London: High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, H.E. Mr. Moazzam Ahmad Khan, invited a LADIESFUND delegation of dynamic women leaders across fields to the High Commission of Pakistan in the United Kingdom for a roundtable discussion and dialogue.
In his speech at the event, the High Commissioner stated “It’s really an honour and privilege to have you all here … you are the Pride of Pakistan.”
He said to LADIESFUND President Tara Uzra Dawood, “Thank you for taking this initiative. It was quite inspiring.”
The High Commissioner gifted all members of the delegation a fresh box of Pakistani mangoes as an appreciation.
Some of the delegates included Hon. Captain Durdana Ansari OBE (Motivational Speaker and Trainer), Chef Zahra Khan (Founder and CEO, Feya), Sadaf Khan (Former Ms. World UK), Bano Sheikh (Financial Services Partner, KPMG U.K.), Alia Din (Model), Anoushka Rafi Kachelo (Lawyer who has climbed the North Pole), Raishma Islam (Fashion Designer), Amina Art Ansari (Visual Artist), Kinza Athar (cancer survivor and founder of a healthy food and chocolate brand RUH), Dr. Hina Naila Ansari (Managing Partner, Latitude Ventures), Dr. Sohnia Tariq (ICB Management), Dr. Humma Shahid (glaucoma surgeon and specialist), Ayesha Ansari (Director, Head of Data and Digital Products, Sage UK Ltd.), Naheed Niazi (Financial Intermediary, Windsor Financial Services), among others. LADIESFUND President headed the delegation and chaired the event.
“Pakistani origin women in the diaspora in some of the highest places and positions in the world and we were honoured to spotlight these incredible Pakistani-British women collectively to the Pakistan High Commission and High Commission in the UK,” said Ms. Dawood.
“LADIESFUND did the most wonderful job curating a fantastic event with the High Commission. It was a true privilege and honour to be invited amongst such awe-inspiring ladies for a very insightful round table discussion!” said Chef Zahra Khan.
“I congratulate LADIESFUND for creating a jewel necklace out of the diverse professional British Pakistani women,” said Cptn Durdana, whose face is currently on buses across London as an iconic inspiration to all. “The way Tara handled the roundtable talk showed resilience, experience, knowledge, and forward thinking. I haven’t seen such a quality and organised women programme in a long time coming from Pakistan. Great job!”
“A truly inspiring session meeting all these strong beautiful women. Cannot wait for more round tables and dinners as it’s a rare opportunity to be around these women from different backgrounds and walks of life all together in one room,” said hijabi model Alia Din.
“LADIESFUND roundtable was all about unsung heroes who were most humble and afraid of being stereotyped in groups. Those who deserved to get together in the spotlight. Tara did incredible tasks of establishing such unique platform. I was honoured to be invited as a delegate in the presence of HE, High Commissioner Moazzam Ahmed Khan.” said Amina Art Ansari.
“This was the first LADIESFUND event in London and I was very impressed with the attendees and informative discussion held. LADIESFUND is doing a fantastic job in creating communities across the globe and the valuable work they are doing in raising awareness for the orphans and women of Pakistan is a testament to their commitment to doing the right thing,” said Bano Sheikh, first female Muslim partner at KPMG.
“I was really honoured to be at the LADIESFUND, was so excited to showcase the British Pakistani women in the fashion and beauty industry,” says Sadaf Khan, former Ms. World UK. “I met so many talented and successful Pakistani-British women there, had such a great time and thanks for the great hospitality of the Pakistani high commission enjoyed every moment there looking forward to the next one.”
More LADIESFUND London activities are planned for the future.