new perspective
London
The Social Impact Specialists Hanif Osmani Hanif founded the New Perspective
Group to help tackle socio-economic inequality. His professional community
development journey began in 2002 as a trainee on a £56m regeneration programme
on the Ocean Estate in East London, one of the most deprived areas of the UK –
and the estate on which he grew up... [FLIP TO READ MORE] Hanif has held several
posts, including senior management and leadership roles in a local authority,
housing association and two grassroots charities, developing and delivering
innovative community development programmes that have been praised as examples
of best practice. Strategy, innovation and partnership development are the
common threads that run throughout his career, and his areas of expertise
include community engagement, economic development and health & wellbeing. He
strongly believes in the power of enterprise and well-paid employment to lift
disadvantaged communities out of poverty, and both of these topics are close to
his heart. He is an autodidact with a broad range of interests, including tech,
photography, videography, branding, marketing, graphic design, web design, and
more. Hanif seeks to encourage organisations to fully utilise these tools to
help drive engagement, deliver real social impact, and fully harness the power
of one of his true passions: storytelling. Alexandra Porter Alexandra is a
visual anthropologist and filmmaker with a degree in Social Sciences and Social
Anthropology and a Masters in Visual Anthropology and Documentary Production.
She is deeply passionate about equality and has worked with a broad range of
charities to help inspire change and improve the quality of life for some of
society's most disadvantaged groups. [FLIP TO READ MORE] In the UK, Alexandra
has worked with Oxfam, the British Heart Foundation, the AAFDA charity (Advocacy
After Fatal Domestic Abuse), and the Liverpool Blind Football Club. For her
degrees, she conducted in-depth qualitative research on stigmatised facets of
culture across the globe. As part of her Masters, she moved to Los Angeles to
study and film artists living with chronic illnesses in order to understand a
patient's expression of their lifeworlds, and how to improve an individual's
quality of life. Her film "Pathos: The Art of Life" was officially selected for
the Fine Arts Film Festival, Venice, California 2020 and screened at the Burning
Man Multiverse 2020. "Trust Your Senses" received an honourable mention at the
Experimental Forum 2020. Alexandra currently resides in Barcelona, where she has
undergone further training in documentary filmmaking. She has also been involved
with local grassroots charities such as Lloc De La Dona (an association
supporting migrant women involved in sex work), the Las Kelly's (cleaners
fighting for better working conditions in the tourism sector) and Volver a Latir
(a rehoming association for foster dogs across Spain). Emran Hoque Emran is a
multidisciplined creative specialising in visual identities and creative design.
He is trained in art, design, branding, and marketing, and has worked with
public, private and non-profit organisations to tell their stories through
distinctive, meaningful and emotive design. [FLIP TO READ MORE] Emran has worked
with the NHS, Greater London Authority (GLA), educational institutions such as
SOAS, local authorities, and others to support them with brand development, web
design, and other digital design services. His expertise includes making
websites and digital media accessible to neurodiverse people, and his personal
experience of dyslexia gives him a unique perspective as a digital professional.
For over ten years, he led a creative studio in the heart of London’s creative
hub, Brick Lane, and, as a freelance branding consultant, has worked
internationally with some of the largest creative agencies and their clients.
Emran has a strong track record of working with charities, and in 2021 he
founded Digiroots CIC, a non-profit that aims to build the capacity of small
grassroots charities and bridge the digital divide. He regularly organises and
delivers community arts programmes for disadvantaged communities that may not
otherwise have the opportunity to explore and express themselves through the
creative arts. Suzanne Wolfe Suzanne is an experienced social housing
professional who has spent 35 years working with social landlords, developers,
local authorities, charities, and others to create and deliver real social
value. Her expertise covers all aspects of housing, including social investment,
resident engagement, development and regeneration, finance, and technical
services... [FLIP TO READ MORE] In 2004, Suzanne joined an East London social
landlord, Poplar HARCA, as Neighbourhood Director and led the area through a
period of profound change, quickly building trust and working closely and
effectively with the diverse local community. Together, they achieved the
transformation of the area from what was regarded as one the worst areas in
Tower Hamlets to one of the very best. Suzanne is a capable advocate, problem
solver and negotiator. She is motivated by her experience of seeing successful
neighbourhood regeneration create opportunity, raise educational outcomes and
improve life chances generally. As Chief Executive of the Industrial Dwellings
Society, she delivered a corporate turnaround from regulatory downgrading at the
start of her tenure, securing the top Governance and Viability ratings from the
Regulator of Social Housing in just two years. She is a Fellow of the Institute
of Housing, co-opted member of BME London Landlords, and has worked at senior
levels for four inner London councils and three Housing Associations.
