Yaniv Aknin

Yaniv Aknin is a British-Israeli software engineer based in South London, and a member and school speaker for Humanists UK. He was born and raised as a secular Jew in Israel, where he completed seven years of military service. He left Israel in 2013, disillusioned and concerned about the country’s future.

Yaniv works with Israeli and Palestinian partners on peace-building and humanitarian efforts, speaking and fundraising in schools, workplaces, synagogues, mosques, and public forums. He speaks Hebrew, English, and Arabic, which he studies daily to recover the lost fluency of his grandparents.

Yaniv will be speaking alongside Jasr Kawkby.

Phoenix Andrews

Dr Phoenix CS Andrews is a writer and researcher, specialising in politics, fandom, and internet cultures from conspiracy theories and radicalisation to TikTok and data privacy.

Phoenix has written for a range of popular publications, including The Times, Independent, Slate, New Statesman and Prospect magazine, alongside academic articles and book chapters. He posts on Bluesky at @thatdocphoenix.com and regularly appears on broadcast media, including BBC Radio 4, World Service, Times Radio.

Maggie Ardiente

Maggie Ardiente is President of Humanists International, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) with representation on various United Nations committees and other international bodies, and the global representative body at the heart of the humanist movement. She is also past President of the Secular Coalition for America (2020–2025). This coalition represents 20 diverse organisations advocating for equal rights and defending the separation of religion and government in the United States.

She has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and communications, has appeared in national media such as NPR, Fox News, Washington Post, and Huffington Post, and has spoken at dozens of conferences, universities, government institutions, and local organizations on humanism in the United States. She lives in Washington, DC, with her spouse, Roy Speckhardt.

Sharon Booth

Sharon Booth is the Founder and Executive Director of Solutions Not Sides (SNS),responsible for its mission, strategy, curriculum development, and fundraising. She holds a Cambridge University MA in Theology and Religious Studies and a master’s with distinction from King’s College London, specialising in nationalism and religion.

Sharon’s international background includes teaching English in Tunisia and managing youth literacy programs in Jordan. After serving as PA to the Defence Attaché at the British Embassy in Amman, she returned to the UK to work in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution, founding the SNS Education Programme in 2010.

She speaks Arabic and French, has studied ancient Hebrew, and is a member of Humanists UK. Her personal interests include playing flute and piano, yoga, hiking, and swimming.

Erica Buist

Erica Buist is a writer, journalist, and author based in London. She is the author of The Party’s Dead: Grief, Joy, and Spilled Rum at the World’s Death Festivals. The book is an account of her journey to understand how other cultures deal with mortal terror, how they move past the knowledge that they’re going to die in order to live happily day-to-day, how they celebrate rather than shy away from the topic of death – and how when this openness and acceptance are passed down through the generations, death suddenly doesn’t seem so scary after all.

Erica has written for Guardian, the BBC, Medium, Newsweek and in various literary magazines and anthologies. She has been awarded writing residencies at The Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, Vermont Studio Center, Faber, Arte Studio Ginestrelle, and VCCA.

Alfredo Carpineto

Dr Alfredo Carpineti is an Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist. He has an MSc in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces and a PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London. He is the Space & Physics Editor at IFLScience where he has worked for ten years, writing over 6,500 articles that have been read by millions. He is the chair and founder of Pride in STEM, an award-nominated British charity dedicated to supporting and showcasing LGBT+ people in STEM.

He’s an avid science communicator producing videos and podcasts under the moniker The Astroholic. His first book, Invisible Rainbows, was published in May 2026.

Andrew Copson

Andrew Copson is Chief Executive of Humanists UK, responsible for day-to-day management of the organisation as a whole, and management of the staff team. He has been Chief Executive of Humanists UK since 2010, prior to which he worked across educational and public affairs roles within the charity. He is an expert on humanism who has written widely on the subject, and is regularly invited to appear on TV and radio news programmes.

Andrew is also trustee of the Religious Education Council. From 2015 to 2025, he was President of Humanists International – the umbrella body bringing the global humanist movement together to pursue human rights at an international level – where he now serves as an Ambassador.

Luke Donnellan

Luke Donnellan is Director of Understanding Humanism at Humanists UK, where he is responsible for teaching and learning about humanism, especially in formal education settings. He manages Humanists UK’s school speakers programme; teacher training and CPD; and the production of educational resources.

