Neghat Khan, Chair
Neghat was born and raised in a diverse and social deprived area in Nottingham. Neghat has been a Nottingham City Councillor and represented the Dales ward for over 8 years and a member of the Executive for over 6 years, holding different portfolios including Education, Employment and currently Neighbourhoods, Safety and Inclusion. When Neghat was elected in 2013, she was the first female British Pakistani Councillor in Nottingham. Neghat joined politics to make a difference. Inspired by her dad’s life as a miner at Gedling colliery, the battles and experience he faced, shaped her and her understanding that a better life is possible for everyone. Since Brexit, Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, now is the time that communities need our help the most. Having worked with many diverse organisations throughout her life, her experience and know how as a women of colour inspires Neghat’s passion for communities and having inclusive and accessible services for all.
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.
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
Simah Hussain, Trustee
Simah was born and raised in Nottingham, attended the local inner-city schools and served as a parent Governor at a Nottinghamshire primary school. She lives close to family and friends that are her trusted support network.
With over 15 years of expertise in Recruitment and HR, Simah is a results-focused individual with having worked in the private sector and more recently joined the NHS as a People Partner. She is passionate about advising and guiding the employer so that they have a workforce that feels valued and supported.
Over the years, Simah has held various positions within Human Resources and progressively increasing responsibilities. The scope of her expertise includes playing a key role in the employee journey from onboarding new starters, delivering policy training, conducting grievance/ disciplinary, sickness management and mediations. Having demonstrated where HR can determine the value to the organisation through supporting stakeholders such as Heads of departments, Senior Leadership Teams and HR Business Partners.
Simah creates a robust culture that promotes continuous business growth and cultivates customer loyalty by empowering and motivating employees to realise their full potential and bring their best to the job. Where appropriate she is able to utilise her skills and knowledge to support the role as a Trustee with the Nottingham Muslims Women’s Network.