Waqar Azmi
Encyclopedia
Dr. Waqar Azmi OBE is the chairman of Waterhouse Consulting Group and EU Ambassador of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID). Prior to this, he was the UK Government’s Chief Diversity Adviser at the Cabinet Office
. He worked at the highest levels with responsibility for driving forward Government priorities. He sits on numerous top-level boards and committees.
He is listed in the World's 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Georgetown University
and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan, the Asian Power 100 List of the most influential Asians in the UK and the Muslim Power 100 List of the Most influential Muslims in the UK
, Uttar Pradesh, India, and moved to the UK at the age of 13, speaking no English when he arrived. He attended the University of Central Lancashire
, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Politics and Social Policy. During his time as an undergraduate, Waqar helped to set up and teach on the University’s Combined Honours Degree Course in Urdu Language, while still studying for his degree.
In 2001 he became Managing Director at the world’s largest consultancy firm, TMP Worldwide Advertising and Communications and Monster.com
; in doing so he became one of the youngest minority ethnic people in the UK to hold a senior executive role in a NASDAQ
listed global firm. Waqar founded the British Federation of Racial Equality Councils, an influential UK body of racial equality councils and partnerships, which now represents over 100 councils across England, Scotland and Wales. He also founded the respected think tank Race Equality West Midlands and the Herefordshire Equality Partnership.
In October 2004, he was appointed as UK Government's Chief Diversity Adviser at the Cabinet Office
. He worked at the highest levels with responsibility for driving forward Government priorities across Whitehall
.. Here his impact and influence was immense. He launched the 10-Point Plan on diversity to drive change across Whitehall
and for the first time in the history of UK revolutionised diversity work by linking diversity performance of each Government Department to the pay and bonus of Permanent Secretaries. The Times
wrote: "Azmi raised eyebrows when he announced that the bonuses of permanent secretaries would be linked to their success in meeting the targets". Britain's only Asian Permanent Secretary
, Sir Suma Chakrabarti
, and a former Minister, the Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz
, welcomed the announcement, saying it would accelerate change in the civil service. But the former Government Minister, the Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz warned: "I'm quite sure there will be resistance to this". Dr Azmi also led on a radical new recruitment code to change old fashioned practices across all Government Departments and shake off the “male and pale” perception of Whitehall.
Dr Azmi's efforts forced each Government Department to prepare a robust delivery plan and stepped up the pace of change including advertising for open competition the posts of Permanent Secretaries, Ambassadors and other sensitive and top Governmental jobs. As a result there are now far more diverse people holding top Governmental jobs like Darra Singh OBE the new Jobcentre Plus
Chief Executive at the Department for Work and Pensions
, Jitinder Kohli who is the new Director General at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
, Minouche Shafik, Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development
and many others. As a result, The Guardian
called Dr Azmi The Equaliser and The Times
called him Whitehall's diversity champ. The Guardian
wrote: " Waqar Azmi is not one to shy away from a challenge". Many other top Ministers and officials praised him including the Rt. Hon. Pat McFadden, the then Cabinet Office Minister who said in his speech: "Waqar Azmi, the chief diversity adviser is doing a hugely important job".. Other commentators like Paul Zickel writing in the Times said: " Disability in the Civil Service recently moved out of the shadows and into the mainstream. For me, the key driver was the Civil Service-wide ten-point plan developed by Waqar Azmi, the chief diversity adviser ".
Waqar has been involved in several high-profile Public Inquiries in the UK. In 2004 he was invited by the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett
, to sit on the Judicial Public Inquiry into the murder of Zahid Mubarek
, a British Asian teenager who was murdered by his cellmate on March 21, 2000, at the Feltham Young Offender's Institution in Southwest London. He was also on the Oldham
Riots Inquiry which was set up to investigate the riots that occurred in May 2001. He was an open critic of the Inquiry, claiming that under government pressure the Inquiry was steered towards language and citizenship, instead of structural inequalities and the growing influence of far-right groups such as the British National Party
(BNP).
.
In 2001 Waqar was awarded an Honorary Masters Degree by the University of Worcester
.. In 2004 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Southampton Solent University
, and later that year, the University of Central Lancashire
awarded him an Honorary Fellowship. In 2009 he was listed in the World's 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Georgetown University
and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan.
