Neghat Khan, Chair
Neghat Khan was born and raised in Sneinton and Bakersfield, Nottingham. She attended Greenwood Dale, Peoples College, and the University of Derby, shaping her passion for education and opportunity.
In 2013, she became Nottingham’s first female British-Pakistani Labour Councillor, representing the Dales ward. Over the years, she has held key executive roles in Education, Employment, Neighbourhood Safety, Inclusion, Regeneration, Transport, and Communications. In May 2024, she made history again as the first person of colour and only the second woman to lead Nottingham City Council.
Inspired by her father’s work as a miner, Neghat entered politics to fight for better opportunities and ensure that all Nottingham residents can succeed. She is dedicated to making the city safer, fairer, and more inclusive, securing investment for future generations.
Neghat has worked since she was 16, starting in a laundrette before taking roles in customer service and retail, including at Boots. Her journey reflects her belief in hard work and determination.
Living in the Dales ward with her son, Neghat enjoys gardening, cricket, and fantasy football. She chairs the Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network and is a proud GMB union member. Her leadership is driven by her lived experience and commitment to ensuring Nottingham is a city where everyone has the chance to thrive.
Marsha Brown, Co-Chair
Marsha Brown is the co-chair at Nottingham Muslim Women Network. She is a specialist within domestic abuse with nearly 2 decades of experience supporting women and children to live free from domestic abuse and violence. She has carried out various roles within this sector including refuge outreach sanctuary management and was involved in developing the R2C service which supports women with multiple disadvantages. She has also been delivering training to clinician and medical practitioners. Marsha is a feminist and campaigns for women to live far from violence.
Dr Sobia Qazi, Treasurer
Dr. Sobia Qazi is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham. She has obtained her PhD in Civil Engineering in 2016 on Schlumberger Faculty for the Future (FFTF) Fellowship. She has been a lifetime fellow of FFTF since 2010; she was among 33 fellows who were selected to pursue PhD under this programme from 300 applicants. Under this umbrella, she has been working for the promotion of women’s participation and achievement in STEM and mentoring them to cope with any of the difficulties and hurdles in pursuing engineering education and careers. She has joined Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network Committee in early 2021 to extend her contribution towards the women who are the victims of domestic abuse and violence.
In her current role at Faculty of Engineering, besides teaching, Sobia also provides pastoral and disability support to her students. She serves as the BAME Champion and Academic Lead for the ‘Inspiring Women in Engineering’ program at the Faculty, in addition to her involvement in various other EDI-related initiatives. In 2019, Sobia also served as a Deputy Warden and actively dealt with students’ wellbeing, mental health and safeguarding issues.
Farzana Chaudry
With 25 years of dedicated service in the Higher Education Sector, I have cultivated a career that spans from my beginnings as a YTS (Youth Training Scheme) participant at the age of 16 at IBM. My journey through diverse roles has equipped me with a wealth of experience and an understanding of educational frameworks, working with students and academic staff. In addition to my primary occupation, I take on roles as an IELTS invigilator and an event steward.
Outside of my professional commitments, I am deeply passionate about fitness and regularly attend the gym. As a parent, I cherish the time spent caring for and nurturing my three children, balancing my career with family life.
Recently, I have embarked on a volunteering journey with the Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network. This experience has been profoundly inspirational, allowing me to witness the impactful work being done to support and empower women in the community. I am honoured to be part of the network and look forward to working with them.
Dr Nayab Patel, Trustee
Dr. Nayab Patel has a PhD in English Language and Literature and is a published writer. A teacher by profession she has over 18 years of teaching experience at various levels. She currently works for Inspire, Culture, Libraries and Learning. She is also a councillor for Sherwood. She has a huge amount of experience of working in the community and has been supporting people in various communities. Nayab was born in Mumbai, India and her interests include Yoga and Reading.
Maxine Cockett, Trustee
Shazia Khan, Trustee
Community Development Officer at Nottingham City Council, Trustee at Nottingham Muslim Women Network. With a proven track record in community empowerment, Shazia Khan is a dynamic freelance consultant focusing on community engagement, development, and project management. Notably, she founded and served as Executive Director of the Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network (2014) and has held key development officer positions within local government, including Resident Development and Community Cohesion.
Driving community engagement across Nottingham’s diverse communities, Shazia Khan is instrumental in pioneering local, regional, and national projects. Her work focuses on developing innovative models of involvement and participation, built upon her extensive 25+ years of project development and management experience.
Shazia is a qualified trainer and has delivered various training programmes for adults across the board, is a Freedom Programme practitioner. Early in her career she was the Deputy Manager for the Asian Women’s Project, a pioneering women’s organisation in Nottingham. She holds an MA in Educational Research Methods and has been a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham in the Department of Education. She worked as a freelance consultant working locally, regionally and nationally with charities, voluntary se and public sector. She also hold a BA (hons) Communication studies.
Shazia has worked in a voluntary capacity in Azad Kashmir with an International Aid Organisation called Muslim Hands, working in orphanage schools of excellence, supporting medical assistance at mobile cataract hospital and providing landslide areas with aid.