Speakers

Over the course of our events, we have had inspiring speakers from across the world and the professional spectrum. You can hear from some of them on our podcast, why not listen today.

You can find out more about those who shared at our Manchester event in 2023 below.

Plenary Sessions

  • Daniel is founder of Worship.Works, an organisation that equips followers of Christ to put their faith to work in their careers through the teaching and application of Biblical principles.

    Over 25 years of experience in business has led Daniel on a journey of discovery with the Spirit and the Word, resulting in his approach to leading a team of ‘marketplace ministers’ who co-work with God to develop Holy Spirit-led business practices. Each minister is encouraged to express their worship to God in the ways they serve clients and colleagues, and work with excellence in everything they do - seeking His Spirit in all things, for His glory.

    Daniel is also CEO of an innovative insights consultancy to the global healthcare industry, which he founded with his wife Jo in 1998.

  • Shireen is the Director of Third Culture Solutions Ltd. She is a Malaysian-Chinese Kiwi who has been educated in New Zealand completing her degree at Massey University (MSc Nut.Sci). She has spent the past 29 years in New Zealand but goes to Asia regularly as her family is now based in Singapore. Her personal experience of moving between the East and the West led her explore how culture can have an impact in working and personal relationships, and how it shapes our identity. This led her to pursue further study in the area of Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Competence of individuals and organisations. Her MBA from Southern Cross University, Australia included a research project focusing on “Culture Matters: How NZ Organisations develop Intercultural Competency”.

    Her previous experience in Project and Research Management has provided an excellent foundation in gaining invaluable experience of managing multicultural teams and identifying factors that shape organisations and institutions ability to develop and grow cultural diversity in their organisations. She has also been on boards of governance and a trustee for not-for-profit organisations over the past 15 years.

  • Sarah is from Barnsley, where she learned about Jesus from a young age. However, it was during her studies in chemical engineering at Loughborough University that she encountered Jesus and experienced the transformative power of God's love. Sarah has been happily married to John for 34 years, they live in the coastal town of Ayr in Scotland. Their two adult children, Andrew and Naomi, have flown the nest.

    Sarah worked at GlaxoSmithKline for 33 years, in roles from engineering in Scotland through to global roles in strategy and implementation. She expresses gratitude to God for the biblical inspiration she found in figures like Esther, Joseph, and Daniel, which has personally shaped her and provided guidance through challenging projects, leading to lasting cultural change.

    Sarah is currently halfway through a master's program in Kingdom Theology at WTC. Following her redundancy from GSK, she eagerly anticipates how God will utilise her combined knowledge from work and studies to fuel her passion for workplace ministry and transformational leadership.

  • Andrew is the President and CEO of OM USA, part of a global mission movement working in 118 nations, Co-Founder of ScatterGlobal and author of Scatter: Go Therefore and take your job with you. He grew up in Northern Ireland, where he married his childhood sweetheart and now lives with his family in Tyrone, GA. A former butcher, turned pastor he has travelled to over eighty countries. Andrew sounds a call for a new era of missions, one that uses the global marketplace for gospel growth and sees every Christian—engineer, baker, pastor, or other—as God’s global image bearer.

Lydia Seminar

Business

  • From 2009 to 2016, Simon and his family lived in New Delhi, India. There he helped to establish a consultancy company with a mission to reach the largely unreached professional classes of North India, through providing a range of leadership development services. As well as working in Delhi, Simon had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of senior professionals across India and a number of surrounding nations.

    Currently Simon is a full-time elder of a church in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, as well as a trustee of a mission service group called Echoes International.

  • Mark, an Engineering graduate from Southampton University, and Jan, a qualified Primary School Teacher, now jointly run a business manufacturing industrial heaters globally.

    Married since 1980, Mark and Jan have always had a passion for mission and overseas evangelism. During time in Dallas, Texas, they engaged in international student ministry through their local church.

    Mark's global business roles and extensive travel, especially in Asia, influenced his perspective on outreach. Over the years they’ve expanded their business internationally, including subsidiaries in the US and China. Committed to long-term partnerships, they seek to balance business success with their core ministry opportunities, working to creating successful businesses and meaningful relationships.

Esther Seminar

Judicial, legislative, military

  • Andrew was born and raised in Northern Ireland, his father being a minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. He has served, as a Christian, for the past 20 years as an officer in the British Army; first with the Royal Irish Regiment and, latterly, with the Royal Artillery. He has deployed on operational tours in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Somalia and has visited many other countries, facilitating training for both British soldiers, and those from other nations.

