The committee for July 2024- June 2025
Umar Aktar, President
Philip Cavalier-Lumley, Vice-President of Education
Aishah Kiran, Vice-President of Membership
Beresford Lewis , Vice-President of PR
Sunday O. Babalola , Secretary
Philip Cavalier-Lumley, Treasurer
Qasem Awan, Sergeant At Arms
From an early age growing up I had a passion for words and public speaking. I was influenced by the compelling and memorable stories my grandmother told me, listening to debates on the radio and watching local and international preachers captivate their audiences-through the power of words. I knew then that speaking was going to be an important part of my life. As a Business Growth Strategist and Business Management lecturer it is important to always keep improving my craft. Bradford Speakers provides me with abundant opportunities to enhance my communication and leadership skills and ultimately to be the best I can be. As Jim Rohn says, “words do two things: they provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness”. And that is my mission, it’s what I do. I am here to serve and support you to be your best also.
I founded Bradford Speaks in late 2016 with the intention of helping people develop their communication skills and in 2020 Bradford Speaks chartered with Toastmasters International. I had feared and suffered when asked to speak in public in the past. After attending a training session in 2011 I went on to compete in a public speaking competition in Europe. Now I love it and more importantly I love seeing people join Bradford Speaks and within a short period of time a change in them, their confidence grows and their careers start to take off.
My growth as a result of being a member of Bradford Speaks is immeasurable. As a Writer who feared speaking in public, a friend of mine abroad introduced me to Eventbrite where I found Bradford Speaks. I attended the first meeting lately, 2022. I kept on going, and I'm still going due to how fast my public speaking competence has grown. Thank you, Bradford Speaks.