Our Team
Our Team
Dr Amir Aryanpour
Trustees Chair
Amir, when not soaring in the clouds above England exercising his passion for piloting small aircraft, is an international award-winning solution architect in his day job at Channel 4. As a lead solution architect, he is at the forefront of efforts to revolutionise the traditional over-the-air TV broadcasting and advertising technology landscape to confront and respond to the existential challenges and disruptions faced by the sector.
With a PhD awarded for the design of a DSL for security policy languages, Amir is never far from code. He has decades of architecture (including cloud architecture) experience across the top 10 consultancy businesses worldwide.
Dr Seyedeh Naseriniaki (Nazanin)
Trustee Vice-Chair
Nazanin regards herself as a teacher, a freelance artist and a Social Entrepreneur. With an array of qualifications, including a PhD in Architecture and Design, and extensive career experiences, her work with Pouyesh is invaluable. Currently the founder and Director of Chrysalis Craft Coventry CIC, which aims to empower migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to learn, make and share through artistic and educational projects.
Nazanin has worked with various national and international NGOs and charities, including Fairtrade and Médecins Sans Frontières and she was recently selected as one of Pioneer Women of Inspiration: 100 Social Enterprise Leaders. She has worked with and volunteered with several organisations, including UK City of Culture Trust, Godiva Trust, Carriers of Hope CIO, Health Watch, Voluntary Action Coventry, Foleshill Creates, Grapevine, CARAG, CRMC (Coventry Refugee and Migrant centre), Crisis Skylight, City of Sanctuary, St John’s Ambulance, MiFriendly Cities, ININI Initiative, the Independent Advice Centre and the Public Health Steering Group.
Nazanin was selected in 2017 to join Pru Poretta’s Godiva Sisters – a diverse group of women continuing the legacy of Lady Godiva.
Sharing in aims & values of Pouyesh, Nazanin is a great addition to help the empowerment of the British-Iranian community.
Dr Mina Taheri
Trustee Vice-Chair
I am a Senior Health Psychologist and my clinical work involves the assessment, treatment & evaluation of patients with chronic pain. I started working with the NHS in 2002 and during my career I have developed and ran in-patient and out-patient services for adults and adolescents with chronic health condition at NHS hospitals.
I lead on programme development and innovation, training workshops & webinars in English and Farsi for colleagues and the public. I am an experienced researcher, with an outcome focus.
I continue to support the Iranian community through delivery of psychology conferences & webinars to help them cope with challenges, particularly during the Covid pandemic. I aim to continue to support our communities through my engagement with Pouyesh.
Yasaman Dehghani
Trustee Secretary
Yasaman has a BSc in Clinical Psychology and MSc in Anthropology from University of Brunel and has worked as a welfare advisor for the past 13 years.
She is a founder of Community Network Group (CNG), established in 2019 with the goal of helping Iranians and Farsi-speaking immigrants integrate into the British society, supporting their independence and growth in a new country. In 2020, Yasaman took CNG one step further, with the launch of its online TV Channel. CNG TV is the first educational channel online with countless tutorials and teaching materials, from academic subjects to fun and practical classes, targeting a wide range of audiences.
Her involvements with Pouyesh is to help Iranians and other Farsi speakers living in Britain to become more independent, to integrate into the British society and also to encourage supporting our own British-Iranian communities.
Mahmood Norouzimehr
Trustee Treasurer
Mahmood’s professional history is in grant-making in the Third Sector, with over 12 years’ experience in helping to shape the National Lottery Charities Board in its many phases. He is currently an entrepreneur, mainly in the business of dentistry. He has post-graduate qualifications in Aeronautical Engineering and Management from City University, London.
Mahmood is a British-Iranian and although having lived in Britain since 1975 and having embraced the British culture fully, he is strongly drawn to the rich heritage and culture of Iran. Mahmood’s wish is to see the integration and the recognition of British-Iranians. His passion is to facilitate the building of research capacity to help influence policy for the betterment of our community.
Nasser Marand
Trustee
Nasser is the founding member of BICDO (the predecessor to Pouyesh). Having lived in the UK since 1979, Nasser is a graduate of Birmingham University with Master’s Degree in Highways Design and Transportation Engineering. Currently, he heads a number of property and finance related companies.
Following the 2010 May General Election and lack of active participation by the Iranian Community members in the election process, Nasser became concerned that a unique opportunity had been missed by the Iranian expat community who should have made a significant contribution to the affairs of the British Society by getting involved in the Political and the social landscape of UK. Following this, the development of BICDO pursued.
Jahandar Afkham Ebrahimi
Trustee
Jahandar is an entrepreneur with many years of experience in the international arena. He obtained his Masters degree in International Economics from US and has extensive experience in both manufacturing and service industries.
His involvement with Pouyesh stems from his wish to facilitate the increased integration of the Iranian community into British civil society and enhance its abilities to influence public policy.
Professor Ali Hessami
ADVISOR
Director of Vega Systems, expert in System of Systems Engineering, Ali is also a visiting Professor at London City University and at the Beijing Jiaotong University School of Electronics & Information Engineering.
His vision for Pouyesh is to form a broad community organisation to:
- ** voice our concerns,
- ** support our community’s needs, interests & rights,
- ** promote integration, recognition and respect for the Iranian community & culture,
- ** ensure a fair, democratic, transparent, effective & progressive community organisation,
- ** ensure Pouyesh remains an independent community based organisation in the service & for the benefit of the British-Iranians.
Sahba Ladjevardi
PROJECT MANAGER & ADVISOR
Sahba holds an MA in ‘Education and Development’ from University of London.
Her passion is fundraising for, and managing projects for the betterment of the life of Iranians in Britain.
From the first Iranian elderly day centre (Pardis) back in 1990, to the first Iranian Theatre Festival, she has always endeavored to enhance our community’s togetherness.
Sahba was a ‘friend’ of Pouyesh (then called BICDO) from inception, but became formally involved in our work by leading the largest survey on the needs of the Iranian community in London.
In 2014, Sahba published a book of classical Persian poetry together with English translations and a CD of recitations, called Persian Pearl for learners of Persian language and literature.