ABC Launch Event Speakers

Bishop Guli was recently appointed to be the Church of England’s first Bishop for Housing, leading efforts to implement the recommendations of the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community. She is also the present Bishop of Loughborough and soon to be the next Bishop of Chelmsford, as well as the vice chair of the Church Army. Before training for ministry, Bishop Guli worked as a religion producer for the BBC.

Justin Welby is the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was ordained in 1992 after an 11-year career in the oil industry, and spent his first 15 years serving in Coventry diocese, often in places of significant deprivation, before becoming Dean of Liverpool, Bishop of Durham and then Archbishop of Canterbury in late 2012. He is author of several books, including ‘Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope’, with a chapter on housing that inspired the establishment of the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community.

Helen Barnard is Acting Director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Helen has worked across policy and analysis at JRF, most recently leading the policy and partnerships team to develop new solutions to solve poverty. Helen joined the Foundation in 2005 and has developed and led programmes of research and policy focusing on child poverty, labour markets, poverty and ethnicity, destitution and education. Before joining the Foundation, she worked at BMRB Social Research and Opinion Leader Research. She is also a commissioner for the Social Metrics Commission and sits on the West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Board and the Timewise Innovation Unit Advisory Board.

In her time at L&Q, Fiona has spearheaded a £5 billion development programme and led their expansion into the Midlands and North West. Prior to joining L&Q, Fiona was the Executive Director for Development, Enterprise and Environment at the Greater London Authority (GLA), where she was responsible for overseeing the delivery and implementation of key strategies such as the London Plan, the Economic Development Strategy, transport, environment and climate change.

Adeola is the founder of Hope4All housing surgery (an arm of Hands of Hope Foundation), a Christian Housing Community project in South East London, which provides training and advice on housing issues to church leaders, congregation and the wider community. Hope4All was one of the winners of Cinnamon Project Lab 2020, which is awarded to church-led projects with the potential to grow and replicate across the UK. Adeola has a social work & housing background, is a member of the Chartered Institute for Housing and also a member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. She also works as an Environmental Health Professional for one of the London boroughs.

With 15 years experience as an Organiser and now Director at Citizens UK, Matthew has pioneered Community Organising as a force for social change and democratic renewal. He was the lead Organiser for the UK Living Wage campaign, which has now accredited nearly 7,000 Living Wage Employers and won over £1 billion for low-paid workers. He is also the author of 'How to Resist', an internationally renowned book on Organising and campaigning.

Nick is Head of Planning at the Duchy of Cornwall and has worked in planning and development for nearly thirty years. He works nationally with a focus on building sustainable walkable neighbourhoods underpinned by local engagement and participation. Nick has played a key role in seeing award mixed use housing schemes through from inception to occupation. He has a particular interest in the creation of well-designed and connected places for communities to live, work and thrive. Nick started his career at Westminster City Council, followed by seven years in planning consultancy in London’s West End. Nick started his career at Westminster City Council, followed by consultancy positions in London and Bristol. He has worked for the Duchy of Cornwall since 2010.

Stephen has previously served as the Bishop of Chelmsford, Bishop of Reading, Canon Pastor at Peterborough Cathedral and Diocesan Missioner for the Diocese of Wakefield. He served in parishes in South London and Chichester. He is a member of the Church of England’s Committee for Minority Ethnic Concerns, and Chair of Church Army, an Anglican society for evangelism and social outreach. He is a member of the House of Lords. He is also a well-known writer and speaker on evangelism, spirituality and catechesis. His latest book, Dear England, is published in March and addresses issues about how the Christian faith can shape the life of our nation.