EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
DALWINDER RAI - AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Dalwinder Rai is the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Lead for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, where she has served since August 2022. With a robust career in the fire service that began in January 2005, Dalwinder has dedicated nearly two decades to promoting inclusivity and diversity within the sector, previously serving as an EDI Partner at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. Throughout her career, she has worked in various roles, including payroll and recruitment. Dalwinder holds a Level 5 qualification in CIPD and served as the Chair for the Asian Fire and Rescue Service from 2018 to 2023. Her commitment to driving positive change was recognised when she received the Excellence in Fire Service Award for the Most Influential Ethnic Minority in the Fire Service in 2023. Dalwinder is not only passionate about EDI but also about giving back to the community. She actively participates in fundraising efforts for various charitable initiatives, including completing a tandem skydive that raised over £1,000 for the Firefighters Charity. Additionally, she abseiled down the ArcelorMittal Orbit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and achieved a remarkable Guinness World Record for making the largest naan bread.
LAURA MULLINS - VICE CHAIR
Laura joined West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service as the service’s Diversity & Inclusion Manager in September 2019 having previously supported West Sussex County Council’s HR team for more than 20 years. After taking on this new role Laura quickly became involved with AFSA and became a key member of the Extended Leadership Team, keen to share the benefits of the organisation with the wider service in West Sussex. In March 2020, Laura was instrumental in delivering an AFSA regional development day, and reacted swiftly as the world was coming to terms with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulties this posed with large scale face to face gatherings. Throughout the pandemic she remained an active member of the regional group and Extended Leadership Team supporting events and building support for AFSA within West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, and found new ways to engage with colleagues to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion remained a key part of everyone’s working day, even at a time of great change and uncertainty. Through her role she established a brand new network of Equality and Diversity Champions, welcoming members of staff from all corners of the organisation to serve as advocates and to champion issues around equality, diversity and inclusion among their colleagues. To date, more than 20 members of staff within the service had come forward to take up this voluntary role. A number of champions have since attended AFSA events and in turn become champions within their own teams, showcasing the work that AFSA carries out, while also further developing their own understanding of diversity and inclusion. Laura is most proud of being able to make a difference to individuals through the work she has carried out. Her work with the county council saw her implement support programmes for trans members of staff in 2014 long before it became common place in workplaces, and is something that Laura remains immensely proud to have been able to deliver upon. She recognises that while equality, diversity and inclusion are vast areas, sometimes the most important and most effective first step you can take is to make an impact on just one other person, igniting that spark that is pivotal to affect wider organisational cultural change over the years to come. She is known for reminding colleagues that people will forget what you said to them, and often what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. It is safe to say that colleagues from across the whole of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service will remember how Laura made them feel, and the positive working culture that she has worked hard to instil, for many, many years to come.
MICHAEL WYLDBORE-WOOD - VICE CHAIR
Mick lives and works in Derbyshire, although originally from Liverpool. He started his career in youth work working with marginalised young people and young offenders in Merseyside in the early 1990’s. After studying Youth and Community Studies at Derby University he went on to manage youth programs in North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. He has always been keen to seek out opportunities for personal and social development for all, regardless of background. He is a qualified Outdoor Instructor and used these skills to take young people around the world on a variety of life changing expeditions from Everest base camp to the Amazon rainforest and everywhere in between. He is a firm believer that exposure to new cultures, ideas and people builds better individuals and better communities and believes this approach is pivotal to building better Fire Services. In 2004, Mick joined Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and during that time has worked across multiple stations gathering a whole host of specialisms. Mick utilised these skills training the workforce during 3 years in Derbyshire FRS’ training department gaining several Instructor qualifications, including a Diploma in Specialist Rescue from Coventry University. Mick is now a Station Manager and leads the EDI team within Derbyshire FRS as well as Youth Intervention and Chaplaincy. Mick is qualified in British Sign Language, working towards level 3, and is currently Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service’s only British Sign Language competent officer with a special interest in working with the Deaf community. He has a passion for inclusivity in everything he does and believes others should never be excluded because of someone’s own ignorance.
BALBIR SINGH - TREASURER
Project Manager / Programme Leader at Jaguar Land Rover, working on the new Land Rover Defender project. A proactive Project Manager (Prince 2 -up to £25m) responsible for managing my designated area of operations on a day to day basis, with more than 15 years’ experience at board level.Successfully completed change programmes in highly regulated and political environments to quality, cost and time.Extensive experience within the public and private sectors, including the NHS. Led cross-functional teams based across multiple sites and managed diverse groups of professionals.A leader who has built successful teams, possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.Always puts the interests of the customer first. Specialties: Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, Business Development, Consultation, Risk, Quality Standards and Project Management
WAYNE MCCOLLIN - VICE TREASURER
Until April 2009 Wayne was Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Lothian and Borders FRS having the role of Director of Personnel and Training and contributing greatly to the organisational development of the service. As a qualified and experienced coach and facilitator he has continued to contribute to the development of people and departments of fire and rescue services nationally and internationally, other agencies and private sector organisations. Wayne believes firmly in giving individuals responsibility and ownership with clear accountability and aims to develop relationships that encourage awareness, engagement and empowerment; using inductive and deductive learning techniques that allow individuals to reflect on alternatives, find new perspectives and review outcomes and learning. Wayne was awarded the Queens Fire Service Medal for his work on equality and diversity.
