Meet The Board
Alfred Abolarin
An experienced strategist, facilitator, a qualified antiracism, hate crime trainer and highly skilled Mediator. Founder: Interact, NI 1999 -2003. Founder & Head of Strategy ACSONI, 2003. Chair /Board of Directors: NICEM, 2007-2010. Founder: A & C Chamber of Commerce, 2012. Founder: MME Council, 2018. Served on the Board of Directors of several NI organisations.
In 2006, attended a U.S government-sponsored exchange leadership programme. November 2007, invited to a UK Wide Commonwealth Leaders event in Buckingham Palace by HRM the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
MME Role: Chair/Governance/Leadership
Eileen Chan-Hu
Eileen is a Social Entrepreneur, Educator, Trainer in Inclusion and Diversity, Course Management, Cultural Awareness; Quality Standards Assessor, Community Activist supporting Racial Equality, Production Management, Quality Assurance, Leadership and Management, Community Development and Health Initiatives; Creative in Cultural Events and Fashion and Textiles background
MME Role: Leadership/Governance
Darren Ferguson
Musician, Poet, Intercultural Projects Developer, Peace Activist and Creative Disruptor.
Founder of Beyond Skin organisation (enabling the Arts as the dialogue to address racism & sectarianism)
Co-Founder of #ArtsDialogue
Currently co-developing/managing collaborative intercultural projects in Afghanistan, Colombia, Japan, Northern Ireland, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Zambia.
MME Role: Fundraising
Dr Dina Zoe Belluigi
An educator and researcher from South Africa based at Queen's University Belfast. Dina's areas of enquiry focus on higher education and creative arts higher education, with current collaborations about South Africa, India and Northern Ireland. She is an external advisor on matters to do with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); and academic development for the Syrian programme of the Council for At Risk Academics (Cara).
Dina is the representative of Queen’s University Belfast for Scholars at Risk Ireland (SARS-Ireland
MME Role: Coordinating research
Dr Assia El-Zarruk
Dr Assia El-Zarruk is from Libya and settled in NI in 1991.
She graduated as a pharmacist and holds a Master degree in pharmacology and a doctorate degree of philosophy- pharmacology- molecular medicine (Queen's university).
She has been involved in a variety of community development projects over the years: as the chair person for the African and Caribbean organisation in NI from 2010 to 2013.
She was a tutor for Arabic/English languages and works as a community interpreter. and also as a culture trainer.
Currently, she is a co- owner of a restaurant that caters for Mediterranean and local cuisine.
MME Role: Treasurer
Maurice Macartney
Maurice Macartney has long been a serial volunteer for organisations such as Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Beyond Skin. He studied politics at Queen's. where he now works as part of the Public Engagement team. He has a keen interest in sustainability issues and in issues of social justice, and is an amateur musician and documentary film-maker.
MME Role: Communications
Karwan Shareef
Senior Barrister and a Human Rights Lawyer from Kurdistan. Worked with many international and national human rights organizations in Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Kurdistan, addressing human rights promotion and protection in times of conflict and political transition. Moved to Belfast in 2012 to join Queen’s University’s QUB Law School as a New York University based SAR Network visiting human rights scholar. Awarded London based Prisoners of Conscience Scholarship in 2014 and Bristol University’s Sanctuary Doctoral Scholarship in 2016. Completed Master degree in human rights Laws at QUB. Now working on a PhD project at University of Bristol, School of Law studying Human Rights and Refugee
MME Role: Legal/Policy
Linda Hutchinson
After focussing on Gender Equality with Business in the Community 2000-2004, Linda was appointed as the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s first Race Relations Officer in 2005 until her retirement in 2017. A qualified trainer, Linda has delivered management and leadership skills courses, including equality, diversity and anti-racism training including the Ending Hate programme. Linda’s experience of the statutory sector and advocacy support will provide a focus for her work with the Board.
Linda has represented the Housing Executive on the NI Strategic Migration Partnership, the Stronger Together Network and the DoJ Hate Crime Working Group and has spoken at the European Commission in relation to the provision on support for the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
MME Role: Advocacy
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Delwyn Thomas
Delwyn has a very diverse background, having worked within the IT sector and with local community organisation. He is a trustee with the African Voices Forum, Women's Health Advocacy Network and a team lead for the Black Professional Network. He is also a past chair of the Sierra Leone Bristol Association. Delwyn currently works for Civica as an application support and development manager. Delwyn believes that anything is possible and is passionate about helping others bring about the change they want to see.
MME Role: Information Technology