Hashim Bhatti BA(Hons), MA, GDL, LPC, LL.M – National Chairman UK & Overseas
Hashim is an award winning (ex) councillor, serial entrepreneur and international advisor. He has a background in corporate law with a Masters in Economics, Politics, Philosophy and Law alongside a degree in Politics with International Relations. He is currently the CEO for several businesses in the property and tech sector having previously specialised in private equity and corporate finance. As an entrepreneur and a philanthropist he brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the CMF Board.

Having held various roles since 2012 working his way up from being in charge of the youth wing he was elected as the National Chairman in September 2021. He has been instrumental in shaping the Forum’s work and expanding our reach.

Between May 2015 to May 2019, Hashim served as an elected Conservative Councillor for the Clewer North Ward in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead having overturned a seat held by opposition for over 20 years. He was the first British Pakistani selected by the Conservative Party in Windsor for the local council elections and at the time was one of the youngest councillors to be elected in the UK under 25.  He has previously worked as a political adviser to an influential peer in Parliament where his work has included strengthening bilateral relations and scrutinising the Intellectual Property Bill. He has a keen interest in foreign policy relations having led several international delegations as a trusted adviser to governments and NGO’s.

As a pioneer, Hashim has over a decade of experience working in interfaith relations and under his leadership was the brainchild behind founding London’s first ever Interfaith Summit in 2015 which has impacted over 1,000 young people. His work has since been embedded within the charity, the Faith & Belief Forum (formerly 3FF) where he is an Ambassador. In 2017, Hashim founded the first ever interfaith fringe reception held at a party conference with the support of the Prime Minister which has now become an annual event. Alongside this, Hashim regularly hosts events in Parliament to empower young people and to increase diversity within politics. For example, throughout 2018-2019, Hashim held a series of national roundtables across the UK (London, Manchester & Bradford) to highlight the pathways into politics. Similarly, between 2019-2022, Hashim held events to inspire young people from diverse communities to play a role in public life.

Hashim currently serves as an officer on the Windsor Conservative Association Board. He is also a UNAOC Fellow, an Ambassador for One Young World, a Patron of the British Pakistan Foundation, a UN ParliaMentors alumni, a Board Advisor to the social enterprise Step Up Youth, a former blogger for Huffington Post, a member of the Society of Conservative Lawyers and a member of the US Embassy’s Future Leaders’ programme (YLUK).

He has several accolades to his name. In 2016-17, Junior Chamber International named Hashim as one of the UK’s 10 Outstanding Young Leaders. In 2017, Hashim was named as a finalist at the LGA local government awards as one of the UK’s Young Councillors of the Year. In 2019-21, Hashim was named as one of the 21 for 21 young leaders in interfaith relations (an initiative endorsed by 10 Downing Street) for his ground-breaking work in building bridges between communities across the UK. In 2021, Hashim received an award from the High Sheriff in Berkshire for his outstanding service and contribution to improving the lives of his local community during Covid-19.

His research interests include tech start-ups, the Metaverse, Web3, the partition of Pakistan and India, the power of foreign lobby groups, how the British educational system has shaped attitudes to religions and lastly, the extent to which the competition rules in articles 101,102 and 106 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union applied to the NHS in the UK.

Naveed A Rana BA MSc – Chair CMF Scotland
Naveed Rana is a businessman, community and political activist from Glasgow, Scotland. A passionate Conservative who dreams of a highly educated society where everyone is self-sufficient and able to reach their true potential.

Having worked for Microsoft UK, Bank of Scotland and Inbev UK, his professional life was shaped within large multinational corporations which instilled the notion of internationalism within his working life leading him to set up his own businesses due to his entrepreneurial spirit.

He aims to help the next generation to become even better integrated and achieve excellence in all aspects of life.

Naveed has been active within the Scottish political arena for many years.  He has developed good community links and is now keen to take the Conservative Muslim Forum message across Scotland as the new Chair of CMF Scotland branch. Naveed is also a passionate traveller.

Samir Thantrey BSc (Hons) FCCA – Treasurer
Samir Thantrey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Queen Mary University (University of London). He is a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant and is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Samir qualified with Prager & Fenton LLP, now Prager Metis LLC, a top 60 firm in the US. He continued his career at a mid-tier firm where he was involved in the setup of their international office. Currently, he is the Director of the Business Services Department at Nyman Libson Paul LLP.

Samir has extensive experience in the Aviation, Entertainment and Property sectors. Working closely with SMEs and high-net-worth individuals he is able to understand their circumstances and tailor plans to help them meet their financial and business goals.

Samir is actively involved in various charitable work across a number of charities he primarily focuses on educational projects around the world. Samir has represented the Conservative Muslim Forum at a number of events, conferences and international visits. More recently he was invited to visit Israel and Palestine to gain a better understanding of the political dynamics within the region.

Away from work, Samir enjoys spending time with his family, eating out, travelling and experiencing new cultures. He is also an avid collector of sporting memorabilia, rare coins and antique carpets.