He is the co-author of Understanding Humanism and writer and editor of the online courses Introducing humanism and Humanist lives. In his earlier career, Luke was a primary school and philosophy teacher, and worked for over a decade in media production, producing TV documentaries and factual entertainment series – experience he’s put to use in creating several films for Humanists UK, including the animated short with Alice Roberts, One Life, Live It Well.

Alf Dubs

Lord Alf Dubs is a prominent Labour peer, veteran human rights campaigner, and a long-standing patron of Humanists UK. Born in Prague, he was one of the 669 children saved from the Holocaust through the Kindertransport, an experience that has profoundly shaped his lifelong commitment to social justice. A former Member of Parliament for Battersea and former minister in the Northern Ireland Office, he is widely celebrated for sponsoring the ‘Dubs Amendment’, which sought to provide safe passage for unaccompanied refugee children.

Named Humanist of the Year in 2016 and serving as treasurer of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, Lord Dubs remains a powerful advocate for compassion, reason, and international human rights, frequently drawing on his own lived experience to champion the rights of the displaced and the vulnerable.

Clare Elcombe Webber

Clare Elcombe Webber is Director of Community Services at Humanists UK. She leads the directorate responsible for Humanists UK’s services and activities supporting non-religious people to live happier, more confident, and more ethical lives. This includes Humanist Ceremonies, the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network, and the provision of community through Local Groups and community sections.

Janet Ellis

Janet Ellis MBE is President of Humanists UK, having been a patron since 2014, appointed for her career-long exploration of the human condition through the arts. A celebrated broadcaster, actor, and writer, she is widely recognized for her tenure on Blue Peter and her acclaimed novels, including The Butcher’s Hook (2016). Janet was awarded an MBE in 2016 for her services to theatre and charity, reflecting her dedicated work as a trustee for the National Youth Theatre and her ambassadorial roles for Maggie’s cancer centres and Marie Curie.

As a prominent voice for humanism, Janet frequently explores themes of ethics and human potential, championing a ‘robust sensibility’ rooted in kindness and a rational appreciation of the natural world. She emphasizes the importance of our daily, present contribution to society and the strength found in human connection.

Paul Fitzgerald

Paul ‘Polyp’ Fitzgerald is a cartoonist, graphic novelist, and prop builder based in Manchester. A humanist freethinker, he also serves as chair of the Peterloo Memorial Campaign. Paul is renowned for his intricate and thought-provoking work, tackling complex political, social, and environmental issues through his cartoons and graphic novels.

He has published a significant graphic biography exploring the life and enduring ideas of the radical thinker Thomas Paine. This work uses Paul’s detailed illustrative style to vividly bring Paine’s 18th-century era and revolutionary arguments to life for a modern audience. Paul’s distinctive approach across his broader work often focuses on themes like climate change, economic inequality, corporate power, and social justice, presenting sharp commentary aimed at making challenging subjects accessible and engaging.

Madeleine Goodall

Madeleine Goodall is Humanist Heritage Manager at Humanists UK. Since 2019, she has been researching and sharing the rich history and influence of non-religious people in the UK, alongside a team of volunteers and experts, on the Humanist Heritage website and through a range of events and resources. A particular passion has been uncovering the stories of women in the humanist movement, and she has written about these for publications including New Humanist, History Workshop Online, and The Humanist (US).

Madeleine gives regular talks on humanist history, and has also developed a series of heritage walks across the UK, often working closely with local humanist groups. In 2025, she concluded the two year National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project ‘Humanist Heritage: Doers, Dreamers, Place Makers’, which included an oral history project, public exhibition, and range of events marking the 45th anniversary of LGBT+ Humanists.

James Hodgson

James Hodgson serves as the Chair of Central London Humanists, an official partner group of Humanists UK. He is also the founder of Humanise Live and the host of Humanism Now, a weekly podcast and event series that explores ethics, science, and the arts through a humanist lens. James has spent over ten years building community spaces, ensuring that non-religious people have a platform for meaningful connection, dialogue, and support.

Roger Hutton

Dr Roger Hutton is President of Defence Humanists, and a patron of Humanists UK. Roger retired as a Senior Civil Servant in the UK’s Ministry of Defence in 2020.

