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Who’s Who at ISF
Trustees
Saira Shah
Saira Shah is the eldest of Idries Shah’s three children. She has had a long career as an author and documentary film maker, whose films have garnered multiple awards, including five Emmys, two BAFTAs and three Royal Television Society awards.
Clare Maxwell-Hudson
Clare Maxwell-Hudson is a best-selling author and charity fundraiser. She has been a long-time supporter of Idries Shah’s work, and was a trustee of Afghan Relief and the Institute of Cultural Research. She has served on the board of the Idries Shah Foundation since it was founded in 2013.
Dan Whitaker
Dan Whitaker is an economist who has worked for over 25 years on projects in developing countries, mainly in health and education. Clients have included the World Health Organization, various other UN agencies, the UK and German governments and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Most of this work in recent years has centered on African and Middle Eastern countries. In the UK he has served as a public governor for UCL Hospital. He has been a Trustee of ISF since early 2023.
Sara Jane Hall
Sara Jane Hall has had a thirty-year career making documentaries for BBC Radio, in particular BBC Radio 3, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. She's won awards including three Sony's, a Prix Italia special prize, and finalist in the Prix Europa. She's been a Jury member for many media competitions and a judge for the Royal Geographical Society’s "Journey of A Lifetime" award.
Kristin Schaefer Centofanti
Kristin Schaefer Centofanti is an international language teacher with a long-standing business background in medical and health technology. She has read and followed Idries Shah’s work since she was a teenager and has continued to support the promotion of human knowledge and understanding put forward by Idries Shah and the ISF.
Administrator
Gill Whitworth
Gill Whitworth has been an administrator in small businesses and charities for many decades. She worked with the Institute for Cultural research and has been involved with the Idries Shah Foundation since 2013.