Our Team

Geoff has 18 years senior management experience; demonstrable success in strategic planning, leading teams and a track record of stakeholder management, partnership building and income generation. He has worked collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to develop resilient charities that have impact and make a difference. A Derby resident, he has worked mainly for cultural and heritage organisations such as the National Holocaust Centre and Museum and Birmingham Royal Ballet. He has also worked for Derby Playhouse (now Derby Theatre) and in a voluntary capacity as Chair of the Trustees at Déda Derby Dance.

Nazia’s duties include book-keeping and producing monthly management accounts, forecasting/budget reporting and providing project finance support, running payroll and helping to produce the Year End Accounts. She has a BSc Hon degree and over 10 years Finance experience.

The Rt Revd Libby Lane is Bishop of Derby.

Bishop Libby was the first woman to be appointed a bishop in the Church of England when she became Suffragan Bishop of Stockport within the Diocese of Chester in 2015. In 2019 she became Bishop of Derby and entered the House of Lords. She has the Lords Spiritual profile for Sport. She is Chair of Cranmer Committee for the Council of St John’s College Durham, Vice-Chair of Trustees on the Church of England’s Children’s Society and was made an honorary fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford in 2015. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. In July 2017, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Bath.

Bishop Libby is married to the Revd George Lane with two adult children.

Andy joined the University of Derby in 2013 and his background is in Finance. Shortly after graduating from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1991 with a degree in Accounting and Finance, he joined Bass plc.’s graduate training scheme. He qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant in 1995. Andy’s career at Bass started with its Leisure Division. In 1998 he moved across to its Brewing Division, where he performed a variety of senior Finance roles as well as being a National Account Manager selling beers like Carling, Coors Light and Grolsch to Safeway plc. prior to its acquisition by Morrisons. Andy enjoys holidays in Bournemouth and also has a soft spot for Cornwall having worked there throughout 2011 when he was Finance Director for Sharp’s Brewery (Doom Bar). Andy is married with four children and ‘enjoys’ watching Derby County, dog-walking and playing golf.

Hardial is a founder member of MFC and has been a Chair of Religious Resources and Research Steering Committee of University of Derby from 1992-1999 which saw the conception, inception and the realisation of MFC. He has been an active Sikh Advisor since 1989 and is currently a trustee and Vice President. From 1990, he has been an active member of Derby SCACRE as well.

He obtained his BSc (Hons) from University College London, and later completed his Masters in Medicinal Chemistry and PhD in Microbiology from Loughborough University of Technology. He has been a Charter Biologist and a Charter Chemist. From 1989 he has been a lecturer of Biology and for the past 11 years of his service, a Head of Biology at Joseph Wright Centre of Derby College and recently retired in 2017.

His interests include Sikhi and Science and he has lectured and published several articles upon this theme. Recently, he has written articles on Sikh position on current climate change and our responsibility (Sikhi and the Eco-system; Sikhi and the Inspirational Nature; Sikhi and the Pearls of Nature). In 1997, he found a Gurmat School (alias Sikh Religion and Culture Heritage Forum) at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara Derby, where he still serves as a volunteer lecturer. He has also translated the Sikh Scripture – Guru Granth Sahib Ji into English, which is awaiting publication.

Paul is a qualified lawyer with over 30 years’ experience in senior commercial and customer facing leadership roles at Rolls-Royce. Having worked in UK, US, Thailand and China, Paul left the organisation in 2020, and now provides business and cultural advice to SMEs in the region.

Joining the Multi Faith Centre Board of Trustees in November 2024, Paul is part of the Strategy and Performance Sub Committee. Here his legal background, proven business acumen and extensive experience of living and working in different global environments is beneficial in shaping effective plans which deliver against the charities strategic goals.

Terry Waite CBE has spent many years in different parts of the world working alongside people of different cultures, faith and nationalities. He has worked as an advisor to Robert Runcie, former Archbishop of Canterbury and as a hostage negotiator. He himself was kept as a hostage in solitary confinement for almost five years. He is the author of several books and co-founder of Hostage International. He has received many honorary doctorates and other awards.

First Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Derby, and Project Champion, subsequently Vice-Chairman, Acting Chairman and now Vice-President of the Multi-Faith Centre. He has been involved in developing several Derby cultural and educational institutions, and has had a wide range of experience on various national bodies and as an advisor and external examiner at a number of other universities. He studied Physics at Birmingham University then Philosophy at Sussex University (now an Honorary Fellow). He is an Honorary Professor at Middlesex University where he headed degree programmes in three different Faculties before becoming Dean of Humanities. He is also a sometime Veteran County Champion Hammer Thrower. His publications include several editions of Philosophy and the New Physics; articles in the Concise Encyclopaedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers, The Genius of Erasmus Darwin, and Enfield Voices: the Birth of the People’s Universities; plus a series of mini-monographs on the work of influential figures associated with the East Midlands from 17^th to 19^th centuries, arising from his public lectures. He has published a Pictorial History of the Origins and Development of the Multi-Faith Centre and most recently has written A Short Illustrated History of the Timeline of the University of Derby.

Hardial is a founder member of MFC and has been a Chair of Religious Resources and Research Steering Committee of University of Derby from 1992-1999 which saw the conception, inception and the realisation of MFC. He has been an active Sikh Advisor since 1989 and did several programmes to raise funds for the MFC (something which he still does to continue to support MFC). Currently, he is a trustee and an Honorary Vice President of MFC.

He obtained his BSc (Hons) from University College London, and later completed his Masters in Medicinal Chemistry and PhD in Microbiology from Loughborough University of Technology. He has been a Charter Biologist and a Charter Chemist. From 1989 he has been a lecturer of Biology and for the past 11 years of his service, a Head of Biology at Joseph Wright Centre of Derby College and recently retired in 2017.

His interests include Sikhi and Science and he has lectured and published several articles upon this theme. Recently, he has written articles on Sikh position on current climate change and our responsibility (Sikhi and the Eco-system; Sikhi and the Inspirational Nature; Sikhi and the Pearls of Nature) In 1997, he found a Gurmat School (alias Sikh Religion and Culture Heritage Forum) at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara Derby, where he still serves as a volunteer lecturer with other colleagues to run it on weekly bases. Last year, his interest culminated in translating the Sikh Scripture – Guru Granth Sahib Ji into English, by following proper grammar rules, which is awaiting publication.

From 1990, he has been an active member of Derby SCACRE as well.

Dr Wendi Momen has been associated with the Multi-Faith Centre from its early days as the then chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK, on which she still serves as trustee.

Interested in everything that promotes social justice and harmony, Dr Momen supports women’s organisations, including Soroptimist International and UN Women UK. She is currently chair of the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations, a trustee of Widows Rights International and an executive member of UK Civil Society Women’s Alliance and of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Geneva.

In 1982 Dr Momen was appointed a magistrate in the criminal courts and a lay judge in the family court, retiring in October 2020. She is a board member of Ethical Business Building the Future, a Governor at London School of Economics, trustee of Bedford Council of Faiths, board member of the International Environment Forum and member of the International Tree Foundation.

Dr Momen is an editor and author of 13 books. and was awarded an MBE in 2014.