Mr. Naman Julka-Anderson

Hello, I'm Naman. I was born and raised in India, my family are from Punjab and still living in India. I moved to the UK in the 90s speaking a few words of English and have worked tremendously hard to "fit in." I'm a proud first-generation immigrant but still finding my confidence in showcasing my heritage and beliefs due to racism I've faced ever since I moved here.

For the past few years, I have been deep into pushing for equity for people of colour that experience a skin reaction from radiotherapy, as unfortunately medical education and information has been based on white skin. I am the current chair of the internal REACH network for Macmillan Cancer Support, which is exciting as there's lots to do and be part of! I also use my lived experience as an Indian immigrant to tackle discrimination of all kinds, while also keeping a check of my own privileges. I feel the responsibility to use my privileges, positions and connections to break down doors to rooms where people like me often forget to go in, and ensuring our seat at the table isn't occupied by someone else. Every person with a protected characteristic has a seat at the table — it's often unfortunately occupied by someone else who is already represented or overrepresented in the room. We have to come together to ensure our voices are heard!

In my spare time, I love exercise — I go to the gym at least 5 times a week, play team sports, do triathlons (I completed a full distance Ironman a few years ago), recently got into ultra-marathons, and enjoy travelling, especially a long train journey as it reminds me of train journeys I used to take travelling around India. I also love reading spy and detective books, along with non-fiction around EDI such as "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race."