Roger’s last job in the Department was Director International Security, with responsibility for operational and international security policy towards a significant proportion of the globe; and for policy on UN Peacekeeping.  Previously, he had worked as MOD’s Director Chilcot (responsible for the MOD’s response to the findings of the Iraq Inquiry, including the well-received guide to effective decision-making, The Good Operation), Strategy Director and Transformation Director.

At various points in his career, Roger also worked in the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, the Home Office, the NHS, and on secondment to the private sector. He continues to take an interest in international security issues and the factors shaping effective decision-making, including as Honorary Associate Professor at the Strategy and Security Institute at the University of Exeter. 

Laura Iteman

Laura Iteman is Founder and Director of Secular Sisters, a London based community for non-religious black women. The community began on Discord in July 2025 following a viral TikTok, and quickly grew after its first in-person meet up in August 2025. Since then, Secular Sisters has continued to host events that create spaces for connection, conversation, and belonging outside of religious communities, which often hold a strong influence within the Black British community.

Jasr Kawkby

Dr Jasr Kawkby is a British-Palestinian paediatrician based in East London, and a member of Central London Humanists. Born and raised as a religious Muslim in Palestine, he left 25 years ago to study and practice medicine.

His advocacy for Palestinian human rights is often expressed through joint work with members of the Jewish community in the UK. He is committed to a vision of shared life in which everyone living on the land is equal before one law, irrespective of ethnicity, language, or religion. He speaks Arabic, English, and German.

Jasr will be speaking alongside Yaniv Aknin.

Iszi Lawrence

Iszi Lawrence is an award-winning comedian, broadcaster, and author whose work spans television, radio, and the stage. She has appeared on BBC Two, Sky History, and Netflix, among numerous other documentaries, and presented Making History with Tom Holland alongside programmes for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. A regular at museums and festivals, she is also co-host of the popular palaeontology podcast Terrible Lizards. Iszi writes historical fiction for children, and her latest novel, The Domesday Cows (Bloomsbury), for readers aged 9–12, was Independent Bookshops’ Book of the Month for January 2026.

Oscar Lozada

Oscar Lozada is a PhD researcher in palaeoanthropology at the University of Cambridge, where he studies the relationship between early humans and their environment. Drawing on isotope and protein analysis, his work explores how Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens responded to a deteriorating climate at the start of the Last Ice Age, focussing particularly on the famous Neanderthal skeletons from Shanidar cave in Iraq. Outside the lab, he has excavated early human remains in the UK, Morocco and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Alongside academic work, Oscar leads ‘Uncomfortable Cambridge’ tours of the colonial history of the city and recently co-wrote a new tour exploring the history of unethical science at the university, from animal testing to eugenics. He is regularly involved with archaeological outreach, in person and online, and in summer 2026 will start a science communication internship at the Royal Institution.

Lori Marriott

Lori Marriott is Coordinator of Humanist Climate Action, a volunteer-led network of Humanists UK members and supporters working to promote low-carbon, ethical, and sustainable living. Since 2021, she has led efforts to put humanist values into practice on environmental issues – bringing humanists together to campaign for evidence-based policies, challenge climate disinformation, and encourage greener lifestyles.

Lori has long campaigned on environmental causes, previously volunteering with the Green Party and several NGOs, and has spoken on climate responsibility for the Faith & Belief Forum’s Earth Day podcast as well as contributing to Humanists UK’s Understanding Humanism textbook.

Alongside her activism, Lori is a Director at Randall’s Monitoring, where she has worked since 2013. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in International Relations from the University of Warwick.

Emma Monk

Emma Monk is a researcher, writer, and anti-misinformation campaigner dedicated to dismantling misleading narratives in public discourse. Originally trained as a molecular geneticist, she applies scientific rigour to debunk falsehoods across mainstream and social media. Emma is the creator of the Monk Debunks: Beyond the Narrative Substack, providing evidence-based analysis of complex data and sensationalist headlines.

Emma’s work bridges the gap between scientific literacy and public understanding, equipping individuals with the psychological tools to resist cognitive bias, identify logical fallacies, and evaluate source credibility in an increasingly polarized and information-dense digital landscape.

Robin Morgan

Robin Morgan is a Welsh stand-up comedian, writer, presenter, and actor. On stage he is ‘wonderfully cheeky and engaging’ (Three Weeks), and is ‘a phenomenal comic – utterly hilarious’ (Broadway Baby).

