Board of Directors

Micheline Brannan

Chairperson
Micheline Brannan was a career civil servant in the Scottish Government from 1976 to 2007 working mainly on Justice and Equality issues. In 2008 after retirement she retrained as a nurse and subsequently worked in the NHS for 4 years.

Micheline is Vice-Chair of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities and editor of the Edinburgh Star, the magazine for the Edinburgh Jewish Community. She has a special interest in India and in Israel.

Huda Alarishi

Vice-Chairperson
Huda Alarishi has degrees in Business Administration and Software Engineering, and MSc in Managing IT Innovation, from Glasgow Caledonian University. She was been working in voluntary sector in the UK for over 17 years. She is currently chairperson of the Scottish Arab Women Association (SAWA).

Elwira Grossman

Secretary
Dr Elwira Grossman is an academic working at the University of Glasgow in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures where she teaches Polish and Comparative Literature. She has been involved in the work of GRAMnet (Glasgow Refugee Asylum and Migration Network) since 2010 and joined the Board of BEMIS in 2014. Since Migration and Intercultural Studies are part of her research interests, by joining BEMIS she has combined her life experience as a migrant with her professional interests and is pleased to serve and represent ‘ invisible ethnic minorities’ of Scotland today.

Cherif Merrouche

Treasurer
Cherif Merrouche has more than twenty eight years’ experience teaching accounting and Finance in higher education both in the UK and abroad. His international consultancy work includes curriculum development, adult education and training in the financial sector and capacity building of higher education institutions. His voluntary work includes: School Board’s member Blackfriars Primary Schoo (Glasgow), Treasurer and Chair Shawlands Academy’s “Parent Teacher Council (Glasgow)”, member of the Steering Group (Crown Street Regeneration Project), Treasurer of Crown Street Trust, board member of WSREC (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council), Chairperson (Algerian Society in Scotland) and board member and Treasurer of BEMIS.

Ephraim Borowski

Ephraim is the Director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, which he was instrumental in establishing at the time of Devolution as the democratic representative umbrella body for the entire Jewish Community of Scotland.

Before his unfeasibly early retirement from Glasgow University, he was head of the Philosophy Department, employee representative on Court, and President of the Association of University Teachers. He also taught at Oxford and the Open University, where he sat on the Academic Board and Scottish Committee.

He is the immediate past Convener of BEMIS, and was a member of the Scottish Executive’s Race Equality Advisory Forum, the Scottish Committees of both the CRE and the EOC, and the Scottish Interfaith Council, and chairs Police Scotland’s National Independent Strategic Advisors Group. He has held many elected positions in the local and national Jewish Community, and is immediate past chair of the Regional Assembly of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and remains a member of its Executive.

He was a ministerial appointee to the General Teaching Council for Scotland, and Convener of its Investigating Committee, is a Lay Member of the Employment Tribunal, and sat on the Conduct Committee of the Scottish Social Services Council. He is joint author of the Collins Dictionary of Mathematics and other reference books, was an SQA Consultant, Governor of Hutchesons’ Educational Trust, and President of the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow (of which he is only the third Hon Member since Einstein!) Ephraim was awarded an MBE for services on behalf of the Jewish Community in Scotland.

Mehdi Saki

I am a creative and dynamic individual with over 10 years of experience and training in sales, marketing and management. I have been largely responsible for managing customer accounts and marketing initiatives in various international companies, with excellent customer service skills and a successful record in market growth. I have extensive experience of project and staff management in varied organisations.

I am working for Odyssey Enterprise as a Recruiter and Resourcer, also studying BA Business.

I am a board member of Glasgow ESOL forum and Iranian Scottish Association, and a member of Amnesty International.

Margaret Lance

Margaret Lance has a background in Community Education from the University of Edinburgh. She currently works for Waverley care as female community Outreach Coordinator. Her role is raising HIV awareness encouraging people to know their status by going for an HIV test. Margaret is a feminist and very passionate about her work with women, encouraging them to recognise their own skills and ability to achieve their full potential. She delivers workshops and trainings on HIV and gender-based violence. She is facilitator for Talk2 Glasgow—supporting parents to talk to their children about body development, relationship and sexual health at an age. She is also an accredited facilitator for Positive Parenting programmes – Central Parenting Team Glasgow, supporting and equipping parents with the skills to manage misbehaviour in children with emphasis of Getting It Right for every child (GIRFEC).

On a voluntary basis, Margaret is involved with a number of women’s groups and organisations in Glasgow and Internationally. She is an elder with the Church of Scotland Glasgow Cathedral and also a member of the World Mission Council (Local Development Committee.) Margaret is fluent in English and French.

Satwant Singh Multani

Dr.Satwant Singh Multani qualified in Medicine from Glancy Medical School Amritsar (India 1965). I came to live in U.K. on 14th September 1967, and am a British Subject. I have served the NHS since September 1967 in various hospital jobs and settled in the career of Family medicine since 1 January 1970. I retired from Practice in November 1996, but three years before that I also worked as medical office for Barlinnie and Perth prison.

Since 1996 I have been actively involved in the voluntary sector and served as Chair of Ethnic issues for Forth Valley Health Board for 2 years, fighting for proper jobs and health care for the ethnic population. I have also served as chair of Central Scotland Racial Equality Council, now an active board member. Chair of Central Scotland Interfaith, BEMIS Board of Directors, Independent advisor to “Fair For All” Forth Valley Health Board Independent (lay advisor); and Advisor of Central Scotland Police. On 25 January 2010 I was awarded the “Rattna Hind Award” from the Government of India for life time achievement in New Delhi; the “Life Time Achievement Award” from Sikh’s in Scotland 2009; “Ambassador of Peace Award” in Sweden last year about my contribution to faith matters. I am also in charge of the Sunday Punjabi School for Central Sikh Gurdwara in Glasgow.