Closing the gender gap in the halal industry
Halal Expo Manchester is the ideal platform for halal industry players to connect and synergise
JULY-AUGUST . 2023 | @ Halal
Cover Story
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BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
Empowering women
Closing the gender gap in the halal industry
DESPITE THE large gender gap in the halal industry , the significant growth of the halal market worldwide offers excellent business opportunities for women , contributing to women ’ s economic empowerment .
LeadHership Academy CEO and founder , Saj Zafar , believes that the expectations of young Muslim women are set very low . “ It is not because women lack potential or talent , but because we are bound and limited by culture and upbringing .
“ I ’ m super excited to hear that many women are participating in the Halal Expo Manchester ,” said Saj .
“ There are coaching sessions and panels organised at the Expo , which we should leverage . Listen to the women that have already made headway into the businesses in the halal industry , take those examples and be inspired .
“ And I ’ m looking forward to meeting and building new networks and connections with strong , empowered women in the halal industry and businesses .”
SETTING THE PATHWAY FOR WOMEN
The former forensic psychologist and prison governor has worked with women for about two decades .
“ As my career progressed , I noted that I was the only woman and , more importantly , the only Asian and woman of colour in those spaces .
“ I wanted to pave the way for other young women behind me , so I set up my own coaching business , LeadHership Academy .
“ I was very mindful that despite the efforts by most organisations , women were still stagnant when it comes to promotions and progressions .”
According to Saj , while women recognise the importance of coaching , they struggle when it comes to investing in themselves . And women , she said , don ’ t do very well with networking .
“ So , I wanted to make coaching easy , accessible and affordable . And I wanted to create an online platform as a safe space for professional women to join and start their journey .
“ I chose the terminology LeadHership because I believe when women lead themselves , as active participants in their life and career , they will progress and achieve more .”
LeadHership Academy works with organisations to help them become more culturally
I chose the terminology LeadHership because I believe when women lead themselves , as active participants in their life and career , they will progress and achieve more .” – Saj Zafar
inclusive and coach women to get promoted and make good progress .
“ The platform provides online webinars , masterclasses , and a private online community where you can engage with peer-to-peer mentoring , individual and group coaching . It ’ s a one-stop for all .” –
UK ’ s halal industry under one roof
Halal Expo Manchester is the ideal platform for halal industry players to connect and synergise
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
THE HALAL Expo Manchester is the first expo in the UK to gather all the halal economy and businesses under one roof .
“ There are many sectors within the halal industry , and there is potential for synergies . However , they don ’ t necessarily come across each other ,” stated Hassan Daher , CEO and founder of Qardus .
“ So , this is an important event because it allows halal industry players to get exposure and build a network with other businesses in the halal economy within the UK and other parties worldwide .
“ It is also good for the halal consumers because they can learn and understand the different products and services that can provide them with what they want .
“ We look forward to meeting customers on both sides of the marketplace and gaining some exposure to the rest of the halal economy at the Halal Expo Manchester . In the future , we might be able to build potential partnerships with other businesses that we might not have met before .”
Qardus , UK ’ s first ethical Shariah-compliant business financing platform , offers fast and affordable financing to SMEs across the UK .
“ Our platform is end-to-end Shariah-compliant , where SMEs looking for funding are seamlessly matched with investors . We offer up to £ 500,000 to eligible SMEs that meet our criteria .
“ We screen businesses to make sure that they operate in Shariah-compliant sectors , and we make sure the businesses are doing well before we get them on the platform and allow investors to fund them .”
LATEST TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES
According to Hassan , there are a lot of growth and investment opportunities in the healthcare and e-commerce sectors .
“ There is a change of mentality postpandemic . Many businesses are turning online to sell their products and services . We are also witnessing this trend in the Shariah-compliant business sector . And a lot of these e-commerce businesses need funding to grow .
Additionally , the global Islamic finance industry is growing rapidly . He said it was expected to reach £ 3.69 trillion by 2024 , and there was still significant room for growth .
“ One of the statistics mentioned that 74 per cent of young Muslims want banks that align with their religious belief . It means that their businesses will need Shariah-compliant business financing .
“ Another recent statistic found that 35 per cent of small businesses in Islamic OIC countries are deterred from obtaining financing due to a lack of Islamic financing option .”
With more Islamic finance , he said , these businesses will have the funds to grow and prosper . –