Our People
Board of Trustees
Philip Mendelsohn
(Jewish, Chair)
Philip has been Chair of Interfaith Glasgow since it became an independent charity in 2016. A Chartered Engineer by profession and with a wealth of governance experience gained in various contexts, Philip is Jewish and has a long history of communal involvement within his community, from youth groups in his teenage years, to service on the Council of Queens Park Hebrew Congregation (including as Chairman) and, later, a period as President of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council. Through this work, Philip developed an interest in interfaith engagement and welcomed the chance to join the Interfaith Glasgow Advisory Group in 2013, which later became our Board of Trustees.
Rev Dr Kleber Machado
(Christian – Church of Scotland, Vice Chair)
Dr Anthony Allison
(Christian − Roman Catholic, Treasurer)
Safa Yousaf
(Muslim − Sunni)
Dharmacharini Parami
(Buddhist – Triratna)
William Dereck Redfern
(Baha’i)
Rev Maggie McTernan
(Christian – Episcopal Church)
Rajpal Singh
(Sikh)
Michael Shanks
(Christian – Episcopal Church)
Andrew Lal
(Hindu)
Mahrukh Shaukat
(Muslim – Sunni)
Sunna Kaleem
(Muslim – Shia)
Staff Team
Dr Rose Drew
Chief Executive Officer (part-time)
rose.drew@interfaithglasgow.org
Rose is founding CEO of Interfaith Glasgow. Her interest in interfaith dialogue began while living with a Hindu family while teaching English in Nepal in the late 1990s. As well as extensive practical interfaith experience and facilitation training, Rose has a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies (University of Glasgow) and an MA in Interreligious Relations (University of Birmingham); and has held lecturing and research posts at Glasgow and Uppsala universities (including a period as Programme Director of Glasgow’s Postgraduate Masters in Inter-Faith Studies). She has published academic articles in the fields of interreligious dialogue, comparative theology, and the theology of religions; and an award-winning book, Buddhist and Christian? An Exploration of Dual Belonging (Routledge, 2011).
Dr Magdalen Lambkin
Development Director (part-time)
magdalen.lambkin@interfaithglasgow.org
Magdalen manages a range of our projects and has responsibility for developing new programmes. Originally from Belfast and brought up within Northern Ireland’s vibrant ecumenical movement, she became interested in interfaith engagement on moving to Glasgow and encountering its rich diversity. She has an MTh in Inter-faith Studies from the University of Glasgow, where she also completed a PhD. Her thesis explored various theories and practices of interreligious learning, including the dialogue practice of Scriptural Reasoning. She is a trained facilitator and mediator and a volunteer practitioner with Place for Hope – a charity assisting faith communities experiencing change and conflict.
Lynnda Wardle
Programme Manager (part-time)
lynnda.wardle@interfaithglasgow.org
Lynnda is Programme Manager for our Weekend Club project, which facilitates an interfaith response to the social isolation experienced by people from refugee backgrounds. Her interest in community development work grew out of her experience working as a community librarian in South Africa in the 1980s and 90s. Lynnda studied community librarianship at the University of America in Washington D.C. on a Fulbright Scholarship and obtained a BA in Community Development from the University of Glasgow in 2012. She worked with Bridges Programmes as an employability caseworker for refugees before joining the Interfaith Glasgow team. Lynnda is also a writer and is currently completing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, exploring the experiences of Scottish migrants to South Africa in the 1820s.
Katie Sproull
Project Leader
katie.sproull@interfaithglasgow.org
As Project Leader, Katie focuses on planning and delivering dialogue events, coordinating the Interfaith Food Justice Network, and managing our talented team of office volunteers. Glasgow born and raised, Katie has an MA and MTh in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Glasgow, her research masters specialising in biblical art, and she is also a trained facilitator. Katie’s interest in interfaith engagement was sparked when she started attending our Faith to Faith dialogue events, while working as a volunteer with our partners at St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. In her free time, Katie is an amateur playwright and equalities activist, and is passionate about increasing the representation of marginalised communities in media.
Satya Dunning
Project Leader (part-time, freelance)
satya.dunning@interfaithglasgow.org
Satya’s work includes planning and delivering dialogue and friendship-building events and facilitating interfaith cooperation in relation to the climate crisis. Born in Dakar, Senegal, Satya has a background in community work and has worked for various organisations, such as The Rainbow Muslim Women’s Group, Forth Valley Sensory Centre, and RNIB Scotland. Satya studied Interpreting and Translation at Heriot-Watt University and contemporary dance at Trinity Laban and has leadership training in Nonviolent Communication. Alongside her work at Interfaith Glasgow, she is a freelance Dance & Movement Artist and wellbeing practitioner. Satya loves nature, meditation, reading, cooking, and dancing.
Rosie Burrell
Project Leader (part-time)
rosie.burrell@interfaithglasgow.org
As Project Leader, Rosie leads on the organisation of our Weekend Club events and the coordination of One Big Picnic, as well as other charity work. After graduating in Philosophy (MA, First Class) from the University of Glasgow in 2020 and developing an interest in moral philosophy, gender and race, and climate ethics, Rosie started working in the Third Sector. As well as working for Interfaith Glasgow, Rosie has another part-time job with music charity Good Vibrations, and is on the committee of Refugee Sponsorship Ibrox, Glasgow’s first refugee sponsorship group. She is also involved in climate justice work and is a founding member of grassroots climate action group Time for Change Argyll and Bute, based where she was raised on Scotland’s west coast. Rosie is passionate about integration, human rights, and social justice.
Fakhriya Abdulkadir
Events and Outreach Assistant (part-time, freelance)
fakhriya.abdulkadir@interfaithglasgow.org
Fakhriya’s work is focussed on supporting the delivery and development of our Weekend Club project – an interfaith response to the social isolation experienced by people from refugee backgrounds – and before joining our staff team, she was a volunteer with the Weekend Club for more than five years. Fakhriya has considerable experience of working with people from refugee backgrounds and was awarded an Ethnic Minority Impact Award by CEMVO in 2017 in recognition of her voluntary work in this area. Fakhriya is trained in community development work, holds an HNC in Working with Communities, and is now entering her 3rd year of her BA Community Development at the University of Glasgow. Fakhriya is deeply committed to highlighting the inequalities faced by asylum seekers and refugees and to challenging the ideologies and power structures that affect marginalised groups.