Fr. Friedrich Bechina F.S.O., served as undersecretary of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, following years of pastoral service in the Diocese of Feldkirch, in Austria. As undersecretary, he managed the Congregation’s international activities in the area of higher education.
Cynthia Cameron is Assistant Professor of Religious Education and the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Chair in Religious Education at St Michael’s College, in the University of Toronto. An experienced teacher, her work advocates for the potential of Catholic education to support adolescent girls to flourish.
Annemie Dillen is Full Professor in Pastoral and Empirical Theology and Vice-Dean for Education at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven. Her work has focused on exploring theology in relation to a range of social issues, including religious education within families and children’s voice as theologians.
Revd Canon Leslie J Francis is Professor Emeritus of Religions and Psychology at the University of Warwick. He currently serves as Canon Theologian at Liverpool Cathedral and Honorary Distinguished Canon at Manchester Cathedral. His research explores religion from the perspective of personality and individual difference.
Leonardo Franchi is Professor at University of Notre Dame, Australia, having been the Director of Catholic Teacher Education at University of Glasogow, where he still teaches. He is also a member of the Executive of the Association of Catholic Institutes of Education.
Patricia Kieran is Director of the Irish Institute for Catholic Studies at Mary Immaculate College, in the University of Limerick. In a number of co-written and edited books, she has led the critical exploration of issues related to religious education within a multi-faith context.
Louise McGowan has over ten years’ experience as a headteacher, currently serving as the headteacher of St Claudine's Catholic School for Girls. In her doctoral research, she explored the lived experiences and possibilities of Catholic school leadership within the Academies programme.
Patrick Murden is the CEO of one of the top-performing Catholic multi-academy trusts in the country. As a founder member of Catholic Academy Trust Training Collaborative, he is committed to the development of Catholic teachers, Heads and CEOs as lay leaders of the church.
Bert Roebben is Chair of Religious Education at the Faculty for Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn, having taught at a number of universities across Europe. He is particularly interested in how educational processes can produce as well as impart theological content.
Clodagh Weldon is Professor and Chair of Theology at Dominican University. A decorated teacher in higher and adult Catholic education, her book Fr. Victor White O.P.: The Story of Jung’s White Raven explores the dialogue between Catholic theology and Jungian psychology.
Rt Rev Alan Williams has served as the Bishop of Brentwood since 2014. Having taught and acted as chaplain in both secondary and higher education settings, he is currently a member of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Education and Formation.
Lord Syed Kamall is a member of the House of Lords and sits on the Communications and Digital Committee and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Commonwealth. Syed was appointed professor of politics and international relations at St Mary's University in September 2019.
From 2019/21, Syed was the academic and research director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, the UK’s leading classical liberal think tank and an education charity.
From May 2005 to June 2019, he was a Member of the European Parliament for London. In the European Parliament, he was leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists pan-EU political group of MEPs from 19 countries, and worked to promote open trade, tech start-ups, and proportionate financial regulation.
He formerly worked in IT and as a strategy, public affairs, and diversity consultant. His previous academic research was in the area of international business, market entry, and foreign direct investment (FDI), especially in transition economies.
In his rare moments of leisure, he spends time with his family and enjoys reading, travelling, cycling, and playing cricket. He plays electric bass or guitar and sings in a blues band.