Aamina Sheikh – Actress
PAGE Global Brand Ambassador
Aamina Sheikh is one of South Asia’s most versatile personalities, critically acclaimed for her work across film, television, and print.
A graduate in Film Production from Boston, Aamina is a multiple award-winning actor instantly recognizable for her extensive work on television and in film across a rich diversity of feature films, television series, and telefilms. She is also sought after as a celebrity model and ambassador and has worked extensively with the cream of the Pakistan fashion industry marking innovative collaborations to merge high fashion and performances to evolve the two mediums in newer avenues previously unexplored in Pakistan. Aamina is also a jury member on the official Pakistani Academy Selection Committee, judging and selecting films for the Foreign Film Category.
Aamina is committed to PAGE’s mission- a cause close to her heart:
‘Over the years, my career as an actor has led to a place of influence in the hearts and minds of our mass audience in the public arena. It is a blessing indeed and also an opportunity to be an influencer and an ambassador of change. More than ever before, the timing feels apt to align with a cause of social restoration with an elevated vision of impact at massive grassroots levels in Pakistan.’
A revolutionary change of any magnitude requires a sincere collaboration of conscious awareness, resources and mobilizing action. With the current times marking a global shift in gender consciousness, it is essential that Pakistan works out basic means of equipping its young girls and boys with skill sets and tools to harmonize a progressive co-existence and a healthy present and future. Providing quality education in schools is one integral means of achieving this. The looming stats of today, however, exhibit a stark difference in % of girls out of schools versus boys in Pakistan. The former being at a staggering disadvantage due to age-old cultural and societal limiting beliefs.
Change beckons. Time is of the essence. Hence, PAGE rises to the occasion with a massive mission of building and equipping schools especially for girls to stabilise this gender disparity in the existing education system in Pakistan. PAGE has managed to bring together a panel of the most credible individuals and committees in their respective fields to align together in this cause as a force to be reckoned with. I am deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to align with this force to spearhead and trail blaze their effort forward to turn a new page for girls in Pakistan. May Allah equip us and help us in all our efforts to make a tangible difference where it is most needed. Ameen!
Ambassadors
Mrs. Nadia Bukhari | Pharmacist
Nadia Bukhari is a British Pakistani pharmacist from the University College London (UCL). She holds many post graduate diplomas; in Pharmacy Practice and in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Nadia also holds the prestige honor of being a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She is the youngest female to be honored with this title, showing her commitment and excellence in the profession of pharmacy.
Nadia supports and strongly believes in the power of educating girls. As a British Pakistani she wants to support and promote the welfare of Pakistani girls across the globe. She says “Being an academic, I am intrinsically passionate about education. There are roughly 12 million girls in Pakistan with no access to education; this is a statistic which needs lowering and I am committed to helping drive initiatives of the charity forward in order to achieve this.”
Ms. Margo Abdel Aziz | Director, International School of Choueifat
Margo Abdel Aziz is currently the Director of the International school of Choueifat, Lahore. Margo has been in Pakistan for the last eleven years. Before that she worked in the field of management and education in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. She holds MA Degrees in Business Administration and Quality Management. At present, she is enrolled in the Executive Program at Harvard University. Margo has also served in the Poland Embassy for Educational Programs including Full Bright Program as well.
Margo is a strong advocate of Women Empowerment in the society and has worked extensively on awareness campaigns for women. Another area of interest is women in leadership roles. Seeing women in leading roles is an area that is very close to Margo’s heart.
Ms. Andleen Razzaq & Mr. Mansoor Ahmed | Founder, Mind Nomads
Andleen Razzaq and Mansoor Ahmed are huge advocates of personal development and are adventurers at heart! They value growth as an essential part of human development, having lived, travelled and worked in the UK and around Asia with their three children.
Andleen is an internationally experienced licensed master NLP transformational coach, trainer and educator, originating from the UK and the founder of Mind Nomads which focuses on unlocking the inner journey of the mind, body and soul by employing the right mindset, personal development and self-empowerment. She is also the Director of Andleen Consulting and work with corporates to affect behavioural change and raise company culture. She is a former Senior Adviser to the UK Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government, She is an experienced trustee in the charity sector, and has set up a supplementary school in West London and currently trains women in leadership.
Mansoor is a very approachable, highly motivated father of three crazy kids and loving husband that has a passion for travel, fight (martial arts) and bringing energy into any environment he enters. He is a multi-talented Strategic Director with over 20 years of experience in banking, from Bank of America Merrill Lynch to Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and focused on driving transparency and customer delight He is highly experienced in delivery of programmes and developing mindset & behaviour in people to operate at the highest level and leads on building transformation at the digital and human level. Mansoor develops people, taking them to places they never thought they could reach.
Andleen and Mansoor have engaged in global community development with a passion for self growth, education and gender equality for more than twenty years and remain active in a number of philanthropic endeavors globally.
Mr. Kashif Ahmed | Transaction Banking Director
Kashif Ahmed is highly organized, detail-oriented and an illustriously experienced Transaction Banking Director with reputation for growing business portfolios, adding value and solving customer challenges through the synergy of business and technology with more than 10 years of international experience. He has successfully raised customer experiences and driven the evolution of organisations with the customers at the heart of the approach.
He successfully established a Centre of Excellence for product and channel management within National Bank of Fujairah and also launched a new Islamic banking window called ‘NBF Islamic’, which gained recognition from external industry forums such as ‘Best Islamic Window’ in the United Arab Emirates. He has also originated and led the banking partnership to drive the Fujairah Government digitisation and smart city initiative. Additionally, he has also led the $500m integration of Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan and Union Bank’s Wholesale Banking and Capital Markets businesses.
Technically adept with skilled knowledge of entrepreneurial and business development expertise he has excellent ‘Hands on’ senior corporate banking leadership expertise in payments, receivables and liquidity management. With a passion for developing customer centric business solution he takes ownership for complex transactions and champions business collaboration.
Kashif is a strong communicator, with a reputation for building positive working relationships at all levels of the organisation. With such an illustrious background and knowledge of the development sector, combined with a passion for education, we are eager to have Kashif & his wife Ms. Aasia Ahmed on board as an Ambassador for Pakistan Alliance for Girls’ Education for their continued support to endorse our cause for Girls Education!
Ms. Nabeela Tabassum | English Teacher, Co-Ordinator & Teacher’s Trainer
- English Teacher, Co-Ordinator & Teacher’s Trainer
- Awarded for The Best English Teacher of Riyadh by Saudi Ministry of Education Riyadh
- Hijama Practioner
- Tib al Nabwi Herbalist
- Worked as President Riyadh region for READ Pakistan
- Running Organisation: *Project Luqma – Approved by Gov. of Pakistan for orphans & needy
- Well Boring in rural areas of Pakistan
- Free Spoken Arabic lessons to Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian and Siri Lankan ladies on Telegram
- Taught English & Urdu to Masjid al Nabawi’s Ladies on Duty at the Masjid
- Shadow Teacher for Autistic children
- Co-Operating with Street School Karachi
- Gusal e Maiyyat: Al Huda’s team member
- Widows Help Line since 14 years
- Orphans Help Line
- Match Maker
- Match Maker for Special people (Deaf & Dumb )
- Orphans and Needy Girls’ Wedding Organiser
- Reading Program with a Blind Organization (GIVIC – Government Institute for Visually Impaired Children, Peshawar)
- Collecting Books/stationery for Orphans & Street Schools
- Fi Sabil Lillah WhatsApp groups:
- Give-away Pets
- Give-away Medicine
- Give-away Plants
- Give-away Clothes
- Give-away Stationary, Books, Toys
- Give-away Leftover Party Food
- Daily reminder messages for Morning & Evening Azkaar – Worldwide Broadcast groups
Dr. Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq | CEO Roots Millennium Education Group, Pakistan
Distinguished academic, education reformer, and social entrepreneur, Dr. Faisal Mushtaq is a beacon of change, conferred with the prestigious ‘Tamgha-i-Imtiaz” by the President of Pakistan in 2013. From serving as a Former Education Minister to transforming over 200 government schools, he’s a leader in shaping the future of education in Pakistan. 📚✨
Dr. Faisal Mushtaq’s tireless efforts have transformed education, empowered youth, and created opportunities.
Ms. Bushra Ali| Founder - Bushra Ali Group Global
Bushra was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire to Pakistani parents. She grew up in North Wales as one of the only families of colour. Bushra was born partially sighted with severe cataracts in both eyes and had her eyesight restored through corrective surgery. When wanting to study law she was told by her careers advisor that as she is a female and Asian she was better off trying home economics. She pursued her dream of studying law at college. As her local university did not teach law, her parents had to seek permission from their elders to send her to study outside her local area. Single Muslim females studying away from home were seen as shameful.
