Our Board Members
Katy Martin (Chair)
Katy joined the Board in April 2020. She has twelve years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector with the Red Cross here in Scotland and internationally and is now employed as Head of Income Development with Quarriers. Previously, Katy worked as an accountant for Shell Oil, Land Rover and Vascutek. She also enjoyed some years teaching English in South Korea and South Africa. Katy holds a MSC in Logistics and Supply Chain Management with a focus on international aid.
Pauline Blake-Johnston (Vice Chair)
Pauline joined the board in April 2020 and is an ESOL Lecturer and Manager. She has over 15 years of experience in both the College and Community ESOL sectors. With extensive experience in teaching ESOL and ESOL Literacies, working with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, she is passionate about working with Volunteers in ESOL. She revived the Branch in 2016 and is the current Chair of NATECLA Scotland, sits on the Equality & Diversity Working Group and Volunteers in ESOL Working Group for NATECLA as well as the Editorial Board for the Language Issues Journal.
Oumar Akram
A member of Glasgow ESOL Forum's board since 2017, Oumar Akram's background and extensive knowledge in employability programmes, employer engagement and equalities means that he is determined to level the playing field for under-represented groups. Having recently founded the website My Saturday Job, which aims to get young people into work, he will soon be launching another portal to support employers with recruiting a diverse workforce.
Amjid Rasool
Amjid joined the board in August 2023. He is an award-winning design leader, helping organisations create products and services that meet the genuine needs of everyone that uses them. Amjid is a fierce advocate of diversity and inclusion and is passionate about creating support structures and environments that help people realise their potential.
Uzma Aslam
Uzma Aslam joined Glasgow ESOL Forum's Board in June 2017. She has 20 years' experience working in the NHS with a strong background in Public Health, Health Inequalities, Patient Experienced Based Co-design, Website Usability Testing, External Quality Assurance and Health Technology Assessment . She is a Senior Program Manager in NHS24 focusing on Service Transformation.
She has an MSc in Public Health and Health Services Management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Natalia Hales
I am a Polish-Guyanese expat living in the Scottish Highlands. I hold a Master's Degree in International Relations and Social Science (Contemporary Diplomacy). I have a number of years of experience in different working backgrounds including multinational corporations (Rolls- Royce, Fujitsu), the public sector, and charities. I worked for the Polish Embassy in London. I am a CIPD People Practice professional currently working at the University of the Highlands and Islands Students' Association as the Deputy Manager - HR & Operations.
Maria Walker
Maria Walker joined Glasgow ESOL Forum’s board in November 2021. She has been working with children and young people who have English as an Additional Language for over 30 years and since 2012 was Head of Glasgow City Council’s EAL Service. She has been involved in many developments around EAL and equalities, both in Glasgow and nationally. She is now retired and continues her involvement in EAL and equalities through consultancy work.
