network Alliance NHS (APNA NHS).

Asha received the prestigious ‘MacQueen Award from the CPHVA Development Trust. This allowed her to research ‘trauma informed care through a racialized lens’ and ‘the role of sponsorship and its benefits in developing black, Asian and minority ethnic executive leaders’. Asha is now a Trustee of the CPHVA Development Trust that awards annual educational and travel bursaries to Public Health Nurses

Jane Plumb co-founded Group B Strep Support with her husband Robert in 1996 after their middle child died from group B Strep infection, and is its Chief Executive.

Outside of GBSS, Jane is the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists’ Women’s Voices Lead and Chair of their Women’s Network. Jane led the team in contributing to the development of the WHO’s Defeat Meningitis by 2030 Road Map through participation at consultation meetings. She chairs the Council for the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations and is a trustee for the Meningitis Research Foundation. Jane was on the Scientific Committees for the International Symposium on Streptococcus Agalactiae Disease for 2018 and 2021 and is again for 2023, leading the Patient Voice Stream. Jane was a member of the Department of Health’s priority-setting workshops for group B Strep research, and has sat on several National Institute of Health & Care Excellence guideline development committees. Jane has been a co-applicant on many group B Strep research projects, including the GBS3 trial, where she co-leads the Patient & Public Involvement work. Jane was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to child health, a Fellowship of the RSA in 2020 and a Fellowship Honoris Causa of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2021.

Jane says: “After losing our son Theo to group B Strep infection at just 17.5 hours old, my husband and I decided to start charity Group B Strep Support. We wanted to do everything we could to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.

My background in HR consulting gave me some handy transferable skills, but the real credit for all we’ve achieved so far goes to the amazing team behind GBSS – our trustees, our medical advisory panel, our staff team and of course, our supporters and volunteers. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some awards over the years, like the Tesco Campaigning Mum of the Year, an MBE, and an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. These accolades are a testament to the hard work of our team and supporters.

There’s still more to be done, as babies are still suffering from preventable group B Strep infections. But we’re making a difference, and that’s something to be proud of. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that healthy children are thriving because of the work we’ve done. Each of us can make a difference, and what could be more rewarding than that?”

Mehali is a Research Manager with a decade of experience working in perinatal research in the third sector.

She works collaboratively with families to generate and disseminate evidence. Her interests include reducing inequalities, making maternity and neonatal care safer and preventing pregnancy loss and the death of babies.

Mehali is one of the co-authors of the Listening Project.

Sakina is therapeutic coach who is passionate about Perinatal Mental Health.  Initially inspired through her own lived experience (she was a professional actress prior to becoming a mother), she now uses her lived and learned experience strategically and clinically both inside and outside of the NHS.  At CNWL she has implemented a trust wide workforce of Perinatal Peer Support Workers and leads on the development of this emerging profession. 

At Make Birth Better and MMHA she supports organisational governance and is passionate about improving support for  Birth Trauma and Maternal Mental Health for parents & professionals, as well as influencing policy change. 

She has a particular interest in trauma-informed care and EDIA+.

Madhuri is a Bereavement Support and Outreach Coordinator, dedicated to supporting South Asian bereaved families through their grief, ensuring they know they are not alone. Madhuri tirelessly raises awareness about the vital role of bereavement support in the healing journey, especially in the context of baby loss.

Her work includes creating positive partnerships and spearheading initiatives tailored to the unique needs of South Asian families. These efforts aim to improve outcomes and provide compassionate support for parents and families navigating their grief. Having personally experienced baby loss and the associated inequalities, Madhuri is a fervent advocate for change. She works diligently to bring these issues to light and push for systemic improvements.

Dr Sujitha Selvarajah is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology doctor, health equity specialist and founder of Umbi, a startup improving pregnancy experiences and outcomes for everyone. She has 14 years' experience in global public health, improving the lives of women and minoritised populations across the life course. She’s worked with organisations such as the UK Department of Health, World Health Organization, The Lancet, Flo Health, Decolonising Contraception and RCOG. She’s also founded non-profit organisations TEDxUCLWomen and Race & Health. Sujitha’s activism and advocacy has been internationally recognised – she was the first British Women Deliver Young Leader.

Shaista has worked in the charity sector for twenty years and is the CEO and founding member of the Muslim Women's Network UK, a national charity promoting social justice for Muslim women and girls, which also operates the Muslim Women's Network Helpline. In 2022, she published ‘Maternity Experiences of Muslim Women from Racialised Minority Communities.’  In the same year Shaista was appointed to the House of Lords as a non-party-political peer in 2022.  Most recently, Shaista was appointed to the board of the Law Commission.

Clo is co-founder of Five X More, an organisation founded in 2019 and named in relation to the findings from the MBRRACE studies that Black women were five times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than white women (the current stats show Black women are still four times more likely to die). Clo is also the Chair of St Thomas hospital Maternal and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP).

Clo was an Expert by experience for NHSE/I working on The Ockenden report to develop the Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocate role and founded Prosperitys a maternal well-being social enterprise which supports Black Ethnic Minority parents mental health focuses on early intervention, perinatal mental health awareness and social isolation. 