Some of Bushra’s qualifications, accolades and work include:-
- Graduating with an LLB Law degree
- Graduating and qualifying as a Barrister
- Practising as an appeals advocate for a renowned firm in London
- Qualifying and practising as a solicitor in England and Wales specialising in UK immigration and human rights law
- Founding Bushra Ali Solicitors in 2015
- Winning Leicestershire Law Society Solicitor of the Year in 2016 and 2012
- Being elected into Office and serving Leicestershire Law Society as President in 2018/19 (being the 8th female President and only the second female of colour)
- Serving The Law Society of England and Wales on the Immigration Law and Policy Committee
- The first Chair of the newly created Equality and diversity sub-board of Cheshire and North Wales Law Society
- Board member, Leicester Council of Faiths
- Trustee, One Roof Leicester
- Winner, Midlands Institute of Directors, Corporate Social Responsibility Award, 2021
- Finalist, Wales, Institute of Directors, Equality and Diversity Award 2021 (2022)
- Finalist, Woman Solicitor of the Year, Legal Excellence Awards 2021
Bushra is the Founder of Bushra Ali Group Global, a Community Interest Company with a focus to drive conversations on social issues and has set up many initiatives including projects named `Empowered Women Empowering Women’, `Equality Diversity Inclusion’, `The Good Lawyers Project’ and her mentoring programme for university students and an advice project for victims of domestic abuse. She has held many panel discussions including disability and cultural stigma and Women in Leadership.
Bushra believes education for every girl needs a be a basic right.
Ms. Rida Aleem Khan| Social Worker
Ms. Rida Aleem Khan AKA “Baloch Girl” is a social worker and a passionate advocate for multiculturalism, youth and children rights. She is currently residing in Australia and is an Ambassador & Advisor to various organisations. Her work involves community development and community services projects related to culture and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. She is a strong advocate for Pakistani minorities from gender diverse, interfaith, tribal or rural backgrounds and thus founded GWAAP (Golden Wattle Advocacy Australia Pakistan), a federal voice of Pakistani Minorities in Australia. Rida supports South Asian Australian women through SAWNAA (South Asian Women Network And Allies), a network to promote career, business and leadership opportunities for women. She holds the following honours:
– Finalist in the 7News Young Achiever Award 30 Under 30
– Miss Diamond Australia 2021-2022
– Miss South Asia Australia Miss Community Winner 2020
– Sir John Monash Award for Youth Leadership High Commendation 2018
– Medallion from the High Commission Pakistan in Australia 2018
Ms. Fatima Awan | Entreprenuer
Fatima Awan, an award-winning fashion designer, entrepreneur, multimedia artist and most of all a passionate social worker. While she was working in U.A.E for almost a decade, simultaneously she has been working on social causes such as equal rights beyond genders as well as organising charity events to donate clothing for the refugees and poor. In Pakistan, she has been affiliated with a prominent media house and worked closely with victims for crime segment, meanwhile volunteering for the motivational speaking. On her way so far, she has received the following honours:
– Dubai Fashion Awards ( Best Designer)
– Dubai Fashion Awards ( Best Emerging Talent)
– Lux Arabia Fashion Contest ( 1st Runner up)
Dr. Memoona Anwar | IT Professional
Dr. Memoona Anwar is an Australian Pakistani. She holds a doctoral degree in Information Systems from the University of Technology, Sydney. She is currently working as Chief Compliance and Innovations Officer in Australia, with a career spanning more than 15 years in the software industry. She has been in the software industry since 2006 and has significant experience and expertise in IT.
Memoona is a very strong advocate of girls’ education in Pakistan and has worked on several initiatives for strengthening measures to promote and make it easier for girls and their parents. In this regard, she says that: “There is very limited access to education across Pakistan specifically for girls. Being a girl, I know what challenges girls have to face in our society, besides financial hurdles. The best we can do for girls in Pakistan is to enable and empower them. And that can only be done by providing them with opportunities for education. Girls’ education should be incentivized by sponsoring the school expenditures or by offering scholarships.”
Ms. Madiha Syed | Health Care Professional
A healthcare professional currently residing and practicing in Florida, United States.
Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. After graduating from Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore, she moved to United States.
Completed internal medicine residency in New Jersey and later completed fellowship in infectious diseases from Robert Wood Johnson University of Medicine and Dentistry. Very passionate about the core issues of girls’ education and gender inequality.
She is concerned about ever declining ranking of Pakistan in global gender parity index. Gender inequality stems from a complex mixture of cultural and structural factors that must be addressed. Gender inequality negatively influences the opportunities available for females to progress. This has a negative impact on the growth and development of a country at national level. Therefore, there should be an equal investment in female education from an earlier stage.
Ms. Maria Shujah | Neuroscience Ph.D. Student
Maria Shujah is a neuroscience Ph.D. student in Basel, Switzerland where she is investigating how the brain acquires the ability to learn during the developmental years after birth.
Her interest in life sciences can be traced back to her early years when she would spend her weekends skimming through fat encyclopedias her father would bring her. Although, there was very little that she could grasp at that age, but the mere existence of the opportunity gave birth to an unquenchable curiosity for science.
She believes every young child deserves this chance to find things that make them curious and to have the resources to pursue them. However, in a resource-constricted country like Pakistan, many kids are deprived of this golden opportunity in years that are undoubtedly the most important and formative for their adulthood.
Having scientific experience in the research area of learning and development, Maria has always been very emotionally invested in this issue. By joining PAGE, she plans to finally contribute to this cause of providing education to young girls and changing futures for the best.
Mr. Farhan Mahmood | MD Candidate, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
Farhan Mahmood is a medical student at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusivity, health advocacy, and education. Farhan strongly believes that every girl/woman and every child deserves quality education. Any barriers preventing our youth from obtaining proper education should be eradicated. Farhan’s passion for health and gender equity will allow him to serve as an ambassador for PAGE to support education for girls. He has been an advocate for underrepresented youth and girls in his community and raises his voice against domestic violence and children’s abuse as well.
Ms. Fatima Zaman | Mental Health Care Professional
Fatima Zaman, winner of King’s Experience Interdisciplinary Award: A Beautiful Mind in March 2018, is a highly skilled, motivated, compassionate, empathetic, and solution oriented Qualified Mental Health Care Manager at Serenity UK Care Limited. She has done her specialization in Health & Social Care along with numerous trainings on First Aid, Adult Abuse, Health & Safety, Dementia Awareness. She is also a certified facilitator of Life Long Learning Sector (CTLLS) and has implemented & lead performance, leadership and operation management frameworks.
Fatima has exceptional track record of over 20 years in successful working with diverse clinical settings. She is an effective motivator, communicator and has provided advocacy and policy to manage procedures in line with Care Quality Commission and current legislations. Over the years she has developed an innate ability to establish rapport with her clients by assessing mental health patient’s needs and risk then developing and ensuring implementation of person cantered care plans. She has diverse experience in supervising the staff, preparing reports, and maintaining confidentiality of the patient’s case and management.
With her outstanding leadership abilities, communication, and organizational skills, she’ll prove to be an asset for PAGE and we warmly welcome her aboard.
Ms. Nazia Nisar | Professional Trainer
I am an experienced Professional Trainer / Coach holding a Bachelor’s in IT and a Master’s in Marketing with over more than 10 years of experience with the development/welfare sector and educational institutions. I hold vast exposure to large-scale projects in education strategic communication, capacity building, blended learning, and training.
My community/volunteer works include awareness and donation campaigns for well-known initiatives along with launching my own community-based organizations as an Entrepreneur. I support philanthropy in education, mentoring, counseling, and medical sectors to improve the quality of living standard.
My key skills are mentoring / coaching / counselling / communication / innovation. These skills and knowledge have helped girls/women gain confidence and motivation to mark their existence with their own abilities.
Currently, employed in the Technical & Vocational Education sector in Saudi Arabia. I am a partner in a variety of successful education and medical projects across the globe.
Ms. Eshrat Nasar-Ahmed
PAGE is excited to welcome on board, Esharat Nasar-Ahmed, founder of GNA Academy, an organization centered on spiritual art. This creative powerhouse merged her love of religion and music to create different platforms to encourage the youth and children to discover paths and insights to becoming a new generation of Nasheed artists.
Esharat was born and raised in the United Kingdom, however, she moved to Pakistan in order to pursue an education in Islamic Knowledge & the History of Islam from DMG Bhera Sharif. Upon returning back to the UK, Esharat decided to spread her knowledge and passion for the spiritual arts and set up her organization- Ghausia Nasheed & Arts Academy. Esharat has also been involved in organizing a national Nasheed competition called the Sound of Souls and inaugurate the first Music of Muslim Origin Awards to showcase talent from the Muslim community and encourage the arts.
Ms. Nasar-Ahmed is highly passionate about bringing a positive change in Pakistan and supporting girl’s education to empower them and cultivate the next generation of strong mothers, educators and business women. She believes the greatest investment in a child’s future is education and we could not agree more!
Esharat holds positions as a TV and Radio Producer and Presenter, a charity fundraiser & entrepreneur, an international music activist, and a teacher specializing in Quranic and Islamic Studies. With so many accomplishments under her belt, we look forward to the progress we can make with Esharat in our fight to end illiteracy for our girls in Pakistan!
Mr. Ayub | Accountant
Ayub is an Accountant by profession and has been running a successful accountancy practice in London for 10 years. Helping and mentoring start-ups through to becoming successful multi-million-pound turnover companies is his forte.
Social work is a huge part of Ayub’s life, having started speaking on behalf of the Edhi Foundation from the age of 6 and volunteering at various charities since then. Currently, he’s an advisor to the Omnibus Charity in London as well as a trustee of Goodwill Caravan, a charity that assists refugees.
