Adam Deen was previously a senior member of the Islamist extremist organisation, al-Muhajiroun, and utilised universities himself as a key source for recruitment. Adam became disillusioned with his extremist beliefs and began a journey away from Islamist extremism. Adam now dedicates his work to countering extremism and the Islamist ideology he once subscribed to, which he believes tarnishes the beauty of the Islam. Adam’s past experiences add tremendous value to the Quilliam Foundation’s outreach work. In 2012, Adam founded the Deen Institute, which teaches Muslims critical thinking skills and increases awareness of Islam’s rich intellectual heritage. He has spoken at over 40 university campuses across the UK and has debated with prominent academics on issues surrounding religious philosophy and theology.

Alastair Donald is associate director of the Academy of Ideas and co-convenor of the Battle of Ideas festival. He is also secretary of Ideas Matter and convenor of Living Freedom, the initiative that exists to renew freedom through education and debate.

Alastair has worked in the UK and internationally to develop festivals, exhibitions and curated programmes. He is author of The Scottish Question, published as part of the series Letters on Liberty and co-editor of two books, The Lure of the City: from slums to suburbs (2011) and The Future of Community: reports of a death greatly exaggerated (2008). He is co-director of Future Cities Project and a founding member of mantownhuman which published Manifesto: towards a new humanism in architecture (2008). The Manifesto featured in Penguin Classics 100 Artists’ Manifestos.

Alex Deane is a Rotary Scholar and World Universities Debating Champion, and is a non-practising barrister.

Alex was formerly Chief of Staff to David Cameron and he served as an adviser for the Australian Liberal Party’s re-election campaign under John Howard. He was the founding Director of Big Brother Watch. Today he is an elected Common Councilman in the City of London Corporation, serving on the main decision-making body in the Square Mile, the Policy and Resources.

He is also currently Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. Based in London he serves as a member of FTI’s Public Affairs and EMEA Corporate Communications practices. Until recently, Alex was Head of Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick.

He often appears in the broadcast and print media as a political commentator.

Ali Miraj is a broadcaster, infrastructure financier and DJ. He presents shows on LBC and also regularly appears on Sky News and other outlets to comment on domestic political developments and international affairs.

In 2012, he founded the Contrarian Prize to recognise the independence, courage and sacrifice of British public figures whose ideas challenge the status quo. He is a former Conservative parliamentary candidate and was first elected as a councillor at the age of 23. He also served as an adviser to the Conservative Foreign Affairs Team from 2001-2003 and a board member of the Party’s policy commissions on quality of life and international and national security (2006-2007).

Having qualified as a chartered accountant, he is a managing director in infrastructure finance at ING, managing global relationships with infrastructure equity investors. Ali is a trained house music DJ and has had multiple residencies and played at leading venues around the world. He is national vice president of CPRE, the countryside charity and Junior Warden of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.

Allan Guggenbühl is a psychotherapist and a professor at the Zurich University of Teacher Education. A Swiss social scientist and author, he was born in 1946 and studied psychology, sociology, and anthropology at the University of Zurich. After earning his doctorate, he worked as a researcher and lecturer in various countries, including Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. Guggenbühl has published numerous books on various topics, including aggression, violence, masculinity, and psychotherapy. His work is characterised by a critical approach to conventional wisdom, a willingness to challenge established ideas, and a focus on the relationship between the individual and society. Guggenbühl’s work has been influential in psychology and sociology and widely discussed and debated in academic and popular circles. He continues writing and lecturing on various topics of human behaviour and social dynamics.

Anders Sandberg co-founder of the transhumanism think tank Eudoxa. In his research at the Future of Humanity Institute he investigates societal and ethical issues surrounding new technology, including human enhancements, and means to assess the capabilities of future technologies and their and underlying science.

Andrea Huber is the initiator and head of the campaign “Schutzfaktor M – Menschenrechte schützen uns“, a coalition of 80 Swiss NGOs that opposes any political attempts to weaken the protection that the European Convention on Human Rights provides to Switzerland. She studied Political Sciences, law and media at the university of Berne. Dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, Andrea has been working as co-director for Amnesty International Switzerland and as a consultant and project manager for various organizations. She is also a member of the expert commission of „éducation 21“ (Education for Sustainable Development).

Andreas Kyriacou studied clinical linguistics at the Universities of Potsdam and Groningen, business administration at the Open University and neuropsychology and applied ethics at the University of Zurich. In 2001, he founded Serendipities GmbH, a consultancy company that specialises in knowledge management, creativity techniques, and business analysis.

He is the founder and programme manager of the science festival Denkfest and the Swiss branch of Camp Quest, a humanism and science-centred summer camp for school children.

He is also the president of the Swiss Freethinkers Association, a non-government organisation advocating for secularism, humanism, and reason. In this role, he can frequently appears in Swiss media. In 2017 he acted as co-producer of the play Prophet 3.0, in which a theatre troupe attempts to perform Voltaire’s Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet and run into all sorts of difficulties.

Andrea Seaman is the President of the Zurich Salon. He has been an Academy of Ideas intern in London, helping to organise the annual Battle of Ideas festival. Andrea writes on a regular basis for NovoArgumente, a humanist, Enlightenment-inspired magazine, for which he is an editor focusing on democracy and human rights. He has published several articles in the online magazine spiked about Switzerland, on democracy and environmental issues. He has also published in Die Weltwoche, Schweizer Monat and Die Achse des Guten.

Andrew Keen is an Internet entrepreneur who founded Audiocafe.com in 1995 and built it into a popular first generation Internet company. He is currently the host of Keen On show, the popular Techcrunch chat show, a columnist for CNN and a regular commentator for many other newspapers, radio and television networks around the world.

He is also an acclaimed speaker, regularly addressing the impact of digital technologies on 21st century business, education and society. He is the author of the international hit Cult of the Amateur: how the Internet is killing our culture which has been published in 17 different languages and Digital Vertigo: How Today’s Social Revolution Is Dividing, Diminishing and Disorienting Us, his controversial critique of contemporary social media.