Silvia Busi is a Project Officer at FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless. She has a Bachelor in Social and Cultural Education and previously worked as a social worker in harm reduction and Housing First services. Her current work focuses on promoting the participation of people with lived experience in policy design and project implementation, supporting the development of national strategies and policies to tackle homelessness in EU Member States, strengthening European cooperation, and organising training initiatives.

Mary Brigid is the Co-ordinator of the Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre Primary Health Care Project. MaryBrigid is a Traveller woman who has represented Pavee Point both nationally and internationally over the past 15 years. Mary Brigid was instrumental in the development and undertaking of the All Ireland Traveller Health Study which is recognised as the most comprehensive analysis of Traveller health to date, resulting in an unprecedented 80% participation rate of Travellers across Ireland.

Mick combines mental health and addictions lived and living experience with a long history of working in social and human services. He applies his lived and living experience in working as an Editor with IJIC, and his professional experience through ongoing advocacy for integrated care. In particular, in the latter, his interest lies in exploring research and knowledge mobilization through artistic endeavours that support wholistic well-being and bring forth the inherent strengths of each person—regardless of the barriers they may have encountered in life.

Jacob Lant joined National Voices as Chief Executive in May 2023. He is a committed advocate for working with people accessing health and care services and the wider public to help improve the accessibility and quality of the care they receive. He loves to combine deep qualitative insights with quantitative data to question traditional thinking on how to tackle policy challenges. Prior to working for National Voices, Jacob spent almost 10 years helping to build the Healthwatch network. In this time, he led successful nationwide policy influencing campaigns on a huge variety of topics, from maternal mental health services to access to NHS dentistry. In 2024 he was asked by the Government to Co-Chair one of the Vision workstreams on the NHS 10 Year Plan, focusing on how to make the NHS truly equitable by 2035.

Alfonso is the Chief Executive Officer of the European Social Network where he oversees the Network’s management and strategic direction, leads the programme of activities co-financed by the European Commission, and the annual editions of the European Social Services Conference and the European Social Services Awards. He has almost 20 years of experience in public policy formulation and evaluation, has authored and co-authored several publications, and is a regular contributor to academic journals, newspapers, and specialist social services magazines. Before joining ESN in 2010, Alfonso worked in project management and consultancy in public policy evaluation. He holds an MA in modern languages from the University of Granada, an MA in European Governance from the College of Europe, an MSc in Public Policy from University College London, and a Masters in Executive Management of International Associations at Solvay Brussels School for Economics and Management. Alfonso advises public administrations on social services quality evaluation and has taught on social services innovation and transformation at the Universities of Barcelona, The Basque Country, and the School of Public Administration in Galicia in Spain. Alfonso speaks English, Spanish, French, Polish and Portuguese.

Omar Mohamed is a 25-year-old, Asian British male born and raised in London, with family and ancestral roots from East Africa, India and Persia. Omar uses his role as a Principal Social Worker at Brent Council as a platform to help make changes in the world that link to promoting social justice, equity, and human rights. Omar is also a lived experience activist and sibling kinship carer and is the Co-Chair of the BASW Experts By Experience Forum. Omar sits on a variety of committees and leadership groups, provides training and consultancy, and regularly contributes to the next generation of social workers through international work and education. Omar regularly publishes contributions to knowledge related to Family Group Conferencing, anti-racism and decolonisation, with a drive to continually promote diasporic, embodied, and Indigenous knowledge.