Having seen his parents fund-raise for the now self-sufficient Al Khadeeja School in Karachi gave Ayub the motivation to join a charity like PAGE. Seeing the positive effects of education, especially for girls has been a real eye-opener and he’s really keen on assisting as best as possible.
We believe that his set of skills and experience will prove to be beneficial for girls in Pakistan and his passion to see the girls in Pakistan thrive, and lead successful, independent and empowered lives, will be of great benefit to a cause like PAGE. We are eager to work with Ayub and welcome him on board! We hope that together we can help make a real difference in shaping the future of Pakistan.
Ms. Irum Farhat Farooq | CEO - EduEnhance FZ LLC.
An educationist by profession, Irum has been working in the learning and enrichment sector for the last fifteen years. She began her teaching career in Singapore and has worked internationally giving her the opportunity to gain experience and acquire knowledge of best practices in the field of education, in the public and private sector.
With a passion for social impact and entrepreneurship, Irum co-founded a learning center in Dubai in 2012 which was a pioneer in blended learning in the Middle East. She has been passionate about empowering parents and educators with programs, strategies and cutting-edge solutions to help children with their learning and intervention needs. Irum specializes in personalized, blended learning using technology and digital innovations.
During her time as the co-founder of MetaMindz Learning Center, Irum worked with Dubai Government to offer Summer Camps at public libraries. MetaMindz also became the first exclusive academic enrichment provider at GEMS Schools, Dubai.
With extensive experience in the supplementary education industry and a keen interest to introduce educational innovations and advancements to the education fraternity, Irum was awarded exclusive representation rights by Curriculum Associates USA for Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Pakistan and Nigeria in 2018. Under her leadership EduEnhance is now a leading education-solutions provider in the Middle East.
Irum has served as a member on the Board of Directors at Sheikh Rashid School Dubai, UAE where she focused on professional development of teachers. Irum is also a member of Pakistan Women Entrepreneurs Network for Trade (WE–NET) and feels honored to represent her country on international women empowerment and leadership forums.
An avid educator and a certified counselor, Irum is passionate about seeking every opportunity to offer equitable education and effective learning to children across geographies and diversities.
Ms. Sidra Masood Khan| IT Professional
Sidra Masood Khan, mother of two beautiful girls from Switzerland is an Information Technology Professional working in the financial services sector for over 10 years. She supports the development and customization of technology systems for asset management clients of her company. Against all odds, she conceivably managed to achieve her post-grad qualification after a hiatus of 10 years. In all these years, Sidra has worked on a variety of technology projects both professionally and academically.
Her inspiration, devotion and dedication stems from her mother, who was a teacher at a Government school for girls in Pakistan and with her she had witnessed the factual issues, status and dilemmas of girls’ education in Pakistan.
She claims that she had seen her mother making all the possible effort to help these girls at a personal level and the remarkable impact she left on so many lives. Sidra affirms that the opportunity to be in this position today did not let her forget so many girls she had met, seen and heard of back in Pakistan who did not get a chance to finish education or sometimes even enroll for primary schooling.
Sidra strongly believes that education and particularly girls’ education is something that can bring an end to a lot of social issues faced by Pakistan. By joining PAGE as an ambassador, Sidra commits to continue working towards the mission of education for all beyond any discrimination of gender, color or caste!
PAGE is delighted to have Sidra aboard as an Ambassador for Girls Education in Pakistan!
Mr. Imran Latif | Entrepreneur
An Engineer by profession, an entrepreneur and educationalist by passion. Based out of New York, Mr. Imran has over 18 years of diverse experience working on large scale mission critical infrastructure and energy conservation projects for Government, Telecom, Educational, Retail and Financial institutions. Mr. Imran spearheads the infrastructure operations of scientific data and computing facilities supporting the global cutting edge research collaborations for physics, life sciences, quantum and high performance computing, machine learning and AI.
Mr. Imran is a visiting lecturer at top ranked universities and charter schools in the US. He is a mentor for undergraduate internship programs and also serves as scientific judge at country wide science bowls.
Mr. Imran believes that the youth is the biggest asset in any country. In a developing country like Pakistan, over one third of the entire population is comprised of youth and the number is forecasted to continue to increase for next many decades to come. With close to half of the young population of Pakistan not attending schools, it is inevitable to ensure that this issue gets settled.
Mr. Imran is a strong supporter of setting up a robust, scalable and sustainable education system in Pakistan. He firmly believes that youth education will lead the way to a prosper and stronger Pakistan. He is delighted to partake and support PAGE’s initiative for education in Pakistan.
Ms. Huda Muhsin | Women's Rights Activist
Huda Muhsin is a youth enthusiast and an advocate of women’s empowerment through education. She believes that educated girls are the powerhouses for a society, that spreads light everywhere and makes them confident and independent. She on various forums has always highlighted the obstacles girls face in Pakistan in terms of education, access to opportunities, and voicing their opinions. It is her passion to talk to young girls to work towards getting an education and be the best version of themselves.
She believes PAGE has given her a perfect platform to pursue her passion for giving back to the community. She is a proud “Role Model” of the “Aim High” initiative that provides counselling and mentoring on different learning paths leading to various careers in Pakistan and abroad.
Ms. Muhsin has relocated to Canada and would continue volunteering with PAGE for its Canada – Pakistan chapter and help spread the cause on an international level.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration with 15 years of professional experience. A mother to three beautiful girls.
Mr. Syed Raza | Automotive Professional
With more than 15 years of experience in diverse sectors of the automotive industry, Syed has expertise in marketing, sales, finance and management. He has proven ability to plan and execute strategies, develop market opportunities, and manage resources to produce profitable growth at national levels.
Syed is a social and political activist and a very passionate community member, earning himself the designation of Certified Board Members for Governance in the non-profit sector by York University & Schulich School of Business. He serves on several governmental and non-profit boards in areas related to healthcare, education, public safety, social services and the arts. Syed served as Board Chair for the Peel HIV/AIDS Network, Board of Director for the Rotary Club of Milton and was the Vice President of MADD (Halton Region), amongst others. Throughout his career he has been awarded and recognized for his volunteer work and leadership skills.
We Welcome Syed Raza aboard as our Girls Education Ambassador!
Mr. Usman Lashari | MD MBA
A healthcare leader who has led many health organizations across the globe including the USA, UAE, and the United Kingdom. Currently leading a healthcare organization in the United States.
Born and brought up in Pakistan and have been part of the overseas Pakistani diaspora for two decades. Actively involved in academia, an Oxford graduate and an alumnus of UCL, Queen Mary’s University, Westminster University, and currently a faculty at Brown University, the USA with a special interest in teaching leadership in medicine.
I fundamentally believe that the educational transformation of Pakistan is the first step in making it a healthy and prosperous country. A strong believer in the financial and educational empowerment of women especially in Pakistan. I believe technological innovations can address gender disparities in education delivery among boys and girls and address many social or religious factors limiting access to quality education by young girls. The educational transformation will lead to a healthy moral dividend which will transform the social fabric in all sectors of the society in Pakistan.
Ms. Ayesha Sana | Senior Pharmacist
As a British Pakistani female, Aysha wants to empower the girls of Pakistan to become independent, successful and reach their full potential, and strongly believes this can only be achieved by the power of education. Aysha aspires that every Pakistani child can have free access to safe and quality education. We believe that with her proven leadership skills and experience she will be of great benefit to PAGE. Aysha is committed to promote the welfare of Pakistani Girls and dedicated to support PAGE in their cause. We are eager to work with Aysha and welcome her on board.
Aysha is passionate about making a positive change and has volunteered for various charities across the globe. She believes in the heart of bringing smiles and lifting burdens, hence has been involved in deployment to many countries including Palestine, Iraq and Jordan and having hands on experience in voluntary and emergency crisis situations. She has outstanding interpersonal skills with a proven track record of establishing and maintaining positive relationships with customers, pharmaceutical vendors, medical professionals, healthcare organisations, and healthcare providers.
Skilled emergency and urgent care Senior Pharmacist with exceptional organization skills, strong interpersonal communication ability, and extensive knowledge of medications and their use. Ayesha Sana is a British Pakistani based near Manchester. Aysha is a strong educated professional, with an M. Pharm. Degree over a decade ago from The University of Manchester, a post graduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma focused on Pharmacy. She has also recently completed her non-medical prescribing diploma. Aysha is a strong team leader with experience in managing departments and mentoring juniors and has been part of many projects, policy writing and work streams as part of her role.
PAGE warmly welcome Ayesha aboard as an Ambassador for Girls Education.
Ms. Hareem Navaid | Educator
In such unprecedented times, the most important sector which can improve the socio-economic condition of a country is Education. Right now, the utmost priority should be to make sure that children, especially girls, are able to obtain a high quality equitable primary and secondary education.
Hareem is an experienced and passionate IB Educator. Being inspired and enthusiastic about IB, she found an opportunity in 2016 to be actively engaged in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme authorization process and IBDP implementation in Al Adab International School (IB World School). She is Head of Mathematics for DP and also teaching Mathematics, Business Management and Theory of knowledge in Al Adab International School.
