Neghat Khan, Chair
Neghat was born and raised in a diverse and socially deprived area of Nottingham, living in Sneinton and Bakersfield all her life. She attended Greenwood Dale, Peoples College, and the University of Derby.
Neghat has been a Nottingham City Councillor for over 8 years, representing the Dales ward, and a member of the Executive for over 6 years, holding portfolios including Education, Employment, and currently Neighbourhoods, Safety, and Inclusion. Elected in 2013, she was the first female British-Pakistani Labour Councillor in Nottingham.
Inspired by her father’s experiences as a miner, Neghat joined politics to make a difference, believing in better opportunities for everyone. She is committed to ensuring that all Nottingham residents have the best opportunities to succeed and that the city is invested in for future generations. She is proud to be the first person of colour and only the second woman to lead the city.
Neghat has worked since she was 16, starting at a local laundrette, and has held roles in customer services and retail, including Boots. She demonstrates that hard work, regardless of background, pays off.
Living in the Dales ward with her son, Neghat enjoys gardening, cricket, and her fantasy football league with Labour Party colleagues. She chairs the Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network and is a member of the GMB. Her diverse experiences inspire her passion for inclusive and accessible community services.
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.
