Louis leads the Flooded People UK team, coordinating the staff, fundraising, managing communications, and ensuring a sense of shared direction. Louis has been leading grassroots organisations since 2018, and has been involved in community work since the age of 12, when he joined the Oxford Youth Theatre. In Canada, Louis worked extensively on efforts to stop illegal dumping in an Indigenous community and on campaigns to hold governments and banks accountable for climate policies.

Heather is the UK’s leading expert on supporting flooded communities through the long recovery process that follows an event. She is a powerful advocate for flood communities with a keen focus on ensuring that the right voices are heard. Well-rounded experience in different elements of flood risk and recovery as well as working for justice for victims of flooding and securing better outcomes for flood communities. An influential subject matter expert and respected voice working for policy change who combines empathy for people who flood with effective action on their behalf, Heather was the pioneering architect of the UK’s 600 Flood Action Group infrastructure, maintaining close contact with impacted leaders. Heather is a former NFF Board member and was a key player in the establishment of the NFF as a charity. She was Environment Agency appointee on the Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) for ten years, and a contributor to the Pitt Review. She has appeared before Parliamentary committees and contributed to other government and industry reviews, shaping essential research including a national study looking at flooding and mental health. A trusted voice across the stakeholder landscape - including national and local government – and in the media, Heather is a respected conference speaker and contributor to flagship television and radio programmes as well as newsprint and social media. Awarded an MBE for services to communities at risk of flooding and shortlisted for BBC Radio 4’ iPM New Year Honours award for her work with communities in Cumbria.

Sanjay Johal is an accomplished community activist with more than eight years experience working with flooded people. In his previous role at the National Flood Forum, Sanjay played a pivotal role in supporting individuals and fostering collective action to reduce flood risks across England and Wales. Sanjay successfully facilitated the creation of many community-led Flood Action Groups, working collaboratively with risk management authorities, agencies, and organisations to achieve the best possible outcomes for flooded people. With extensive knowledge in flood risk management Sanjay has helped flooded people and communities achieve tangible solutions to alleviate their flooding including sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), natural flood management (NFM) and community-led funding. These efforts have directly alleviated flood risks and empowered communities to take an active role in safeguarding their futures. Sanjay also has extensive experience in managing diverse and complex engagement projects internationally, delivering European Interreg projects alongside partners in France and Belgium. These projects enhanced community resilience by creating innovative community response toolkits, further demonstrating the need to work across borders and deliver impactful solutions to all flooded people. As a media spokesperson Sanjay has represented flooded people on national, local, and broadcast platforms such as Sky News, BBC News, and LBC, advocating for flooded communities and raising awareness about flood risk management. He has also actively been involved in post-flood recovery support, ensuring that those affected by flooding receive the assistance and advocacy they need to rebuild and recover.

Harry is an organiser based in London. He has previously worked with environmental justice groups across Europe as part of The Movement Hub. He has been active with various ecological campaigns in Britain and with the London Renters Union in East London. Alongside this, he has been completing a research degree exploring the history of flood risk management in Yorkshire since the Millennium.

Chris has spent more than two decades working at not-for-profit organisations in communications and lobbying roles. He’s covered a range of issues, including long-term unemployment in the UK, reproductive healthcare in Europe, Asia and Africa, and most recently was Global Director of Communications and Policy at ClientEarth. He’s currently chair of the board of trustees at the charity Pledgeball, which works to get football fans talking about sustainability.

Fergal Finnegan is a senior lecturer at the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth, National University of Ireland and is a co-director of the Doctorate in Higher and Adult Education and the PhD in Adult and Community Education programmes. He is one of the editors of the Journal of Transformative Education and of The European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults. He is also an active member of the European Society of Research on Education of Adults (ESREA) and is currently serving as vice chair and as co-convenor of the network on Active Democratic Citizenship and Adult Learning. Fergal worked in literacy and community adult education before becoming an academic, and these experiences had a lasting impact on him and remains core to how he views good adult education.