Omar Khan is the director of Runnymede, the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank. Prior to this he was Runnymede’s Head of Policy and led the financial inclusion programme. His ambition is to help eliminate racial disadvantage in the UK and Europe. He has written various articles and reports on political theory, British political history and race, including Financial Inclusion and Ethnicity; Caring and Earning Among Low-income Caribbean, Pakistani and Somali People; and The Costs of ‘Returning’ Home. Through his combined work at Runnymede and academic studies, he regularly speaks on topics such as multiculturalism, integration, socio-economic disadvantage and positive action and has given evidence of his findings to the United Nations, the European Parliament, Capitol Hill and academic conferences globally. Omar is also a Governor at the University of East London and a 2012 Clore Social Leadership Fellow.

If you could change one thing about the world through your work, what would it be?

That decision makers actually listen to those affected by their decisions – which would, I hope, lead to policies that reduce rather than increase racial inequalities.

“I wasn’t expecting to feel so emotional today about real life stories. It was very, very powerful. Just get out there and talk to people. Get out of your comfort zone. Be more generous.”

– TEDxLondonSalon attendee