Tony Sewell to Chair Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, a new body announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in June 2020, will be chaired by Dr Tony Sewell, an international education consultant. Dr Sewell is Head of Generating Genius, a ground-breaking charity which works to ensure that talented students from disadvantaged and diverse ethnic backgrounds are positioned to excel in STEM careers. Amongst his accomplishments Dr Sewell has been an international consultant in education for the World Bank and Commonwealth Secretariat, a board member of the Youth Justice Board for England & Wales, and in 2013 he led the Mayor’s Education Inquiry into London Schools which resulted in the creation of the London Schools Excellence Fund, a programme which has helped London schools achieve top grades for their students. Dr Sewell was awarded a CBE in 2016 for his extensive work in Education.

The Commission is independent and will be comprised of esteemed representatives from the fields of science, education, broadcasting, economics, medicine, policing and community organising.

Full list of commissioners:

Dr Tony Sewell CBE (Chair), Head of charity Generating Genius
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, Space Scientist and Educator. Experienced broadcaster including co-presenter of BBC’s ‘The Sky at Night’
Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and former police superintendent
Dr Samir Shah CBE, CEO of Juniper TV, former BBC journalist and former chair of the race relations think tank, The Runnymede Trust
Lord Ajay Kakkar, Professor of Surgery at University College London, Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, chair of the King’s Fund
Dr Dambisa Moyo, internationally renowned economist and author, board member of Chevron Corporation and the 3M Company
Martyn Oliver, Chief Executive Officer of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, one of the largest multi-academy trusts operating in the North and Midlands
Naureen Khalid, experienced school governor and co-founder of the dedicated online national school governor forum, UKGovChat
Aftab Chughtai MBE, Businessman, co-founder of the campaign group Muslims for Britain, member of the Grenfell Tower Taskforce and Chair of West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group
Mercy Muroki, Senior Policy Researcher, Commentator, and Columnist.

Co-opted members to attend meetings relevant to their work on the Windrush Working Group:

Kunle Olulode, Director, Voice4Change, a national membership organisation championing the voice of the BAME voluntary, community and social enterprise sector
Blondel Cluff CBE, Chief Executive of the West India Committee and Chair of Heritage England’s London Committee.

In addition to the membership announcement, the Commission’s terms of reference have been published and can be found online, along with full bios for Commissioners.

The Commission will aim to report its findings on the priority areas of health, education, criminal justice and employment by the end of this year.

The work of the Commission will report to the Prime Minister. The Sponsoring Minister for this work is Kemi Badenoch, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Equalities Minister.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "Today I am establishing an independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. This cross-government Commission will examine inequality in the UK, across the whole population.

I am thrilled we have assembled a group of ten talented and diverse commissioners, who each bring a wealth of experience from across a range of important sectors.

This new Commission will be led by Dr Tony Sewell CBE. Tony has supported many young people from diverse backgrounds into STEM careers. I know well how his work has improved access to education across London, and I am confident that he shares my commitment to maximising opportunity for all.

The Commission will be inclusive, undertaking research and inviting submissions where necessary. It will set a positive agenda for change."