JAGTAR SINGH - JOINT NATIONAL ADVISOR
Jagtar Singh is a founder member of AFSA and has been the national advisor since AFSA was first formed in London in 2004 and then launched in 2007 as a National Organisation.He is currently the Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trusts, and was appointed Trust Chair in September 2014. With over 28 years’ strategic leadership experience in senior public service and national roles, Jagtar brings a wealth of expertise to the Trust, including 20 years in the Fire and Rescue Service and 18 years in Non-Executive roles in the Ambulance Service and latterly in Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Jagtar was Acting Chief Fire Officer in Bedford and Luton Fire and Rescue Service and rose from Fire Fighter to Divisional Commander in the West Midlands Service.In 2003 Jagtar received both the Public Servant of the Year Award at the Asian Achievement Awards ceremony in Birmingham and was awarded an OBE for his work on equality and diversity in the Fire Service. In 2004, he was seconded to the role of Lead Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services working for the Department for Communities and Local Government and led on embedding Equality and Diversity in the Fire Service.After taking his retirement in 2006, Jagtar was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in the East of England Ambulance Service. Jagtar has previously served as a Trustee for the Healing Foundation and in Employment Opportunities for Disabled People, Jagtar also served on Bedford Race Equality Council, and as Chair of Bedfordshire Police Audit Committee.
MOHAMMED JOGI - STRATEGIC COORDINATOR
As an HR & Organisational development specialist he has over 20 years’ experience working in the private, public and independent sector both in the UK and abroad.He has designed and delivered a wide variety of HR and organisational development and learning strategies and practices.He has overseen and carried out major interventions around HR & OD for executives, managers, and employees in banking, healthcare, and emergency services. At present he is working at NHS Employers promoting the NHS as an Employer of excellence through supporting the delivery of designated working programmes within the NHS. He has also jointly published research articles on ‘BME Disciplinary and the NHS’, Experience of African Nurses in the NHS, & Equality Diversity in the NHS. He is recognised as a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute Personnel Development & holds a Masters in Human Resource Management.Recently he was awarded MSc Healthcare Leadership & The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Programme Leading Care II & NHS Leadership Academy Award in Senior Healthcare Leadership Award. In addition, he is also an accredited PRINCE2 project manager, NLP practitioner and a qualified and experienced job evaluator and qualified BPS Level A & B Qualifications in Occupational testing. He is married with two daughters and is a season ticket holder at Liverpool FC.
MICHAEL OGWO - MINUTES SECRETARY
During Michael’s Fire Service Career he has received a valuable education from three organisations; First, he joined the London Fire Brigade in 1979 as an operational Firefighter, second, the Black and Ethnic Minority Members support group sponsored by the Fire Brigades Union and third, founder and valued member of the Asian Fire Service Association, set up and driven by a broad spectrum of free thinking and inspirational people in the Fire and other public services.Michael retired from the Fire Service in 2009 and continues to benefit from this education through his links with AFSA.This gives Michael a social environment in which to share ideas and good times with friends. Michael enjoys DIY, drawing, painting and has a keen interest in Motorcycles and touring.
MOHAMMED DHALECH - GENERAL SECRETARY
Mohammed joined Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service in 2020 as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Mohamed has worked at senior level in the Criminal Justice System, Higher Education, the Voluntary Sector and in the European Youth Sector as an Educational Advisor and Trainer and a lead member of the European Campaign Against Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism and Intolerance, with the Council of Europe. Mohammed is a Churchill Fellow (2019), researching Black and Minority Ethnic engagement in the outdoors, traveling to North America meeting and visiting a range of organisations and National Parks including Yosemite, Mohammed’s passions is engaging more diverse communities and representation in the environmental and outdoor sector and has advised DEFRA, Natural England and other national agencies and national parks, Mohammed is a OS Get Outside champion. He has worked as a Firefighter at multiple stations around Merseyside, and as a manager has worked in Operational Planning, Training and Development and now in Operational Response managing 3 Wholetime Community Fire Stations. Mohammed has been involved in Equality work for over 20 years in various sectors across the UK and was involved in the development and assessment of the Equality Standards in local Government, Fire and Rescue Services and the Voluntary Sector, Mohammed has lead work on Rural Racism in the 80’s, the first project of its kind in the UK and Europe. Mohammed enjoys travelling and can normally be found in the Yorkshire Dales or The Lakes at weekends, either volunteering or enjoying the beauty and nature.
JO HARFLEET - COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
Jo has worked for Kent Fire and Rescue Service since 2009. Having spent nine years working as a press and communications officer, she took up her current role as Customer Liaison Officer in February 2018. She is part of the AFSA executive team, supporting the communication and awards committee.She plays an active role in the South Region group and arranged a successful national knowledge sharing event to share information and understanding about Sikh, Roma and Polish communities in Kent, with colleagues from the AFSA, other fire, police and health services. Jo has always been interested in ppeople, places and different cultures, influenced by growing up in a very diverse area of London. Ensuring everyone has equal access to services and job opportunities is something Jo is passionate about and she has worked hard in Kent to foster and develop good relations with a wide range of diverse community groups.
HARDEEP DALE - CHARITY COORDINATOR
Hardeep joined London Fire Brigade in May 2004 and is currently serving as a Sub officer at Heathrow Fire Station.He has endeavoured to improve his skill sets and gained technical rescue and command support skills. Hardeep has been a valued member of the AFSA Executive team over the past few years in his roles as Chair of the London region, National Vice Chair for over two years and now Charity Coordinator. As a father, Sub Officer, vice chair of AFSA and as well as being from a minority community means he is aware of the importance of being a good role model.This means living and breathing his personal values and the values of the fire service.Hardeep’s diverse roles have meant challenging unacceptable behaviour at a local and national level.This has included challenging discriminatory behaviour as well as dealing with bullying and harassment and wider health and wellbeing challenges involving staff. Hardeep has a passion for the Fire Service and organising charity raffles and auctions.