Dr Haq Nawaz Mirza BSc MBBS
Dr Haq Nawaz is a retired medical doctor and Conservative party activist from Peterborough.

A former student at Rawalpindi Medical College, Jinnah Institute and Manchester University where he studied for his MBBS, CV Diseases and Health Policy and Planning.

Dr Haq was also a special correspondent for Pakistan Times and Newscaster for PTV between 1983 and 1987.

As a Conservative Party member for over 30 years, he has great passion to make a difference and create a better society for all.  Whilst a supporter of the Conservative Muslim Forum for a number of years, he instigated and developed the first ever CMF Peterborough branch in 2018, where served as the first ever branch Chairman.

Whilst he is currently retired, he is still committed to giving back to his local community as a volunteer at Sue Ryder Hospice and the homeless.  In his spare time he loves writing political commentaries.

JASMINE RAHMAN
Currently completing her Postgrad at Law School, Jasmine brings a varied background of events and fundraising experience to CMF including:

• Press, Artist Liaison and Stage Manager for a variety of festivals including Wilderness, Isle of Wight, Hideout, SW4, Global Gathering
• Corporate Comms for SABMiller
• Marketing and Relationships for the British Consulate in Shanghai
• Event Director Durham University Charity Fashion Show, the largest student fundraising event in the UK

Jasmine is on the committee of Conservative Young Women with strong links with other organisations Conservative organisations as well as Battersea Conservatives, her local constituency.

Jasmine brings a wealth of expertise in events and fundraising as well as her contacts and personal experiences both with the Party and externally.

Lady Shaida Sheikh
Lady Sheikh has been an active supporter of the CMF since its inception, and has been an elected member of the Executive Committee since 2014.

She was born in Kenya and arrived in the UK as a teenager, completing her education in the UK. Lady Sheikh worked in accounting for many years, and is also a director of three property companies.

Lady Sheikh is the administrator and a trustee of the Sheikh Abdullah Foundation, a charity which supports causes in the UK and abroad. She is also a Patron of Orphans in Need and a Champion for ROKO Cancer Charitable Trust. She helps to raise awareness and funding for both charities. Lady Sheikh also supports the Cambridge Islamic College, and numerous other charities including rescuing and finding homes for cats, as well as being a member of the RSPCA, the RSPB and the National Trust. Lady Sheikh also contributes to her locality, being the treasurer of her Residents Association and an active member of her local Conservative Association.

Mike Mogul MBA, PGDip (PropDev&ProjMan), CIOB Dip, CEnv; FCIArb; FCIOB, FCMI, FRSH, AIC (USA)
Mike has 35 years’ experience as a senior manager in property, construction and facilities management in both client and contractor roles in the public and private sector and had overall management responsibility for prestigious projects such as the Bank of England Sport Centre, Harley Street Clinic Springfield Hospital-Tooting, Berkeley Hotel, Tower 41 and International Trading Estate-Hayes.

Mike has an MBA (Management) – Partnership/PFI, Economics & Marketing from Cass Business School, City University, London, a Post Graduate Diploma (Property Development and Project Management) from South Bank University – 1982. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, a Member of the Society for the Environment and a Chartered Environmentalist.

Mike is a freeman of the City of London and a retired liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators. Until 2014 he was a Board Member of Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association, and continues to serve as a Planning Group Member. From 2000 to 2013 he was an LEA school governor at Downview Primary School. From 2009 to 2013 he was a Governor of Norbury Manor Business & Enterprise College for Girls. Mike is also a Past Chairman of the Estimating Practice Committee of the Chartered Institute of Building, London and when a Councillor was a Member of the Planning Committee in Croydon.

Mohammad Malick Yousaf – Chair CMF Peterborough
With Allah swt’s blessings I am a husband, father and a grandfather and fulfilling those roles can be challenging at times but mostly very enjoyable!

I have been a Conservative party member for nearly 20 years and an activist for about 5 years. I feel strongly that we should all make a contribution to the political system in whatever way we can.

In terms of political experience, I stood for local council election in 2016 in a safe labour seat and lost by 300 votes. I am active in Peterborough Conservative association and served as vice chairman of a ward and help in organising fund raising activities. I have also campaigned in many elections including the December 2019 general election in which we managed to secure victory for our candidate Paul Bristow and gain this seat from Labour.

I have diverse work and life experience. By profession I am a chartered accountant and a partner in a regional practice in Peterborough, where I have lived for 5 decades. I have also extensive experience of working in public sector in finance as an auditor and management accountant which provided me with an excellent opportunity to understand public policy and public sector culture.

As a former chairman of school governors, I was able to work at strategic level on education delivery and understand more than most that the educational development of our children is a partnership between the school, parents and the child and all three need to work together to make it a success. Although my children are now all grown up, I believe this remains true today.