To enhance her knowledge on the IBDP, She has attended several IBO Higher Education Forums and IBO training workshops and has completed the “Educating Global Citizens” course from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. In order to put her knowledge to use for the greater good, She is also participating in Teachers Collaborating Across Borders (TCAB), which is an online collaborating program, organized by University of Arizona and Duke University, for teachers in the United States, Middle East, and North African Region. She believes that being part of the PAGE, will provide her opportunity to leave her mark on this world as an educator and, support and create challenging learning opportunities for students, especially in less fortunate circumstances.
Ms. Tamsila Ahmed | Early Years Educator
Tamsila is passionate about making a difference in every child’s life, whether they are the ones she has the opportunity to educate herself or whether they are the ones she is fortunate enough to sponsor. Having been a London based Early Years Educator in a diverse community primary school, for over ten years, Tamsila has in-depth training and understanding of early age children, particularly those with special educational needs. Her training and expertise vary from a range of speech and language therapies, music and drama therapies and play therapies.
Tamsila has a wealth of experience working with children and families from diverse backgrounds; from some of the most privileged to those who face daily challenges like recently arrived refugee with very limited language and communication skills in English. She is devoted to making it her daily routine to engage with these families and provide support as and when needed.
In her work to support minority communities, which may often find themselves voiceless, Tamsila has led the Muslim Parent Society. During her career in her current school, a position she feels honoured to uphold, she has worked to bringing positive changes in educating the communitys’ families with the understanding that punctuality and attendance of a child in school, has a direct impact on the child’s educational attainment and future achievements; an outcome she holds very close to her heart and shares with the PAGE mission.
“I myself belong to a Pakistani family, with two sisters who are both educationalists as well, and a father who has devoted his retirement to using his Hifz and Islamic knowledge/experience towards teaching children. I grew up in an affluent part of London and spent much of my early childhood in Pakistan. Whilst attending primary school there, I experienced both the education and the helplessness of poverty of the people of Pakistan. An experience which has defined me as a person. I feel fortunate to be in this position and I feel it is only right that I share my passion for education by channelling my energy towards PAGE. Primary education should be the right of every child. Education brings awareness, opportunity and self-advancement. It is essential in reducing chronic and intergenerational poverty. Primary education is the incubation for the future generations of leaders, thinkers and innovators.”
Ms. Hafsa Bhatti | Educationalist
Currently teaching at an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ primary school in London, Hafsa is an experienced Educationalist with over 15 years of extended experience in this field. Graduating with honours from London’s Brunel University, she holds a 1st classed degree in Contemporary Education and Policy, as part of which Hafsa has conducted much research and published many papers in relation to addressing societal expectations and trends, which have been created due to cultural or religious misconceptions, articles on which include:
- The globalisation of education; Pakistan and the poor
- The importance of educating women in Pakistan; culture vs religion
- Understanding the class divide in educational attainment in Pakistan
Belonging to a family whose roots are in Pakistan, and having grown up in an affluent part of London, but visiting Pakistan since childhood; the fate and luck of children affected by poverty is something that has concerned her from an early age. As a child visiting Pakistan, she has created some of her best memories playing out with the street children and recalls asking her mother why these children didn’t go to the school. It is these experiences and reminiscences which encapsulate her sentiments and desire to see educational opportunities in Pakistan, which serves as her motivation to take part in numerous projects such as working with PAGE. Hafsa also works closely with various Pakistan based orphanages; facilitating them in their educational endeavours.
In addition to her philanthropy work in Pakistan, for many years Hafsa has been involved in a range of London based charity projects, such as offering Homework Clubs to under privileged children whose parents because of their limited income cannot afford to have their child tutored. She also works closely with the local Madrassa charity, offering children
additional support and tuition, as part of a Saturday school.
Hafsa has been teaching at GCSE level as a freelance Personal Tutor for 17 years, she has established and runs a successful online tuition agency. Hafsa is the Vice Chairperson on the board for Childcare and Learning Schemes in West London. She has overseen and managed the start-up of several Tuition Centres, handing the reins over to the original founders once the infrastructure has been established. Hafsa has also served as a school Governor at a reputable London primary school for three years, and is very much looking forward to channelling her passion for education, along with anything she has learnt so far in life, towards benefiting causes in the name of Allah, such as projects initiated by PAGE.
Ms. Saadia Baber | CEO of Xperience Pakistan
Saadia Baber, founder and CEO of Xperience Pakistan, an MBA graduate from Brussels – Belgium is working for the promotion of socially responsible tourism in Pakistan. Having 15 years of vast experience in marketing, strategy and consumer insights with multinational companies like Coca Cola, Unilever and Kantar World Panel in UK, she is now using Xperience Pakistan as a platform that involves youth and women in different activities to provide them with employment opportunities. Despite belonging to a conservative family in Peshawar, she managed to complete her higher education from abroad with the help and support of her parents.
Although Saadia has spent most of her time overseas but she is dedicated and passionate about working for Girls Education in Pakistan and has also been supporting the education of three orphan girls in Peshawar for several years. On completion of her studies in Brussels, in her address to her peers she said that she was fortunate enough to have had the chance and be given the opportunity but there are thousands in Pakistan who aren’t as lucky as she was. She said that she would like to give back and help other girls in Pakistan.
She is committed towards advocating for girls education through blogs, events and articles and looks forward to influencing more girls in alliance with Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education.
Mrs. Rehana Choudhry | British Solicitor
Rehana Choudhry is a successful British Pakistani Solicitor specializing in family and children law. She holds specialist accreditations honored by the Law Society and Resolution to assist families, children and those affected by domestic violence. She assists various organizations by volunteering in advice clinics and helping the most vulnerable of clients with their legal issues.
Rehana has her own law practice in the UK with offices around London. Her practice was included in the 2015 Fortuna 50 Index as one of the UK’s fastest growing female-led businesses and she was personally commended by then Prime Minister David Cameron.
She is often invited as a career role model to local schools and youth organizations to mentor young people about the benefits of education and how hard work and determination does pay off in the end.
Rehana believes all girls should have the opportunity to access education and have the chance to become successful professionals whatever their background. She says “Education is the key to empower girls with the skills and competencies required to stay healthy, to make important decisions, to secure better-paid work and to develop within society”.
Rehana’s vision is to promote girls education and gender equality around the world by overcoming the barriers that currently exist and relying on her own experience as a benchmark.
Sadaf Ebrahim | President - Canada Pakistan Association
Sadaf Ebrahim is a self-employed Pakistani Canadian who has made social and community involvement a significant part of her life’s work. From serving on numerous community boards to being involved in Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and to hosting Canadian People Channel CPC, Sadaf has been dynamically engaged in community activities as Multifaith Housing project and Canada Bangladesh Education Trust. She is currently serving as president of Canada Pakistan Association National Capital Region.
Through Human Concern International Canada, she became a witness to the devastating effects of Fistula and Prolapse disease in children which was the other moving experience that deepened her commitment to the community work. She says, “Bangladesh newborns had Fistula and Prolapse disease, many children faced complications, and I wanted to do anything to help by giving them access to the treatment.”
Sadaf has also been awarded for running a successful campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness and raise funds for Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation Canada. She is also a recipient of various awards from the city and different local organizations. With her vibrant entrepreneurial skills, Ms. Sadaf has also organized career fairs, workshops, charitable events, and supported the small local businesses in Canada.
She sincerely believes that one person can certainly make a difference.
Ms. Sudaf Choudhry | Consultant
Suduf is absolutely delighted to be selected as an ambassador for PAGE as she feels extremely passionate about everyone to have a right to free education especially girls who are often responsible not just for their own education but that of future generations as women. She believes “Knowledge is most certainly power.”
Ms. Hena Iqbal
Hena Iqbal is currently a Senior Vice President for a global bank in the UK. She holds an LLB(Hons) Law, the Legal Practice Diploma from the College of Law in London, an MSc in Financial Regulation & Compliance Management and the CISI Diploma in Investment Compliance. Hena is also a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments in London.
Hena has extensive experience as a legal and compliance professional in the financial services industry. She has worked primarily for global investment management companies in an Advisory capacity. Her experience also includes mentoring undergraduates to help them achieve their potential.
Hena strongly believes that education is the key to success, not just on a professional level, but on a personal level too. Giving girls open access to education not only provides them with the opportunity to secure their own future, but the future of generations to come. Hena is determined to help girls turn into independent and self-confident women with the ability to seek out opportunities for themselves and their families for a brighter future.
Mr. Kashif Minhas | Management Consultant
Kashif Minhas is a Management Consultant by profession, and has over 20 years of experience in managing complex projects related to business and technological change for multi-national organizations. His experience spans across UK, Europe, US and Middle East.
Besides being a successful management consultant Kashif has been working devotedly for social welfare since for the past 7 years and is the a founding member and treasurer of the Better Community Business Network (BCBN) which aims to harness the power of the business community to aid and make a real difference to a wide range of critical and difficult causes across London and the UK.
He has also been working with The Read Foundation for the past 2 years and has devoted his services to support the education of underprivileged and orphaned children in Kashmir and raise funds for their schools.
