Core Team
Jules Olsen
Festival Director
Jules runs the day to day operations of the CIC and is one of the founding Directors. Her background is in events and project management and she has been managing refugee week events since 2010. Jules has been a key driver in the expansion of Festival activities, partnerships and strategic vision.
Danny Vincent
Refugee Engagement Officer
Danny coordinates BRF’s engagement with refugees and asylum seekers and is one of the founding Directors. He has been involved with refugee agencies for over ten years and is currently the coordinator of the Lorraine Ayensu Refugee Arts fund.
Vandna Mehta
Community Engagement Officer
Vandna’s role is to establish and strengthen relationships with local communities and organisations in order to create positive and meaningful opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers to take part throughout the year, as well as the Festival.
Sam O’Sullivan
Administrator and Events Coordinator
Sam supports the team’s community engagement work in an admin capacity, and plays a key role in the planning and coordination of the annual festival.
Board of Directors
Ryan Lutz
Board Member
Ryan is a PhD Student at the University of Bristol’s School for Policy Studies. He is researching migrant integration programs and policies in the City of Bristol. He also brings 7 years of fundraising experience to the Board from his work as an Assistant Manager for Research and Strategy at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and a Strategic Partnerships Manager for the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Alison Williams
Chair
Alison is the People Manager for Bristol Beacon, responsible for the development and implementation of the People Strategy for the organisation. With over 15 years of experience in Human Resources across all areas of HR, she uses her experience to support BRF from an employment law and best practice perspective. She appreciates Bristol’s diversity and how much our culture is shaped by the people who make their home here.
Fatuma Mohamud
Vice Chair
Fatuma is undergraduate studying Politics and International Relation at the University of Exeter. She is the Co-chair of the BIPOC staff and Student network Cornwall and recently co-authored a Departmental Review on Decolonising the Curriculum. Alongside her studies, Fatuma also holds Trustee positions at Raleigh International and Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union. Fatuma is passionate about development, refugees, diversity and inclusion and centring young people’s voices. Her interest is driven by a fascination with the International environment, deep concern for the future of our planet, and insatiable desire to make a difference.