The Bishop of Leicester and the Bishop of Loughborough are pleased to announce the appointment of Sophie Holder as Director of Racial Equity for the Diocese of Leicester.
Bishop Martyn said: “I am delighted that Sophie has agreed to take on this key role in the diocese. Sophie brings a wealth of experience in equality, diversity, inclusion and most significantly, racial equity, and will take the lead in forging ahead with this important work in the diocese. I look forward to welcoming her.”
He added: “We are hugely grateful to the national church for providing the funding for the post of Director of Racial Justice. As a diocese and as the Church, we see racial justice - ensuring we are supporting people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds to flourish in our worshipping communities so that we, as one body, more fully witness to the God of all peoples - as core to Christian discipleship, mission and ministry.”
Reporting to the Bishop of Loughborough, Sophie will be a member of the Bishop’s Leadership Team and work alongside our diocesan Racial Equity Unit, Intercultural Ministry Team, and other diocesan departments to:
- Oversee, co-ordinate, develop and implement racial equity across the diocese.
- Develop and deliver relevant training and talks at the parish level.
- Liaise and network with the Church of England Racial Justice Unit and other dioceses on racial justice matters.
Sophie has extensive experience in international development and equality, diversity, and inclusion.
She worked as a programme manager for the charity ADRA-UK, focusing on education, health, and livelihoods in marginalised communities across Africa, Asia, and South America.
For the last four years, she has been an Executive Officer in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at De Montfort University, specialising in racial equity and contributing to the university’s first Silver Award for the Race Equality Charter.
In 2023, Sophie completed a Master’s in Black British History, enhancing her understanding of historical and contemporary issues faced by diverse and marginalised communities in the UK and equipping her to confidently and compassionately deal with the challenges that arise within cross-cultural environments.
Sophie was born into a Christian family but cites her late teens as the beginning of her faith journey. She is happily married to a minister who cares for three churches, and has a beloved puppy named Holland.
“I am passionate about creating a culture of inclusion and belonging and, as Director of Racial Equity for the Diocese of Leicester, will ensure that community, compassion and equity - as exemplified by Christ - is at the heart of my work,” said Sophie.
“My grand hope is to make racial equity an essential consideration and foundation of the Church of England’s work in the diocese. There should be policies, programmes and support mechanisms that allow people to be heard, understood and championed - regardless of their identity, background and/or heritage.
“My greatest hope is that my role is seen no differently within the diocese. Building and achieving racial equity will be a journey, one that will take time, change, wisdom and faith. There will be triumphs and challenges, but I believe if we stay the course, God will transform our diocese into a place that welcomes, serves, and introduces all to Christ.”
Sophie will be commissioned to her new role at Diocesan Synod on Saturday 23 November 2024 and will begin work on Friday 6 December 2024.
Bishop Saju said: “I am very much looking forward to working with Sophie and welcoming her into the diocese.
“As well as being part of the calling for Christians as laid out in the Bible, attending to racial justice is increasingly vital for our parishes to serve their local communities well as they become more ethnically and culturally diverse.
“We hope that bringing Sophie into the role of Director of Racial Justice will enable us to build on the successes of our Intercultural Worshipping Communities project, which has seen us welcome, baptise and confirm many more people of Global Majority Heritage into our churches, as well as helping many existing church-members broaden and deepen their understanding of the Christian faith through intercultural friendships.”
* The role of Diocesan Director of Racial Equity has been made possible by national church Racial Justice funding and has been offered on an initial three-year term, by approval of our Bishops’ Council and Diocesan Synod.