His passion and devotion towards the development sector especially in terms of education and progress is evident from his achievements above. Education that has always inspired him and he strongly believes that the educational issues and deficiencies in Pakistan are the root cause of many of the problems that we see in the country. Improvements in this space, especially in the area of girls’ education, can help Pakistan grow, thrive and prosper.
We believe that his set of skills and experience will prove to be beneficial for girls in Pakistan and his passion to see the girls in Pakistan thrive, and lead successful, independent and empowered lives, will be of great benefit to a cause like PAGE. We are eager to work with Kashif and Welcome him on board! We hope that together we can help make a real difference in shaping the future of Pakistan.
Dr. Fouzia Haneef Khan | Doctor
Dr. Fouzia Haneef Khan is a British Pakistani graduate scientist from UCL School of Pharmacy. She received her BSc (1st Class Hons.) from UCL. After which she was awarded a scholarship to do Ph.D. in Neuro-Pharmacology from UCL.
After a career break, Ms.Fouzia ventured into academia to help teach the MPharm and MSc graduate students at the UCL School of Pharmacy. She interacts with different nationalities from around the globe. As well as teaching, She is involved in non-profit charities whereby she fund-raises annually for different causes from around the world.
Unfortunately, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of children–more than 5 million -who don’t have access to education. More than 3 million of those out of school are girls. Ms.Fouzia strongly believes that knowledge is power. Being blessed and after achieving so much in life she now wants to share her knowledge, expertise, and skills to help others find the same success. She is of a strong opinion that by empowering girls through education will help in developing a progressive society. She dreams of a Pakistan where children can have access to free, safe and quality education. We at PAGE welcome her on board and hope that together we can work to achieve that dream.
Dr. Saima Rana | Educational Consultant
Dr Saima Rana is state educated and has spent her professional life working to improve state education in UK. Dr Rana is Principal of Westminster Academy, serving one of the most deprived areas in the country where 44% of children are in poverty. 46% of Westminster Academy students have ‘ever’ been eligible for free school meals, 51% of students are pupil premium and 76% of students speak English as an additional language. 20% of students have SEND. With a background in school improvement in inner-city schools, and a PhD in Education, Dr Rana has worked in inner-city London schools with high deprivation indicators throughout her career to combine traditional school improvement techniques with a commitment to collaboration between the local community and businesses in order to accelerate regeneration and standards. Dr Rana has worked as a senior educational consultant for Cambridge Education Islington as a leading schools improvement consultant with particular focus on Teaching and Learning, Raising Standards, ICT, Assessment for Learning, Curriculum, Change Management and Building Schools for Future. Dr Rana specialises in Secondary School Educational Policy, ICT, Globalisation, the Knowledge and Digital Economy. She was an ICT Mark Assessor and examiner for NAACE and was on the working party developing the original Becta/Ofsted ICT Mark and Assessment for Learning reform group. She has presented academic papers on Policy, ICT, Globalisation and Secondary Education at the Institute of Education, London, Trinity College, Dublin, The Knowledge Lab, London as well as at International conferences in Europe, the USA and China. Dr Rana is also a member of the following boards: The Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA), International Baccalaureate Schools and Colleges Association (ISBCA), Paddington Development Trust (PDT), Mosaic Community Trust (MCT), University College School (UCS), the Institute for Ethical AI in Education (IEAIED) and the BCS School Curriculum and Assessment Committee. Dr Rana is also Founder and Trustee of Nagar Fort School (NFS) in Pakistan.
Ms. Sara Rathore
Sara Rathore is a British Pakistani. She graduated from the University of Leeds in Modern Arabic and was inspired by her feminist Algerian lecturer Dr Zahia Salhi to read for a Postgraduate Masters in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Manchester. Sara is a career civil servant and believes that her passion and drive to excel combined with the equal opportunities within the Home Office enabled her to explore non traditional roles in law enforcement for BAME women. Until 2016 she was one of few BAME & Muslim arrest trained PIP II (Professionalising Investigation Programme) officers with Customs and Immigration powers. She believes this has reinforced her values as a Muslim, to be accountable, transparent and fair.
Sara is currently the National Engagement Lead for the Pakistani Community within Immigration Enforcement, and Chair of the Home Office Islamic Network. She is also a solo parent to her two teenage sons aged 18 and 13; acting as a role model to raise them as young conscious and ethical Muslim men. She loves to backpack from Europe to Jerusalem and across the amazing borders of Mozambique; every journey teaches her something about life. Sara is an advocate for supporting women globally to live free without fear and shame, supporting the fundamental need for women’s access to education. She believes Women should be in control over their bodies, and her life ambition is to eradicate gender shaming Muslim women on the basis of faith, abolishing period tax and a woman only day in the Haram area.
During her recent official trip to Pakistan, she realized how important it was for her, being the daughter of migrant parents, to give something back to the daughters of the land her amazing father left many years ago. She is hoping to bring some real value to Page and looks forward to the challenges of supporting young women in Pakistan.
Anwer Azam
Mr. Anwer Azam did his Masters in Commerce from University of Karachi, Pakistan. He then enrolled himself into the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pakistan. After finishing his studies, he travelled abroad to secure certification from State of Texas as a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Azam specialized in Audit and Tax consulting both for for-profit and not-for profit sectors. He has over 30 years of experience in Accounting, Tax and Auditing fields. He manages his CPA firm providing complete tax, accounting, payroll and audit services.
Anwer Azam has hands on experience with diversified businesses. He has worked with KPMG as an audit supervisor. While with KPMG he finalized the external audits of various banks, insurance companies, manufacturing companies, airlines and other trading businesses including private and public sector. He has also worked in the capacities of a CFO and Internal auditor in Oil & Gas, defense and trading companies.
He is a Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA Dallas Chapter), American Accounting Association. He is also the Executive Board Member and Ex- Treasurer of Pakistan Society of North Texas. He is serving as Director Communication and Exec. Board Member at Pak America Business Forum. He is also the incumbent as Board Member at DFW Muslim American Chamber of Commerce.
Faisal Mustafa
Faisal Mustafa is a well-established, Pakistani American IT Entrepreneur based out of Chicago, IL. He moved to the US for Academics and after completing his degree from South Dakota State University in Computer Science, started working in reputed IT/Financial Sector Organizations. The drive to create and run a business with market leading IT Services lead him to start VIRE TECH LLC in 2007. Currently in its 12th successful year as a Full Stack IT Services Company, VIRE TECH LLC has been celebrated as one of the fastest growing companies in the US. It has also been included as one of the Top 250 companies by CRN Nex Gen 250.
With a positive attitude and great customer satisfaction ratings, Faisal Mustafa branched out and started VIRE TECH’s Software Development Office in Lahore, Pakistan in 2012. Now, with 40+ permanent employees and Projects ranging from Custom Software Development to Microsoft ERP & Office Product Deployments, VIRE TECH Lahore is growing rapidly. This growth spurt continued and VIRE TECH expanded its operations to The UK as well as Australia, with on-ground presence in Canada as well. As of today, VIRE TECH is actively operating, providing quality Software Development Services to various clients across 4 continents with aspirations to spread even more.
Faisal Mustafa’s had a vision to engage talented, brooding with confidence Pakistani youth and give them a stable, fiscally dependable platform to work and grow. As a result, VIRE TECH’s operations expanded and so did the team. Faisal is of the view that Pakistani Professionals have world-class skills that need to be harnessed in a careful yet positive manner. VIRE TECH is an equal opportunity employer and Faisal Mustafa strongly believes that women play an even more crucial role in organizational well-being and growth in this era. VIRE TECH and Faisal’s collective vision is to see Pakistan as a World-Leader in IT/Software Exports and aims to work tirelessly to achieve that goal. We at PAGE welcome him on board and are hopeful that together we will work to provide better education opportunities to our girls.
Asghar Jameel | Director HR - VEON
Jameel is an HR leader by profession, with broad range of experience with multinational companies in Pakistan, Middle East, Africa and Europe. He is currently Group Director HR HQ based in Amsterdam at VEON (a leading emerging markets telecom operator). Prior to moving to Amsterdam, he was Chief HR Officer at Jazz Pakistan (subsidiary undertaking of VEON Group). He held several roles in Middle East and Africa region as well as a global Business HR Head in one of world’s extremely innovative and technologically progressive organizations i.e. Nokia and Ericsson.
He loves to volunteer for social projects in free time and manages his Facebook page that focuses on promoting optimism about Pakistan, a cause he initiated while living abroad in 2013 when country was receiving a lot of negative media coverage. Jameel & his wife (Aniqa Jameel, a medical doctor by profession) extensively support Education, Health and Poverty alleviation projects across the country.
Supporting education is very personal to Jameel. He (along with 4 other siblings) was raised single handedly by his mother after the early death of his father when he was only 4 years old. He has experienced the importance of early education first-hand and thus is a staunch supporter of such initiatives. He is thrilled to be the ambassador of PAGE’s vision “Let’s prioritize girls’ education” in Pakistan.