He has performed four solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival, his debut in 2016 received glowing reviews including ★★★★ from the Sunday Times. The show was later adapted into a half-hour recording for BBC Radio Wales, as Robin Morgan: Proposes. He is currently on his biggest tour to date in 2024/5, with the brand new show ‘The Spark’.

Robin has appeared on Mock The Week (BBC Two), The News Quiz, The Now Show (BBC Radio 4) and co-created Ellie Taylor’s Safe Space (BBC Radio 4). He co-created and hosts the award-winning topical comedy panel show What Just Happened? (BBC One Wales and BBC Radio Wales).

Rachael Reign

Rachael Reign is the founder and CEO of Surviving Universal UK (SUUK), the UK’s only Black-led specialist organisation supporting people affected by spiritual and cultic abuse. Drawing on her lived experience within a high-control religious group, she has become a leading voice on coercive control, safeguarding, and culturally competent survivor support, particularly within Black and Global Majority communities.

Reign works across advocacy, training, media, and policy reform to improve recognition of cultic abuse within UK safeguarding and legal frameworks. Through cyber activism and digital storytelling, she has helped build a global survivor movement through SUUK, supporting thousands of survivors and families while bringing national attention to an often overlooked form of abuse.

Kathy Riddick

Kathy Riddick leads Humanists UK’s work in Wales as Coordinator of Wales Humanists, bringing together members and supporters across the nation. Her role focuses on representing humanists in Wales in public life, supporting a wide volunteer network, and seeing non-religious perspectives reflected in Welsh policy, public debate, and the media. She represents Humanists UK on multiple Welsh Government and civil society groups that promote equality and human rights.

Alice Roberts

Professor Alice Roberts is Vice President of Humanists UK. She is Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham, and holds honorary fellowships at Hull, York Medical School, and the University of Bristol.

She is a past President of the British Science Association, a member of the Advisory Board of the Cheltenham Festival of Science, and Patron of the Association of Science and Discovery Centres. She received the Royal Society’s David Attenborough Award for Public Engagement in 2020.

Alice has presented over 100 TV documentaries on human biology, history, and archaeology. Her television debut was as a human bone specialist on Channel 4’s Time Team in 2001. Since then, she has hosted BBC Two’s Coast, and written and presented landmark series such as The Incredible Human Journey, Origins of Us, and Ice Age Giants. She has also presented history and archaeology series like Britain’s Most Historic Towns, Fortress Britain, Ancient Egypt by Train, Curse of the Ancients, and Royal Autopsy. Her longest-running series, BBC Two’s Digging for Britain, is now in its 13th season.

Alice is author of Ancestors (2021), Buried (2022), Crypt (2024), and Domination (2025), and, with Andrew Copson, of The Little Book of Humanism (2020), The Little Book of Humanist Weddings (2021), and The Little Book of Humanist Funerals (2023).

Adam Rutherford

Dr Adam Rutherford is a scientist, writer, and broadcaster, and is Vice President of Humanists UK.

He is a Lecturer in Biology and Society at UCL, and has written and presented award-winning series and programmes for the BBC, including Radio 4’s Start the Week, Inside Science, The Human Subject with Dr Julia Shaw, and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry with Dr Hannah Fry.

He’s written a number of books including A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Book of Humans, the Sunday Times bestselling How to Argue With a Racist, Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics, and, most recently, his first book for children, Where Are You Really From?, published in 2023.

Niki Seth-Smith

Niki Seth-Smith is editor of New Humanist, the magazine of freethinkers, published by Humanists UK. She is also a fiction writer and freelance journalist. Her work appears in OpenDemocracy, London Review of Books, Al Jazeera and the London Magazine, among other publications.

Clare Stainthorp

Dr Clare Stainthorp is a literary and intellectual historian specialising in 19th-century freethought and interdisciplinary thinking. At Queen Mary University of London she led the project ‘Reading the Freethought Movement: Atheism, Agnosticism, and Secularism, 1866–1907’ (2021-24). She is the author of Constance Naden: Scientist, Philosopher, Poet (2019), the first book about this Victorian atheist polymath.

Clare is Co-Director of the International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism, and currently works at the Royal College of Art and University College London.

