We are absolutely delighted to welcome Shaf Choudry, Tracey Gyateng and Phillipa Nazari as the newest members of the Open Data Manchester Board of Directors.
Shaf says he’s a “product of Manchester” and is one of the pair behind The Riz Test, which took inspiration from the Bechdel Test and a speech about diversity made by actor Riz Ahmed to the House of Commons, to devise a set of criteria to help us understand more about how Muslims are portrayed on screen.
Shaf now researches the link between media portrayals of minority groups, particularly Muslims, and bias in AI and algorithms. Find out more about his work here.
Tracey Gyateng has most recently been Community Data Principal at Justice Lab, an initiative of The Legal Education Foundation, where she has supported not-for-profits to use data better in the pursuit of justice for all.
She says:
“I joined ODM because I have been a not-so-secret fan for several years now. In particular, its approach of explaining the importance of data and deliberately bringing voices from a range of communities to shape how data is collected and managed. I share an interest in how data should be used to improve our lives and environment, and I hope to use my knowledge of data, research and engagement to support this brilliant work.”
And last but not least, Phillipa is Director of Information Governance and a seasoned Data Protection Officer at the British Business Bank. Previously she led the development of the Greater Manchester Information Strategy and set up the Greater Manchester Information Board while at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester, of which ODM is a co-opted member.
Phillipa is passionate for people to understand that good information governance and data protection can create the right framework for achieving safe and sound outcomes for people with data.
She says:
“The ethos and work of ODM aligns in a huge way with what drives my work in the information governance space. The appropriate and responsible use of data and information is critical, not only to society now, but for future generations to come. As a proud Mancunian, it is an honour to be a part of the ODM team and I am looking forward to helping shape the future strategic direction of the organisation.”
Find out more about Tracey and Phillipa, and the rest of the team, here.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Professor Farida Vis, who joined us in 2018 as a Board member, and is stepping down. We’d also like to thank Linda Humphries, who is stepping up to become our new Chair – and a special, huge thanks to Michelle Brook – our outgoing Chair, who remains on the Board.
Until 2017, ODM was a committed group of volunteers – we can certainly see that we’ve come a long way since then.
Onwards!