Ms. Saima Sajad
Ms. Nazia Hamid
Nazia Hamid has done her MBA from London Business School, with professional experience spanning over 12 years, gained in UAE, UK, South Africa and Pakistan with an insight to help individuals embrace new challenges. She is certified in wealth and Investment Management and is currently engagement at a Private Equity firm based in Dubai. Communication Audit, Management Analysis, Training, Coaching and Mentoring are her key skills. Nazia has been associated with TIE | WECREATE center as certified Master Mentor/TTT since, 2014. She is also a Youth mentor at Injaz UAE. As a hobby, Miss. Hamid writes blogs for Dubair Social Diaries.
Nazia firmly believes in supporting and enabling creative entrepreneurs to build a more substantial ecosystem which she links with opportunities of quality education as her passion and experience are majorly linked with the education sectors across UAE and Pakistan. She aspires to spark economic growth and positive cultural change by engaging, educating, and empowering young entrepreneurs, students, and associates. Her strong commitment to the cause upheld by PAGE and her desire to contribute for bringing a better system allowing girls to identify their potentials, gain education and utilize their energies for a better functioning and prospering society is of great value to PAGE. We wholeheartedly welcome Nazia on our team and hope to work together for a better Pakistan of empowered women!
Mrs. Romina Khurshid | MNA
Romina Khurshid Alam is a passionate activist and politician. As a female christian her political career was one that was laden with the double burden of belonging to two marginalized social categories. Her dedication culminated in her election as an MNA despite the odds stacked against her.
Romina is currently a member of many organizations such as the Federal Think Tank of Climate Change, Nursing Council, National Institute of Health & Women Caucus. At the international level, she is serving as Convener of Philippines and Singapore, Coordinator of Netherlands, Sweden and France Friendship Groups and Ambassador of South Asian Physicians and Surgeons Academy. Along with this she has had the opportunity to attend many international conferences like AFPPD, Reconnecting Afghanistan and EU Meeting on Central Asia. Her achievements include successfully completing the National Security Workshop of 2015 and the National Media Workshop Group 5.
She has served as a General Secretary Youth Women Wing of PML-N as well as Chief Coordinator of the Prime Minister Youth Program; Laptop Scheme and Fee Reimbursement Program. She is also working as a Media Coordinator for Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) in the National Assembly.
Romina is passionate about a diverse set of issues including Climate Change, Minority Rights, Transgender Issues, Violence against Women, Early Child Marriages, Interfaith Harmony, Youth and the Kashmir issue. She has been one of the Chief Organizers of Summer Mela 2011, International Youth Day 2015 as well as Kashmir Black Day Seminar. Interestingly, she is also a qualified beautician and grooming specialist, skills that she has channeled productively towards positive social change. For instance, Romina became Honorary Ambassador of Bait-ul-Maal’s Women Vocational Training Centre on the basis of the “We” initiative that she set up. The initiative encompassed a house for clothing, saloon, and interior design and it has helped train and empower many under-privileged women. The start-up is a reflection of her dedication to women issues, her entrepreneurial spirit as well as the unlimited possibilities available to women who look beyond the horizon.
Ms. Anum Jaffry | Entrepreneur
Anum is a successful entrepreneur and have been running Parcel It – a delivery service across Karachi for 2.5 years. Her service caters the home based and online business owners. She found her niche market with home based business owners who required a trusted delivery service that understood customer services.
She is also a blogger and social media influencer. She is also associated with Fire Protection Association of Pakistan as a project coordinator.
Anum is passionate about girls education in Pakistan and firmly believes that Pakistani girls can make contributions towards Pakistan’s economic growth. She says “I want to contribute to the society by sharing my skills and support the education of girls in Pakistan”. This is the way she wants to contribute back to society.
Ms. Shanze Sumreen Faiz | Entrepreneur
CEO
Gallivant Solutions, Inc.
GSI business gifts
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Shanze’ is an effective and progressive executive business leader with a broad knowledge base acquired in senior sales, marketing, management and business development capacities in both large and small business settings in USA & Pakistan. She has over 20 years of experience gained in retail, call center operations, information technology, telecom, services and media-oriented organizations. Entrepreneurial oriented with significant start-up, re-engineering and expansion. An International Life Coach, Business Coach and Corporate Trainer providing one to one Personal life coaching, business coaching and corporate training to thousands of people in USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Far East and Southeast Asia with portfolio of diversified 90 plus training programs other than customized training ,workshops, boot camps in multinational’s, school chains, restaurant chains, FMCG’s, banks, airlines, hospitals, media houses, textile, retail and hotel chains to increase overall company’s productivity and profits.
A keynote speaker at numerous sessions in all major institutes around the globe including Pakistan for young professionals, youth, women and children development. Sharing Knowledge by doing different shows at various Radio Stations in NJ/NY and almost 2 years with FM 96 Karachi and FM100 Lahore in Pakistan, regularly appearing on TV Channels to talk about different aspects of life coaching, motivation, self-management & enhancement and corporate life.
Shanze actively supports empowerment of young girls and women. She is passionate about educating young girls to bring real change in the society. Shanze’ wants Pakistani girls to have the confidence and opportunities just like girls around the globe have access to. Shanze says “As an educated successful women I feel it’s our responsibility to make sure our girls are educated to make their lives better.”
Ms. Kanwal Shauzab | Social Scientist
Kanwal is a successful social scientist and researcher, Kanwal works with South Asian Federation of Exchanges ( SAFE) as Chief Coordinator for their initiative, “Women On Boards.” In collaboration with Hanss Siedel foundation, she has carried out in-depth research on the discrimination faced by Christian women in Pakistan. She has also conducted various workshops as Master trainer to give political trainings and awareness to women politicians at all levels. She now aims to pursue a Ph.D. Kanwal also partially completed Interior Designing from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. She also completed a Montessori course which enabled her to teach children in different schools of Karachi and Islamabad.
She went on to pursue an MPhil in Governance and Public Policy from NDU, framing her thesis on caste-based discrimination against women in Urban Islamabad. Later, she joined a prestigious program at the National Institutes of Pakistan Studies at Quaid e Azam University. Her curiosity to expand her knowledge and her experiences remained unquenched, and she received the DAAD scholarship to study the practice and theory of democracy in Germany.
Kanwal is a great example of determination and courage. She has overcome challenges in her life to complete her education, be actively involved in politics and to pursue her career as Social Scientist. She is vocal about women’s issue and strongly believes that education enable girls to meet challenges of life. Especially the ones they have to meet due to cultural barriers.
Ms. Maryam Shoeb | Entrepreneur
Maryam Shoeb is an Entrepreneur and an Educationist, currently pursuing a Masters degree in Project Management and holding a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering. She has worked as an IT consultant, support engineer, and manager in different organizations like SECP, Lyesis Technologies, and Beaconhouse School System.
As an entrepreneur, she runs a boutique by the name of “Maryamz Haute Couture” which has dressed the anchors of ATV and Masala television channels for their shows. Maryam is also as a professional photographer and runs a successful business by the name of “ClickFlick Photography”.
Maryam strongly believes in educating girls to make them standout in the society and do something for themselves, their family, the community and the country. As an independent young entrepreneur, she believes that if women are educated, this causes a ripple effect of benefits for the society from the positive transformations it evolves into. An educated woman leaves a long-lasting impact that bears fruits for everyone around her.
Maryam dreams to see women taking control and steering the wheels of their lives with great zeal and courage, believing that only quality education can allow for this. We’re eager to have her on board!
Dr. Syeda Sadaf Taqvi
After completing her MBBS from the pioneer batch of Shifa College of Medicine in December of 2003, she moved to UK for higher education and training. Sadaf completed an extended two-year foundation program, equivalent to house job from Isle of Man and Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust. Following that she trained for almost 6 years in the field of medicine with core training in Acute Medicine. Sadaf is trained in Basic and Advance Life Support (ILS and ALS) plus Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Life Support (ACLS and PLS). After completing her training, she relocated back to Pakistan with the intention of giving back to the country and is currently in touch with a team of experts who offer resuscitation trainings to get ILS training available and mandatory across all schools of the region for both staff and secondary year students.
Growing up in a family of 5 girls, Sadaf believes her parents have done them a kindness by always emphasizing on education. As this education, has enabled her to independently work for her and her country. Today, as an individual belonging to the educated elite, she considers it her responsibility towards the society at large to promote girls’ education so that all the girls are capable of lifting the weights and pressures of career and personal life without depending upon others. She believes girls should be self-sufficient in all sphere of life and the only way to achieve that kind of success and progress is by ensuring quality education for the girls of Pakistan. We are proud of her commitment towards girls’ education and feel lucky to have her on board!
Mrs. Sofia Mahmood
Sofia was born in Lancashire, raised and educated in Bradford specializing in (BA Hons) Applied Criminal Justice Studies and has over 15 years’ experience working across the public, private, faith, voluntary, education and health sectors. Sofia has been a catalyst in raising awareness, campaigning and developing innovative approaches and strategies around the themes of social cohesion, integration, safeguarding, young people, women and the Prevent Strategy locally and nationally. Sofia has worked as a Youth Development Practitioner for Bradford Youth Development Partnership. She has also held the role of Secretary for the Shanaz Network, a national Prevent engagement initiative aimed at women and has designed engagement program for a broad range of audiences.
