The committee for July 2025 – June 2026
Qasem Awan, President
Aishah Kiran, Vice-President of Education
Philip Cavalier-Lumley, Vice-President of Membership
Umar Akhtar, Vice-President of PR and Immediate Past President
VACANT, Secretary
Philip Cavalier-Lumley, Treasurer
VACANT, Sergeant At Arms
I am honoured to be elected president of the club for 2025-26. I’ve been a member of the club for the last 3 years and have represented the club in regional and national competitions. Attending the club has enhanced my presentation and leadership skills both in my professional and social life. I graduated in Law and Accountancy from the University of Huddersfield, followed by a Post Graduate diploma in Legal Practice from Leeds. I have worked in both the private and public sectors. For the last twenty years, I have been working for the Civil Service, where I have been an active trade unionist. I am on the on the branch executive committee as a senior personal case worker.
I founded Bradford Speaks in late 2016 with the intention of helping people develop their communication skills and in 2020 Bradford Speaks chartered with Toastmasters International. I had feared and suffered when asked to speak in public in the past. After attending a training session in 2011 I went on to compete in a public speaking competition in Europe. Now I love it and more importantly I love seeing people join Bradford Speaks and within a short period of time a change in them, their confidence grows and their careers start to take off.
Aishah plays a key role in supporting and developing the educational experience of all members at Bradford Speaks, helping each person progress with confidence through the Toastmasters programme and achieve their full speaking potential.
Umar has served Bradford Speaks as President and now leads the club’s public relations efforts. His work helps promote the club across Bradford, attract new members, and strengthen our presence within the wider Toastmasters community.