Nathan Stilwell

Nathan Stilwell is Head of Press and Campaign Communications at Humanists UK, where he leads media strategy and public-facing campaigns on some of the organisation’s most high-profile issues. He has played a central role in shaping national conversations around human rights, equality, and freedom of belief, with particular expertise in translating complex ethical and political debates into compelling public campaigns.

He is especially known for his work on assisted dying, where he has been closely involved in efforts to change the law in the UK, helping to build public and political support for reform. He’s the chair of the Assisted Dying Coalition and a board member of My Death, My Decision. He’s appeared on Sky News, BBC News, Channel 5, and multiple radio stations, making the compassionate case for a change in the law.

Alex von Tunzelmann

Alex von Tunzelmann is an acclaimed historian, screenwriter, and author of five books, including the international bestseller Indian Summer (2007) and the Wolfson History Prize-shortlisted Fallen Idols (2021). Her work explores the intersections of power, politics, and historical myth-making – frequently challenging established narratives. As a screenwriter, she penned the 2017 film Churchill, and wrote several episodes of historical drama series Medici, distributed on Netflix in the UK. She also hosts the popular BBC podcast series History’s Heroes, shines a light on the inspiring and unusual stories of courage, pioneering, and people who used their voice to spark change.

David Wearing

Dr David Wearing is Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Sussex, and the author of AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain, the only book-length study of the modern political economy of Britain’s ties with the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman).

David’s broad research agenda concerns UK foreign relations in the Global South, exploring continuities from the colonial era to the present day. He is a specialist on UK foreign relations in the Middle East.

David is an experienced commentator and broadcaster, appearing regularly on media such as Sky News, LBC, and BBC TV and radio, providing analysis on UK-Gulf relations and the international relations of the Middle East more broadly. He has written numerous comment and analysis pieces on these and other issues for outlets including the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent, Tribune, New Humanist, and the London Review of Books.

Neil Weddell

Padre Dr Neil Weddell has been a part of the Armed Forces since 2003. He has completed multiple operational tours over his career including Afghanistan, Nigeria,, and Sierra Leone where he was part of the Ebola task force. As an Army instructor, he has enjoyed many diverse roles including civil military advisor, leadership tutor to officers and soldiers, cultural advisor at Defence Academy, and second in command of training establishments and military units, finishing his career at the rank of senior Major. During that time he has been Co-Chair of Humanists UK’s section Defence Humanists and its sister network within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Humanists and Non-Religious in Defence (HAND). In 2023, after the MoD decided it should recruit non-religious pastoral carers, Neil was part of the implementation project team. He is a trained and accredited member of the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN), and a Humanists UK celebrant.

Thomas Westbrook

Thomas Westbrook is a content creator and activist promoting scientific skepticism, critical thinking, and humanist values. Since 2015, he has run Holy Koolaid, a YouTube channel with over 428,000 subscribers and more than 52 million views, tackling religious dogma, pseudoscience, Christian Nationalism, and authoritarianism, with curiosity, evidence, and a refusal to let any idea escape honest scrutiny.

A former evangelical missionary kid raised in Azerbaijan, Thomas walked away from religion in university and built Holy Koolaid as a home for skeptics, humanists, and the quietly questioning. He previously served on the board of the Atheist Community of Tulsa and is president of the Faithless Forum Conference, which brings together atheist and humanist content creators to spark collaborations, mentor new voices, and remind people across the secular community that they are not alone.

Zak Winduss

Zak Winduss is a former Jehovah’s Witness from New Zealand who now lives in London. He is a committee member for Central London Humanists and volunteers with Faith to Faithless, reflecting his interest in community, secular life, and supporting spaces for people navigating life after religion. Professionally, he works as a travel advisor and travel writer, a career that reflects his love of curiosity, freedom, and adventure.

Karen Wright

Karen Wright is Humanists UK’s Acting Director of Human Rights and Advocacy and has worked at the charity since 2018. She leads the directorate responsible for Humanists UK’s work to advance universal human rights, particularly freedom of thought, expression, and choice. She acts as Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, which brings together around 130 non-religious MPs and peers to raise the humanist voice in Parliament, and holds regular events on matters of interest to humanists.

Outside of Humanists UK, Karen works part time for Lord Dubs, patron of Humanists UK, who sits in the House of Lords.