I was also very privileged to have had the opportunity to lead a community based project involving the construction of first purpose-built mosque in Peterborough- Faizane Madina. This was a £2.5 million project which started in the late 90’s when land was acquired and completed in mid 2000’s. The Mosque was entirely funded by contribution from the local community and stands proudly today as a testimony to the dedication, commitment and passion of a small Muslim community of Pakistani and Kashmiri heritage living in Peterborough. Hats off to them!

I am currently the chairman of the Peterborough branch of the Conservative Muslim Forum and have been on the executive of the National Conservative Muslim Forum for over a year now. It has been a very enjoyable experience and I feel strongly that the CMF can play a significant role in shaping Conservative party polices in relation to Muslims as well as build bridges between the Muslim community and the party. I am excited to be part of that process.

As well as keeping an eye on politics here and abroad, I love playing badminton although it’s becoming tricky with my body being much less agile nowadays.

Cllr Omar Bush BSc (Hons) BFP ACA
Omar is a politician, accountant and lecturer from West London. He was elected as one of the youngest representatives for Merton Council in 2018 to represent Raynes Park Ward as their local Conservative councillor. He currently serves on a number of different committees including; children and young people, overview and scrutiny panel and joint consultative committee with ethnic minority organisations.

Omar is a chartered accountant with a specialism and keen interest in corporate tax.  He is also a tax lecturer at Kingston University, where he lectures final year accounting and finance students ensuring that the module meets the highest standards and remains a module that obtains exemptions from the ICAEW and ACCA.

Omar joined the Conservative party back in 2010 even before he was eligible to vote.  His passion to make a difference has seen him elected as a local councillor in 2018 and joined the CMF Executive Committee in 2020.

Nabeel Sheraz
Nabeel is a political consultant with a wide range of experience in political campaigning.

He has worked on numerous high-profile political campaigns providing advice and support from a political and strategy perspective. He has also worked closely with politicians from councillors to Assembly Members, Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers.

Nabeel has been a member of the Conservative Party for several years and believes it is important that the Party works for all communities within the United Kingdom. Nabeel joined the CMF Executive Committee in March 2020.

 

Sara Aslam
Sara Aslam is a Corporate Lawyer (Solicitor) and former Management Consultant who has experience working in top-tier firms in the City of London. Sara’s focus is on financial services and investment management matters, including the structuring, establishment, management, marketing and restructuring of investment funds. She also sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Council at her workplace and was elected the Minister of Justice for the Commonwealth Youth Parliament.

Sara has, particularly since her time at King’s College London and the University of Cambridge, been heavily involved in voluntary initiatives. She has been Chairperson of the Oxbridge Muslim Alumni (OMA) since 2016, which caters for graduates of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge that identify as Muslims or have an interest in Islam by holding regular events, conferences and seminars. She regularly opens up OMA-led initiatives to the wider community in order to enhance cohesion and dialogue.

Whilst Sara was born and raised in London, her Pakistani heritage and desire to improve lives through education have led her to proactively address causes close to her heart. As such, Sara heads the youth wing of the charity DIL Trust UK, which focuses on girls’ education in Pakistan. She was also the President of the National Union of Pakistani Students and Alumni (NUPSA) for a period of three years, during which she turned the national organisation into one with an international focus. NUPSA gained significant recognition, media attention and was renowned for its part in increasing student engagement through initiatives such as NUPSA’s flagship event, the “Pakistan Young Leaders’ Conference”, which took place bi-annually at both the University of Oxford and the Convention Centre in Islamabad in order to develop key policies around education, law, healthcare, the environment and more.

Sara has received numerous awards for her voluntary work and hopes that by joining the CMF Executive, she will be able to increase Muslim engagement within the Conservative Party in order to make a true and positive difference to the country we all call home.

Suzy Webb
Suzy Webb has been a member of the CMF since 2017. She is a Christian but a great believer in the Abrahamic faiths and that we are all one family. She is the proud Mother of tv two adult daughters. A retired barrister, specialising in Criminal and General Common Law, she is still exceptionally busy with several charitable and civic causes. Suzy was a councillor and past Mayor of the Borough of Spelthorne.

She is presently;

Senior governor of a Muslim sixth form college;
Special adviser to the Egyptian British Centre,
Director and trustee of both the Hampton and Kempton Steam Museum and Railway;
Volunteer visitor for Embracing Age (Richmond);
Patron of Revolution Care,  Supported Housing, providing education, advice and accommodation for ex-service people who have become involved with the Criminal Justice System,
President of Spelthorne District Scouts and executive committee member and trustee of The First City of London (Lord Mayor’s Own) Scout Group;
City Diocesan Synod Representative;
Governor of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy;
Member of the Barnes Ward Conservative Committee.

Socially, Suzy is involved with the following:

Past  Chairman and member of The Vintry and Dowgate Wards’ Club in the City of London;
A Freeman of the City of London.
A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers;
Member of Middle Temple;
Patron of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.