Dame Sara Khan is a leading expert and policy specialist on counter-extremism, social cohesion and democratic resilience. Sara was appointed Britain’s first Counter-Extremism Commissioner in 2018. She was tasked with leading the Commission for Countering Extremism and carrying out a strategic assessment of extremism in England and Wales. During her time as Commissioner, she published three official reports including Challenging Hateful Extremism (2019) and Operating with Impunity (2021).  In March 2021, Sara was appointed by the Prime Minister as the UK Government’s Independent Adviser for Social Cohesion and Resilience and in 2024 published The Khan Review: Threats to Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience. 

Sara also has extensive NGO experience having co-founded and led Inspire in 2008, an independent counter-extremism and gender equality organisation.  For ten years, Sara worked in partnership with local communities, schools and public bodies.  Sara is also author of The Battle for British Islam: Reclaiming Muslim Identity from Extremism (2016). Sara is currently a senior advisor to Crest Advisory, a UK organisation that specialises in justice, policing and public safety and in December 2024 published the report Societal Threats and Declining Democratic Resilience: The New Extremism Landscape with Crest.

In 2022, Sara was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Human Rights and Counter-Extremism.