Profile & Partners

Staff

  • Niranjan Kamatkar  – CEO and Artistic Director (He/ Him/ His)
  • Subodh Rathod – Programme Manager (He/ Him/ His)

Board Members

  • Bhavini Chavda – Chair – Bhavini is one of the longest serving members of the board. She has over ten years experience in the Arts and Media sector. She has extensive a local knowledge and has worked with several artists, writers and media content providers. Her interests lie predominantly in the arts, from theatre to visual artwork across media platforms. Bhavini is also a full time carer, which she finds both rewarding and fulfilling.
  • Tim Hoyle – Treasurer – Tim has worked in public health for over 30 years including as a trainer in HIV and sexual health and also in mental health awareness.  He has also been an active volunteer in various theatre and health related charities in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and north London since he was a teenager.  He regularly goes to the theatre, cinema and to live music concerts. He is also an active actor and director in amateur theatre and has been involved in over a hundred productions and is also the treasurer for a local theatre company.
  • Dr Trevor Wood, MBE – Secretary and Vice Chair, Shortlisted ‘Inclusive Companies Lifetime Achievement Award 2018’ – Trevor is an Artist who has worked in Child Protection and with Vulnerable Adults. He has been a trustee of several charities and Chaired The London Sports Forum for Disabled People, English Federation of Disability Sport, and Dyslexic Ideas. He currently coordinates The RSA LGBTQI+ Creative and Culture Network and is a committee member of Pride of Irons, The West Ham LGBTQI+ Supporters Group. Trevor was awarded an MBE for Services to Sport for the Disabled in 2003.
  • Benjamin Cohen  – Benjamin is a  web developer, entrepreneur, and online publisher He became known for his dot.com enterprises as a teenager, and as the founder of LGBT news site PinkNews. From 2006 until 2012 he was technology correspondent for Channel 4 News in the UK. He campaigns on LGBT and disabled rights and is now the Chief Executive of PinkNews, and regularly writes for the London Evening Standard.
  • Dr (Prof – em) Rainer Schulze – Rainer is Professor (Emeritus) of Modern European History and Human Rights at the University of Essex, Colchester UK. His main fields of research are the Holocaust, especially non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, the history of the Sinti and Roma in Europe, and LGBTQ+ history. He has done freelance consultancy work for museums and film projects, mostly on Holocaust-related topics, and he is the founder and coordinator of the annual Dora Love Prize for schools in Essex and Suffolk. From 2017–2019 he curated and presented the LGBTQ+ film programme “Tales from the Margins”, shown on Latest TV Brighton. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Panel (History) of OUTing The Past – The Festival of LGBT History and a regular contributor to the annual LGBTQ+ History Month festivals across the UK. Since 2021 he has been working with Northgate High School, Ipswich, as an academic adviser on an LGBTQ+ rich curriculum.
  • Sakib Khan – Sakib has worked actively within the creative industries for over 10+ both as a facilitator and producer working with high profile artists such as Andrew Logan and Kate Malone MBE. Also, a practising artist himself he works across digital, and traditional mediums and textiles. An alumnus of Brighton’s Fashion Textile school, he has worked in styling, theatre, performance and film which he is still involved. In addition to his creative work and practice, he is active within the LGBTQ+ activist space as part of Reeta Loi’s Gaysians team
  • Katie Wood – Katie has a degree in Creative Writing and Journalism and has worked in radio, communications and campaigns for the last 15 years and is now taking a new career path in Resilience. Katie is a qualified Mental Health First Aider. Katie is a keen theatre goer and loves musicals and plays as well as films and other live performances. Katie is a nature lover and enjoys getting outside and going for long walks. Katie is an active volunteer within her community and is keen to participate in local events whenever possible.
  • Ella Goschalk – Ella is passionate about supporting the LGBTQ community and before Wise Thoughts spent 4 years as a trustee for a national LGBTQ charity. She also volunteers for a helpline and for an education charity in the LGBTQ sector. Ella works across a range of areas in adult social care, focusing on hearing resident voices and improving services.

Patrons

  • Baroness Prashar CBE
  • Lord Dholakia OBE
  • Lord Patel
  • Baroness Massey
  • Jon Snow
  • Baroness Flather
  • Stephen Twigg MP
  • David Lammy MP

Funders / Supporters

The unique work of Wise Thoughts has been showcased at various venues and festivals. We have attracted funding from established funding streams as well as new sources. Some of our previous and current funders include:

Wise Thoughts has also co-partnered and developed projects that were funded by Department of Foreign & International Development (DFID), United Nation’s Family Planning Associations (UNFPA), NHS Trust, and British Council (India).

Some of the Venues & Festivals that have showcased our work

Wise Thoughts has been invited to present its unique work for HIV/AIDS awareness raising at International AIDS Conferences in Europe, Africa and South Asia.

Partners

Wise Thoughts is committed to working in partnerships with other individuals and organisations working with or providing services for our target communities. These partnerships encourage a greater consultation process that helps us to deliver each initiative with greater focus and lend wider participation from user base.

Some of our Present and Previous Partners include: