BME Health Forum :: Trustees

Board of Trustees

The BME Health Forum is governed by a board of 9 trustees (including a Chair and Treasurer), the majority of whom are Directors of Global Majority community organisations.

Current trustees are:

Alison Devlin, Independent Equalities & Diversity Expert

Alison Devlin has worked as a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist since 1999 and is currently employed in that capacity by NHS Professionals. She has previously worked for NHS trusts in inner and outer London and at a national charity with the brief for both improving workforce inclusion and addressing health inequalities.

Aziz Toki, Central London Youth Development Trust (CLYD)

With over 35 years of dedicated service in the voluntary and community sector, I have worked tirelessly to promote social inclusion, equality, and empowerment among diverse communities. I previously served as President of the European Migrant Forum (Asian Sub-continent Division) and spent 10 years as Project Coordinator at the Marylebone Bangladesh Society, leading initiatives in education, welfare, and community cohesion.

My professional journey also includes work with Westminster Volunteer Action and the Naz Project, both focused on social care and community development. Since 2004, I have been the Director of the Central London Youth Development Trust, overseeing programmes that empower young people and build stronger, more resilient communities.

In addition, I am actively involved with over 12 trusts and charities, serving as a school governor, trustee, and executive member. Academically, I hold a postgraduate qualification in Management, and I am multilingual — fluent in English, Bengali, German, Hindi, and Urdu. My lifelong commitment remains to strengthen communities, promote equality of opportunity, and inspire individuals to realise their fullest potential.

David Truswell, Independent Advisor on Dementia support and services for BME

David has worked in community based mental health services in the UK for over forty years developing services for people with complex care needs and enduring mental health problems in a career spanning the voluntary sector, local authority services, and the NHS at a senior level. He is currently Executive Director of the Dementia Alliance for Culture and Ethnicity (www.demace.com ) a UK social enterprise developed by local and national voluntary organisations working with dementia and is an independent writer and researcher on dementia support and services for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities with a number of journal publications of the issues . His latest published work includes the 2019 book Supporting People Living with Dementia in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities and chapters in The International Handbook of Black Community Mental Health (2020) and The Practical Handbook of Living With Dementia (2023). He is also the Director of somefreshthinking limited, a healthcare consultancy working on service redesign and change management in health and social care services.

Eddie Chan (Treasurer), Chinese Welfare Trust

Eddie Chan has been a founding member of London Chinese Community Network and the Chinese Welfare Trust and chairs of both organizations for many years. He is also a chartered civil and structural engineer and chartered manager with a MBA degree, and has over 20 years’ experience of working in consultancy on infrastructure development worldwide. In 2003, with the then Labour government, Eddie established the British Chinese All-Party Parliamentary Group and also became the prime promoter to encourage the Chinese community to participate in voting.

Before retiring Eddie was the Director of the Chinese National Healthy Living Centre from August 2000 and February 2019. This role has earned him a lot of recognition and praise as an effective change-maker: he transformed the Centre into a highly regarded organisation. Eddie has been a member of various UK government departments’ ministerial advisory groups and was a Steering Group member of Westminster LINK (Local Involvement Network) from 2009 to 2013 and Committee Member for Westminster Healthwatch from 2013 to 2018. He also chaired the BME Health Forum in London between 2010 and 2019 and continues to stay on as trustee till today.

Gladys Sheriff, Women's Association for African Networking and Development (WAND) UK

Gladys is a trustee and Board member of the BME Health Forum and other organisations, with substantial experience in this field. She leads a London wide Women’s charity that works with disadvantaged women and girls including BAME, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, lone parents, unemployed, domestic violence victims, working poor women surviving on universal credit benefit and low -income families . Working in Golborne ward one of the poorest areas in London, last year we served 1200 clients speaking 30 languages This year numbers are rising exponentially due to complex needs- mental health offering them one 2 one emotional, practical and wellbeing support, satisfying food poverty by providing weekly Food Bank services including information and advice and advocacy, disastrous effects of cost of living and energy crises which we are tackling to satisfy users’ needs.

She values good governance greatly in charities and is committed on serving on the Boards of a variety of organisations in the community and voluntary sector including the BME Health Forum.

Halaleh Taheri, Middle Eastern Women and Society Organisation (MEWSO)

Halaleh is a campaigner and public speaker for the campaigns she leads, liaising with politicians, MPS and sister organisations.

She is a registered qualified social worker and the founder and Executive director of MEWSO. She has a breadth of experience in Management and leadership.

She is also a community member who speaks 4 languages - Kurdish, Farsi, Swedish and English.

Her background is as a refugee from Iran who rebuilt her life through hard work and education, and is now dedicated to helping other women to rebuild their lives too.

Kaveh Kalantari (Chair), The Iranian Association

Kaveh Kalantari has been responsible for organisational leadership and management for 35 years; his role has included strategic/business planning, quality assurance, staff supervision and organisational development to meet the needs of people with diverse backgrounds. Over past years Kaveh has developed, manged and led services supported by a wide range of agencies including government departments, local authorities, NHS, Big Lottery, trusts and European programmes; he has also been responsible for ensuring service compliance with a range of quality frameworks.

Marie Tameze, French African Welfare Association (FAWA)

Zohra Davis, Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women's Centre

Zohra brings 15 years of experience in the charity sector, where she has supported and advocated for vulnerable women through both practical and emotional support. She is a qualified Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA), with a deep-rooted passion for community engagement and development. Much of her work has focused on addressing health inequalities and tackling systemic injustices, particularly within marginalised communities.

“It is an honour to be given the opportunity to serve as a trustee for the BME Health Forum. I am committed to contributing my knowledge, experience, and insights to support the Forum’s mission and to help drive meaningful change.” Zohra