    Andrew is a Regional Manager for SASRA, a Christian charity that seeks to share the good news of Jesus Christ within the Armed Forces. He is also a Battery Commander in the Manchester Artillery, continuing his military service in a Reserve role. He lives with his wife, Pamela, and two sons, John and Joel, in Catterick Garrison, where they're helping a new church plant become established.

Bezalel Seminar

Arts & Entertainment

  • Michael is a branding consultant and co-founder of Sparks, a London based branding and design studio. His background is in fine art. Before founding Sparks in 2003, he spent nine years working in the charity sector while continuing to develop his art. Michael is host of the Why it Matters podcast, which interviews leaders who are passionate about something that is at risk of being overlooked.

  • Ennette, born in Zimbabwe, now resides in Nottingham where she owns ImagoDei Wellbeing & Yoga. She teaches Christ-centered mindfulness and yoga, emphasizing a connection with God. Ennette believes that true fulfillment is found in worshiping God and that yoga can be a means of physical worship. She aims to bridge the gap between sacred and secular aspects of life, recognizing God's presence in all activities.

    Ennette is also Emerging Generations Champion at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC) where she helps young Christians discover meaning and purpose beyond their paycheck.

Priscilla Seminar

Digital & Media

  • James will be co-leading the Lydia Stream. James is the Tech Lead at Vixen Labs, an agency specialising in developing conversational AI, voice interfaces, and tools on top of large language models. In his spare time, he co-leads Kingdom Code, a group bringing together Christians to explore and think about the intersection of their faith and technology.

  • Francesca is originally from Malaysia, but has lived in the UK for the past 8 years and currently resides in Canterbury. Coming to the UK was integral for her faith, where being in a gospel-centred, scripture-focused church in Sheffield helped her to take her head knowledge of Jesus to committing her whole life fully to following him. Being an international herself and having done lots of international ministry, she enjoys straddling the line between calling the UK home and feeling like a local here while recognising she is technically an international missionary in the UK, which offers lots of unique gospel opportunities. She works as an insights analyst for a healthcare consultancy, bringing insights from data to pharma clients.

Isaiah Seminar

Social Enterprise

  • Rich was born and raised in Bath, Somerset and now lives in Manchester, where he works for the Boaz Trust - a charity that supports people who have become destitute whilst seeking sanctuary in the UK.

    Rich is part of a church plant in south Manchester that is made up of people from many cultural backgrounds who are seeking to grow in their love for Jesus and reach out to the local area with the gospel.

    Rich previously worked as a development manager for the charities Release International (who raise awareness and support for our persecuted Christian family worldwide) and Age UK (tackling isolation and poor health amongst older adults).

    Before that, he studied visual communication in Birmingham.

  • Shilpita is a trustee at Operation Noah and patron of Green Christian. In her work as an environmental economist, Shilpita focuses on climate resilience and sustainable cities. She is passionate about linking faith and climate justice and getting young people and the private sector involved in climate action.

    She is an active member of the Young Christian Climate Network (YCCN) and serves in the student ministry of her church in London.

    Originally from India, Shilpita grew up in Sri Lanka, Jordan and Thailand before moving to the UK. She holds a BA in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change from the London School of Economics.

Luke Seminar

Education & Research

  • Eli (pronounced Ellie, spelt the Spanish way) is a pharmacist. She graduated from Nottingham University and gained clinical experience in the hospitals of Bath (trainee year), Bournemouth (rotational and then specialist cancer and nutrition roles) and Southampton (critical care role). Subsequently, she worked in public health for a year before moving overseas as a healthcare professional in the humanitarian field.

    Where she lives is not set in stone – any postal correspondence goes to Wales, but she began the year in central Africa and is yet to see where she will continue it. Her faith is part of her, in work and outside of it. A patient’s tattoo brought Christ into the conversation, and questions as to why she is willing to work far from home too.

  • Liz is a consultant paediatrician who works with children with developmental difficulties in West Essex.

    From 2009 to 2016, Liz and her family lived in New Delhi, India. Whilst there to support her husband set up a business as mission project, she was offered the opportunity to work at the British High Commission in New Delhi, as their resident doctor, something she did for six years. Both this, and her long experience working in the NHS have given her a great appreciation of how God can use our professional skills and experience for his glory.