My story begins with a charmed childhood, shaped by loving, ambitious parents who taught me to believe in possibility. But from an early age, I was also navigating Charcot-Marie Tooth disease a genetic neuropathy. It affects the nerves that control the muscles, leading over time to weakness that results in degenerative muscle wasting – surgeries, hospital stays, and an ever-present sense of difference.
As a second-generation British Pakistani woman, I grew up balancing cultural expectations with my own ambitions. I encountered barriers in many forms – not just physical ones, but societal assumptions about what I could achieve.
After university, I joined my parents’ care home business – and quickly found my calling. I worked my way from novice to manager to operational director and registered manager, and now lead Hoama Group, including Iden Manor Nursing Home, guided by my own values.
A life-changing chapter in the USA brought deep personal growth and, most importantly, the gift of my son — a young man who continues to inspire me every day.
In recent years, I’ve stepped into national conversations around social care reform. I offer consultancy across the sector and serve as a Non-Executive Director at KICA (Kent Integrated Care Alliance), using my experience to help shape a system that works better — for providers, for the NHS, for local authorities, for staff, and for the people we support.
My proudest role? Being a mother and showing that leadership can be more human.
My silent partner has always been my disability. It’s shaped my empathy, my perspective, and my voice. That’s why I advocate for disabled leaders to be seen, heard, and included — not as exceptions, but as part of the future we need.