Yasmin is a specialist registrar in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and a Trustee of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

She adopts a holistic approach to her clinical practice, recognising that physical and mental wellbeing are interconnected. Yasmin’s clinical medicine experience, her academic specialism in Tropical Medicine & International Health, and her lived experience of the specific vulnerabilities that women who have emigrated face all fuel her passion to advocate for women’s physical and mental wellbeing.

Yasmin is particularly committed to resolving healthcare inequalities and is keen to implement and scale interventions that drive improved healthcare outcomes for all women including those from ethnic minority and low socio-economic status backgrounds. She recognises the pivotal role that breaking the language barrier can play in improving immediate clinical outcomes for women as well as enhancing women and their respective communities’ long-term socio-economic prospects. This was the subject of her recent TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkfxEoEgozo

Wendy Olayiwola’ s values personal development, philanthropy, and mentoring, just as passionately promoting and advocating for equality and equity, are integral to her core values and beliefs.

Wendy is a registered nurse and practising midwife with more than two decades of clinical practice and leadership in the community and public health. The recognition and influence of her ability and impact in England and internationally are evident by her charitable work and contributions, publications and speaking internationally.

She is very passionate about supporting and empowering nurses and midwives to provide culturally sensitive and holistic care for women and their families.

Wendy has held various senior operational and specialist positions and project management roles in maternity. She was appointed into her current role as the National Maternity Lead for Equality NHS England in February 2021.

Wendy has co-authored articles in professional midwifery journals, including Talking to Men about FGM. Reducing the incidence of Stillbirths in Black women and Sustaining quality education and practice learning in a pandemic and beyond: ‘I have never learnt as much in my life, as quickly, ever’.

Significant blogs include Caring for the Carers - RCN midwifery forum and promoting cultural safety and cultural intelligence – dismantling racism in maternity care -UNICEF.

Wendy is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Equality Diversity and Inclusion.  Research Advisory Group and Midwifery Panel. She is the Lead midwife/co-chair of CNO CMiDO BME Strategic Advisory Group NHS England and a member of the Race Health Observatory (RHO) maternity group.

Wendy was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for service to the NHS and Equality during the COVID-19 response in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List. In March 2022, she was awarded a Royal College of Midwives (RCM)fellowship and admitted as a fellow of the African Society of Arts (FRSA) 2020. She was listed in the 2020 year of the Nurse and Midwife Global WHO/UN/WGH 100 outstanding women nurse and midwife leader. She is the winner of the NHS@70 Women Leaders Award 2018

Ms Archana Dixit is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at The Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Trust, based at the West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth, London. She has a particular expertise in endocrine disorders during pregnancy.

In her leadership roles, Ms. Dixit serves as the Unit Lead for Antenatal Services and the RCOG College Tutor at West Middlesex Hospital. Additionally, she is a Maternity Cultural Safety Champion and the cross-site Diversity Lead for Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Recently, she was appointed Chair of the Trust's Staff Women's Network.

Ms Dixit is a passionate advocate for reducing health inequalities and enhancing women's health within the South Asian community. She collaborates closely with the Hounslow Public Health team and community connectors to address these issues locally.

Beyond her professional commitments, Ms Dixit organizes annual charity musical fundraisers supporting women's health initiatives in marginalized communities.

Sundas qualified as a midwife in 2018, most recently she has worked as a community midwife. She is also a co-founder and director of the Association of South Asian Midwives.

Previously, she led the organisation as CEO but chose to step down to focus on caring for her baby. Even during her maternity leave, she remains committed to tackling health disparities through creative approaches. Sundas also brings expertise in diabetes during pregnancy, drawing from both her clinical and research experience. 

Some of her notable accomplishments include establishing a program to welcome internationally recruited midwives into the NHS, co-organising the very first South Asian Nursing and Midwifery Conference in the UK, developing a unique action focused initiative to tackle inequalities in maternity care for black and brown women, managing membership activities at ASAM and also assisting prospective and newly qualified midwives with personal statement and interview support.

She was nominated for the Pure Foundation Fund in 2022 and was recognised as a runner-up and was also acknowledged in the GEMS: Hidden in Plain Sight 75@75 initiative.

Dame Lesley Regan is Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Imperial College at St Mary’s campus, she has chaired Wellbeing of Women since 2020, hosting webinars and debates on many aspects of women’s health across the span of the life course in order to promote funding for the charity’s research, education and advocacy programmes.

Professor Regan is a globally recognised authority in women’s health, having been President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists from 2016 to 2019 and Honorary Secretary of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) from 2018-2023.

In June 2022, Dame Lesley became the first ever Women’s Health Ambassador for England. Her role involves collaborating with the government, voluntary and charitable sectors to shape and support the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy. The strategy is an ambitious 10-year plan to improve the health outcomes and wellbeing of all girls and women. The year 1 priorities have focussed on improving access to care, bridging health disparities, and confronting the many taboos surrounding common gynaecological problems such as heavy painful periods, fertility, pregnancy loss, menopause, pelvic floor problems and the importance of providing long-acting reversible contraception and safe abortion care.

She has written best-selling books on pregnancy and miscarriage to provide women with vital information to empower them to recognise when they need to seek help and ensure that their problems are resolved swiftly allowing them to get on with their daily lives.