Bursar and Clerk to the Governors, Bradford Grammar School

I was brought up in North London where my parents who were immigrants from Pakistan settled in the UK in the 1970s. My father arrived in England with no English and very little formal education and has been my inspiration as I grew up. He tried constantly to better himself and provide a better life for his family both in Pakistan and in the UK.

I attended a state comprehensive in North London and excelled academically, securing a place at Cambridge University to read Natural Sciences. I was fortunate in that both my school and my parents raised my aspirations to aim high and told me nothing as impossible if I put my mind to it.

After I graduated, I decided to pursue a career in Finance and I completed my Chartered Accountancy training, firstly in London at a mid-tier firm and then in a Big 4 firm in Leeds when I relocated to Bradford in 2006.

After completing my training, I moved into a Business Analyst role with Hallmark Cards in Bradford. I worked at Hallmark for 11 years undertaking various accounting, treasury and tax functions. In the latter part of my time there, I also served as Group Company Secretary which saw me responsible for in-house legal matters such as commercial contracts and intellectual property.

I moved to Bradford Grammar School as Finance Manager in 2018 and was then promoted to the role of Bursar and Clerk to the Governors in 2020. In my current role, I am part of the Senior Leadership Team at the school. As well as helping to shape at the school’s strategic plans, I am responsible for all of the non-teaching areas of the school including Finance, HR, IT, Estates and Admin.