Zeb Farooq is a community integration leader who has spent the last fifteen years promoting inclusivity and cohesiveness in society. He has done this in an exclusively voluntary capacity, most recently as a member of the Prince’s Trust North West Regional Leadership Group. His humble background growing up in inner-city Manchester gave him the personal motivation to succeed, champion important causes and inspire others.
After gaining a first-class degree and two master's degrees in Mathematics, Zeb joined the Nuclear Industry in 2008 and spent six years as a thermal hydraulics engineer and project manager. Zeb currently works as a Bid Manager within Sales & Strategy for the Jacobs CMS-I Business, where he assembles and leads teams to win new contracts.
When WISE selected a representative sample of its award winners from the past 20 years to form the WISE20, it chose Zeb. As part of their 1 of the Million campaign the WISE20 showcase role models with different backgrounds, industries, and stories, but are united in their passion for improving gender balance in STEMM.
Volunteering in his spare time, Zeb plays a prominent role in the Prince’s Trust Mosaic Mentoring Programmes which inspires young people from deprived communities to realise their talents and potential. The programme aims to improve students’ self-confidence, self-efficacy and employability by linking them with positive and relatable role models. Zeb promotes STEMM subjects and career paths to students by empowering them through opportunities such as World of Work visits and secondary school mentoring.
Zeb believes that there is a lack of accessible role models for young girls in the STEMM arena, especially in areas of high deprivation, and that mentoring is vital in raising their aspirations. Zeb is particularly passionate about working with young Muslim girls who can face a double disadvantage when entering the world of work (gender and ethnicity), and often those from low socio-economic backgrounds face a triple disadvantage.
Zeb is confident that by harnessing the power of young women we can drive greater innovation, creativity and diversity. He encourages better gender balance in STEMM subjects and careers by striking at the very heart of teaching young girls to stand up for themselves and not allow negative stereotypes to hold them back.
The WISE Campaign named Zeb its Man Award Winner in 2019 and last year he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List, for services to young people.
His talk about Ethnic minorities in STEMM will take place on 25th March 2021 at 10:00am GMT.