Sofia is an experienced professional and specializes in Prevent, community engagement, safer communities, citizenship and identity, child sexual exploitation, engagement with young men/women, communities, families, practitioners. She has delivered tailor-made training courses for Prevent Engagement Officers for various Police Forces on how to engage with women and Muslim communities, Anti-racism strategies and policy development. Sofia has worked closely with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), where she has developed resource tools for practitioners around preventing violent extremism, community engagement and tackling radicalizations. Recently, Sofia has engaged in several media interviews across the UK to highlight key messages on women engagement in tackling Prevent through grass root level engagement. Interviews have included the Security Minister, MP’s, senior Police Officers, representatives from BBC departments, Radio 5, BBC Asian Network as well as Directors from a range of services. Sofia has been a key speaker at local and national events empowering men and women to challenge and eradicate key issues from communities e.g. CSE, all forms of extremism and racism.
Sofia is passionate about Education, creating opportunities and making a difference. providing a platform for young women to enhance and develop their education further a specialist career. Engage, Educate and Inspire young females to know their worth and value. She is enthusiastic about alternative education as well as mainstream education young females require to be mentored by women who will support them through their journey of life and education. Sofia’s achievements and aspirations are of great value to the initiatives held by PAGE, we welcome her on board and hope to achieve our goals together!
Ms. Sabeen Bilal | Entrepreneur
Sabeen is an established entrepreneur. She set up Kreative Kids Krafts 5 years ago. Kreative Kids Kraft is an online Forum to share creative ideas with parents all across Pakistan to help them engage their children in productive activities. She provides counselling to women in Pakistan on creative ways to engage their children. She started a Mom and baby club at Tiny Tots Day Care in F-6. She is also Director Operations for Mohafiz which is Pakistan’s first one stop emergency application. Her entrepreneurial spirit is also visible through her new initiative Kreative Kinder Haus to provide inclusive activity and play based child development program.
Sabeen is an active volunteer who regularly develops various initiatives to support local children. She has a particular interest in supporting young children with disabilities. She conducts creative activities for special needs children from age 2 to 22 years. She is a co-founder of Go Green Initiative that provides employment to underprivileged women through her innovative social enterprise. The aim of her social enterprise is to eradicate the use of plastic bags and provide women with sustainable income generation. Sabeen is an inspiration and also a female role model on Aim High Initiative that raises aspirations of school girls of secondary age.
Her commitment to social change is inspiring. As our Ambassador for Girls Education in Pakistan, Sabeen feels the need to do more work for Girls with Special Needs. She says that because of her experience she understands the struggles parents of children with Special Needs go through. Girls are already marginalized in our society and those with special needs are completely neglected and locked away at home. Sabeen will be an advocate for these girls and fundraise for initiatives to provide activities and much needed the support network.
Mr. Kashif Bangash
Kashif Bangash, has been working with UN for the past 7 years in addition to having a Master’s degree in HRM and military experience of over 20 years. Kashif not only works with UN Emergency Operations in Pakistan and abroad, he also supports a cash stipend activity under School Feeding Program in FATA covering 140 schools and over 13,061 enrolled girls. His qualifications and achievements go even beyond that as he undertakes disaster management system and conflict resolution education. In addition to that, Mr. Bangash has remained a staff member of Global Emergency Roster.
Kashif Bangash has been involved primarily in social welfare and his services have consisted of such welfare projects throughout his career. His passion and devotion towards the development sector especially in terms of education and progress is evident from his achievements above and his fervor is of great importance to a cause like PAGE’s. The skills and drive that Kashif possesses will be of great benefit to the girls of Pakistan who are deprived of education. His passion to help girls get qualified and educated can become a pillar of PAGE’s high held foundations through which we can together inspire our girls to become independent young women of Pakistan who can lift not only themselves but this country as well with great pride and honor. We are enthusiastic to work with Kashif and welcome him on board!
Mr. Wasim Ahmed | Entrepreneur
Wasim is a qualified pharmacist and have an entrepreneurial spirit that led him to find Ahmeys Ltd, Alemo Group and Luminescent Enterprise. The businesses specialize in Pharmacy, Technology, Executive Coaching and Real-Estate. Wasim now is focusing on helping create an environment for the world’s future entrepreneurs through investing and setting up incubation centers to support their growth.
Wasim has been interested in helping people understand their potential and lend them a hand in their journey towards success and growth. After recognizing this passion he further developed his skills to help people grow by utilizing skill sets that enable us to channel our own inherent abilities to succeed. He completed his diploma in coaching and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in 2011 so he could further this goal of enabling people to grow and prosper. I now look forward to working with people in achieving their goals and visions of entrepreneurship and self-development.
Since then, he has helped many people get a clearer life vision and business vision that helped them steer their life as well as business in the right direction. Wasim is the patron and a trustee of the British Pakistan Foundation and works arduously to help it grow. He has a huge vision for Pakistan and aim to help 100 Pakistanis reach the million dollar mark.
Wasim strongly supports and advocates for better education for Pakistan. He believes that democracy gives everyone the right to have access to basic needs, be it, girls or boys. While food, water, and shelter are the basic human necessities and one can never emphasize their importance enough, education is another extremely substantial human need that is often ignored and not given as much importance as it deserves. A lack of education is one of the biggest reasons why the patriarchal culture keeps on growing in Pakistan and why people are deprived of their basic needs. People aren’t still aware of their rights and how they deserve to live a good life.
The future of Pakistan and of any country, as a matter of fact, does rely on its people, especially women because they play a monumental role in shaping its future generations. Considering this, it is only right to focus as much as possible on educating them.
Mr. Naeem Azam | Chairman, Poverty Reduction Charity
In the last few years, his focus has been on Process Improvement and has undertaken an Improvement Consultant and Process Owner roles both of which relate to Process Improvement. He has leveraged his IT background and expertise in to add benefit and value to the projects he has been involved in.
Naeem is the Chairman of a poverty reduction charity which he set up in 2014. In 2015 Naeem spent two months as a Senior Volunteer in Islamabad, Pakistan with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) advising them in the area of innovation and how to leverage technology to enhance their operations. Recently, Naeem was appointed to the Board of Advisors for a school operating in Lahore, Pakistan which provides education to underprivileged children.
Naeem is passionate about using his experience and knowledge to make a valuable, positive and impactful contribution for good causes and it was with this in mind that Naeem decided to take up the role of Ambassador with PAGE.
Ms. Nadia Leona Yunis | Mindologist
Nadia is a ‘Mindologist’ – the worlds first Muslim female to specialise specifically in Mindset Transformation. Providing personal development and mindset transformation training for corporations and organisations as well as private individual and group mentoring and coaching for excellence performing achievers.
Queen of Inspiration & Motivation™ and expert SEO – Soul Empowerment Officer™ at Nadia Yunis Consultancy – helps her clients create instant and positive mindset transformational changes so they can live a life full of purpose.
Nadia is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, researcher, writer, author, speaker, mentor, coach, consultant and international personal development trainer. She has 23 years of theoretical and practical experience in spiritual and personal development and is on a lifelong quest to learn, grow, transform into a valuable asset for humanity.
Nadia has a background in Law. She has read for an LLB (Hons) Law and Criminal Justice Degree, Post-Grad Diploma in Law, BA (Hons) Islamic Studies Degree and a Masters Degree in LLM International Human Rights. She will soon be starting her journey for her Ph.D. too.
Nadia strongly feels the need to advocate for Girls Education. As a British Pakistani, she understands that girls in Pakistan struggle to complete their education. She herself is the only one in her family to come this far in Education. Her own friends in the UK weren’t allowed to complete their education. Nadia says “We need a shift in mindset and we need to highlight the importance of girls education across the globe.”
Ms. Hina Aslam | CIPD Associate
Hina Aslam is a CIPD Associate member and Organizational Trainer; she works as a Capacity builder, coach and career counselor. Her qualifications include MSc. in Human Resource Management and Development. She has been able to achieve great success in her field as she currently heads an HR department and has also established HR departments from scratch. She is capable of developing, organizing and maintaining teams and departments on her own using her strengths as an organizational trainer and coach.
Ms. Aslam has worked with students and the youth by providing education and career counseling. She has been guiding students on their academic choices and has also worked up on career planning- specifically helping them develop their resumes, enhancing their skill sets and guiding students and youth towards various internship placements. Hina believes that every woman needs to be empowered and should have access to the information and guidance she needs in order to make healthy life choices- education, career and family life. She believes that by educating girls, we give them the tools that allow them to think out of the box, to go beyond the barriers blocking their futures.
She wants the girls of Pakistan to attain educational and skill-based qualifications, allowing them to contribute to this rapidly advancing and growing environment. Vocational trainings are essential to elevating the status of the youth, allowing them to move with the same current as the rest of the progressing world. Hina is determined to help girls in their education and careers for their healthier lives and a bright shining Pakistan held high by its women! PAGE is glad to have her on board!
Mrs. Hana Khokhar | Pharmacist
Hana is a successful Pharmacist based in London and Glasgow. A self-motivated and highly focused team player, she has worked in some of the top hospitals in London and has a broad range of experience whilst undertaking a number of roles within pharmacy and business project management. She holds a post graduate diploma in clinical pharmacy practice and a number of project management qualifications. She comes from a family of healthcare professionals and is in the process of collaborating with family members to set up a private counselling and Psychiatry service. She is also setting up a charity with her mother (a consultant gynecologist and counselor) which focuses on educating and counselling women on a range of topics which affect their everyday lives.
Hana is passionate about education and believes that access to education for young girls in Pakistan still does not exist in many parts of the country. Her vision is to promote gender equality by overcoming cultural obstacles. She wants to empower young girls to bring a positive change to society and enable them to make important decisions independently. With proven communication and organizational skills, Hana wants to share her expertise, knowledge, and experience to promote education and feels it is our responsibility to ensure that these girls have a better tomorrow!
Humza Mullick | Director of Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance
Humza Mullick currently works as a Director of Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance in a college in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Humza has a passion for education and has been involved in the educational field for over 17 years where he has educated from primary to tertiary level. He has attained two Masters’ Degrees in Education and one in Practice Based Educational Research and is currently undertaking his Ph.D. at Leicester University.
His approach to education is an inclusive one as he believes it involves giving voice to staff and students ensuring their views are listened to. Humza realizes that education is more than just imparting knowledge; it should be both an experience and enjoyable journey for teachers and students. This has led him to be committed to the highest standards of professional practice in order to provide the best experience for students and teachers. Humza considers himself to be a knowledgeable, experienced, pragmatic and emotionally intelligent senior leader who promotes a culture of continuous improvement, inclusion, and excellence.
One of his main goals is to shift the paradigm within Education to afford students and teachers voice and inclusion. Humza has six children, of which four are girls, so he totally understands and appreciates the importance of education for girls.
Ms. Muniza Mahmud | Finance Professional
A former finance professional, with extensive experience of more than 12 years in the financial services sector, Muniza holds an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan. As a Business Planning Manager, she has worked on business development and growth strategy through business planning and data analysis, contributing to increased portfolio revenue. She has also managed end-to-end transaction execution for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking clients, through financial analysis and loan underwriting for large-ticket syndicated and structured financing, as well as cross-selling Transaction Banking and Treasury products.
More recently, she has worked with primary school children at a school that her daughter also attends. She has worked closely with children from a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities. She has also received training in effective teaching strategies, development of socio-emotional skills, and Positive Education for children.
Muniza- who comes from a family of educationists in various fields including Literature, Medicine and Accounting- is strongly passionate about education, and believes it is a basic right of every child. She wants to work towards ensuring girls in Pakistan have equal opportunities for education, subsequently leading to significant contribution to the workforce. She believes education empowers and uplifts women and societies, and paves the way for better lives for generations to come.
We welcome Muniza aboard as our Girls Education Ambassador!
Dr. Eeshal Chaudhry | Educationalist
Dr. Eeshal Chaudhry is an experienced educationalist with over 16 years of extensive experience in teaching & learning and is associated with different national and international universities in different capacities. She holds an honorary designation of ‘City Mayor Islamabad’ for Entrepreneur café, an international business forum. She contributes most of her time in working and volunteering herself for educational causes.
She received her Doctorate of Management in 2016 and did her thesis in Educational Management. During her Doctorate degree in USA she realized that contemporary education system, most importantly Formal System of Education is not the answer to Pakistan’s educational needs. Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children with an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44% of the total population in this age group hence Pakistan needs a specially designed curriculum and a short term plan to address this issue.
Dr. Chaudhry believes Informal Education System is cost effective, more practical and is a short-term solution to Pakistan’s educational problems. She is a staunch supporter of the case and played an instrumental role in establishing first Star school in I-12, Islamabad. Her vision of ‘Empowered woman’ is an ‘Educated woman’. She stresses on Basic Education Provision and believes it should be free and safe with equal access opportunity.
Mr. Amir Davis | Automation Engineer
Amir is working as Automation Engineer in Intel Corporation since 2004. Even though he is living in the USA, He is the pioneer of a unique educational program, called Amir Public school, in his village in Pakistan which has a mission to educate underprivileged children and is currently providing primary education to children aged between 3 to 15 years with a strong focus on girl’s education. Currently, 334 students are enrolled in the school as part of this program.
Alongside this Amir has been actively involved to fight against the cruel issue of child labor that persists in our society by giving maximum relief to underprivileged children and taking away the education-related financial burden from their parents. He has also successfully motivated the local residents of his area to avail the opportunity to educate their girls.
Amir’s devotion towards society’s welfare and his progressive efforts in this regard has earned him various awards. He has been recognized by Intel Corporation and was declared Intel Global Hero across more than 100K Intel employees worldwide. Amir and Malala Yousazai were declared winners for 2012 Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust Gold Medal and Azme Alishan Pakistan Award 2012. President of Ireland Michael D Higgins also awarded Amir with Ireland Involved Award.
Belonging to a remote locality himself and after personally witnessing the gender inequity when it comes to education in our society, Amir is passionate about educating Pakistani youth and we at PAGE gladly welcome him on board and hope that together we can work together towards a common goal.
Mr. Qaiser Ali Khan | PhD Scholar
Mr. Qaiser Ali Khan is currently a PhD scholar at the Institute of Chemistry of New Materials at the University of Osnabruck, Germany. While he was enrolled in University of Kiel, Germany, he was awarded a scholarship twice, based on his outstanding achievements and social commitments.
Since 2010, he has been playing a proactive role by volunteering with different organizations to help young students coming from marginalized communities of Pakistan. His motivation towards improving education sector can be traced back to the poor educational opportunities in his hometown, Parachinar – a war prone city that suffered a huge loss. Parents lost their interest in sending their children particularly girls to schools and colleges. Majority of the schools were closed, but Qaiser was fortunate enough to find his way to school with the support of his parents and family. Financial constraints coupled with deteriorating law and order situation taught him to study and work hard. Mr. Khan graduated amongst the top five students in his Bachelors program. The Pakistan Engineering Congress (PEC) awarded him a monthly talent scholarship along with GIK Alumni Financial Assistance. After witnessing the education crises, he was worried and started teaching for free in two different schools of Parachinar. He started visiting other schools and colleges in the vicinity for counselling and guidance sessions to the students. It was due to his efforts that many of his students found their way to top universities both in Pakistan and abroad.
After Mr. Khan moved to Germany to pursue higher education, he started promoting gender equality because he was well aware of poor rights for women in his country due to the lack of female rights back home. He is currently a member of Lise Meitner Society (LMS) which aims to improve equal opportunities for women in the natural sciences both inside and outside of academia. Mr. Khan has recently started working with Fem4scholar – a mentoring program to support women in academia. The programme has evolved rapidly across three cities in Germany, and aims to start in Manchester, UK in March 2019, in Winneba, Ghana in April 2019 and in Pakistan by September 2019. Mr. Khan was also awarded the title of Global Goodwill Ambassador because of his humanitarian work.
Gender equality must be practiced and Mr. Khan is determined to make this happen. He is very passionate for girls’ right to education. He is playing an active role supporting girls’ education and with the help of Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE), he is committed to work hard to improve girls’ education in Pakistan especially in his hometown (FATA).
Amber Aijaz
Amber Aijaz Bolani is currently working in the capacity of Operations Manager Camelot Management Consultants based in Dubai, UAE but her journey so far wasn’t without challenges. She learned from an early age that struggle is the meaning of life and constant hard work is the only way to achieve success.
Being a woman herself and the challenges she faced in terms of pursuing her education, developed in her a sense of empathy for other girls and a desire to help them achieve their dreams. As a child Amber’s mother worked hard to provide her with good education despite the objections placed by her father. She started her own start up , a tiffin service with the income of which she funded her daughters tuition fees. By the age of 17 and being the eldest among her siblings Amber took some of the responsibility herself and got associated in two jobs, working as a teacher in day time and in a call center at night.
Amber learned to see the difficulties, face challenges and criticism forefront. The baby steps she took to pave her own destiny made it easier for her younger siblings to follow into her footsteps. We at PAGE strongly feel that after going through these tough challenges in life herself Amber is better able to reflect with the vision of PAGE and will work hard to provide better education opportunities for our girls. We welcome her on board as our Pakistan Girls Education Ambassador and look forward in working with her.
Ms. Zeenish Nasir | Accounting Professional
Born and bred in the UK, Zeenish Nasir is an Accounting and Financial Management graduate from the University of Hull in 2018. Whilst in employment and through pursuing ACCA she was able to train and develop herself professionally – auditing large companies to monthly payrolls.
Having family roots in Pakistan helped familiarise herself with the stark level of transparent inequality between the rich and poor and how it is worsening day by day. Simultaneously understanding that this will result in very low literacy rates leading to staggering growth and development. But the main issue that she identified is how women and girls from poverty-stricken households are held back from education and from achieving their true potential which she found uncomfortably upsetting – 32% of primary school girls are not attending education and this statistic falls to 13% when they reach year 9. Realizing the impact financial independence can have, Zeenish is committed to helping girls in Pakistan from experiencing the same rather than relying on their male counterparts.
She finds it essential that communities living abroad must pool their time and resources to create a better life for girls. After all like the theme of the 1997 Bollywood film Virasat: ‘A man gets an education not to become a selfish being but to uplift his uneducated brothers and society’.
For more details on the nomination process, please follow the below link.