2. Race and Higher Education
3. Ethnic Socialisation and Political Behaviour: The Case of South Asians in the UK
4. Ageism biggest employee gripe
5. Discrimination 'affects a quarter ofworkers'
6. 10-point plan for diverse civil service
7. Diversity Recruiting for Success
8. Listen to an inspirational speech given by Waqar Azmi OBE
9. London schools debate hot issues at a Mock EU Council
10. Ban planned march by Islam4UK
11.Birmingham Boys win the first Apax Partners-Mosaic Enterprise
12. The London Peace Debate
13. UKNDA director warns of growing threats to Britain's security and cohesion
14. Students debate Europe
15. Parliament Seminar Supports Government Ban
16. Public Management and Governance
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
. He worked at the highest levels with responsibility for driving forward Government priorities. He sits on numerous top-level boards and committees.
He is listed in the World's 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan, the Asian Power 100 List of the most influential Asians in the UK and the Muslim Power 100 List of the Most influential Muslims in the UK
Life and career
Waqar Azmi grew up with his family in AzamgarhAzamgarh
Azamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...
, Uttar Pradesh, India, and moved to the UK at the age of 13, speaking no English when he arrived. He attended the University of Central Lancashire
University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...
, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Politics and Social Policy. During his time as an undergraduate, Waqar helped to set up and teach on the University’s Combined Honours Degree Course in Urdu Language, while still studying for his degree.
In 2001 he became Managing Director at the world’s largest consultancy firm, TMP Worldwide Advertising and Communications and Monster.com
Monster.com
Monster.com is one of the largest employment websites in the world, owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Monster is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrics...
; in doing so he became one of the youngest minority ethnic people in the UK to hold a senior executive role in a NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
listed global firm. Waqar founded the British Federation of Racial Equality Councils, an influential UK body of racial equality councils and partnerships, which now represents over 100 councils across England, Scotland and Wales. He also founded the respected think tank Race Equality West Midlands and the Herefordshire Equality Partnership.
In October 2004, he was appointed as UK Government's Chief Diversity Adviser at the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
. He worked at the highest levels with responsibility for driving forward Government priorities across Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
.. Here his impact and influence was immense. He launched the 10-Point Plan on diversity to drive change across Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
and for the first time in the history of UK revolutionised diversity work by linking diversity performance of each Government Department to the pay and bonus of Permanent Secretaries. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote: "Azmi raised eyebrows when he announced that the bonuses of permanent secretaries would be linked to their success in meeting the targets". Britain's only Asian Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
, Sir Suma Chakrabarti
Suma Chakrabarti
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, KCB is Permanent Secretary at the UK's Ministry of Justice. He holds office as Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, and, as such, is responsible for the running of the Crown Office, under the directions of the Lord Chancellor.He was appointed on 15 November 2007...
, and a former Minister, the Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz
Keith Vaz
Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz, known as Keith Vaz, was born 26 November 1956 in Aden, Yemen.Keith Vaz is a British Labour Party politician and a Member of Parliament for Leicester East, He is the longest serving Asian MP and has been the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee since July...
, welcomed the announcement, saying it would accelerate change in the civil service. But the former Government Minister, the Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz warned: "I'm quite sure there will be resistance to this". Dr Azmi also led on a radical new recruitment code to change old fashioned practices across all Government Departments and shake off the “male and pale” perception of Whitehall.
Dr Azmi's efforts forced each Government Department to prepare a robust delivery plan and stepped up the pace of change including advertising for open competition the posts of Permanent Secretaries, Ambassadors and other sensitive and top Governmental jobs. As a result there are now far more diverse people holding top Governmental jobs like Darra Singh OBE the new Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
Chief Executive at the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
, Jitinder Kohli who is the new Director General at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
, Minouche Shafik, Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
and many others. As a result, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called Dr Azmi The Equaliser and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called him Whitehall's diversity champ. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote: " Waqar Azmi is not one to shy away from a challenge". Many other top Ministers and officials praised him including the Rt. Hon. Pat McFadden, the then Cabinet Office Minister who said in his speech: "Waqar Azmi, the chief diversity adviser is doing a hugely important job".. Other commentators like Paul Zickel writing in the Times said: " Disability in the Civil Service recently moved out of the shadows and into the mainstream. For me, the key driver was the Civil Service-wide ten-point plan developed by Waqar Azmi, the chief diversity adviser ".
Waqar has been involved in several high-profile Public Inquiries in the UK. In 2004 he was invited by the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
, to sit on the Judicial Public Inquiry into the murder of Zahid Mubarek
Zahid Mubarek
Zahid Mubarek was a British Asian teenager who was brutally murdered by his cellmate on March 21, 2000, at the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution in southwest London. He was already inside Feltham when his killer, 20-year-old Robert Stewart - was transferred to his cell.-Family...
, a British Asian teenager who was murdered by his cellmate on March 21, 2000, at the Feltham Young Offender's Institution in Southwest London. He was also on the Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
Riots Inquiry which was set up to investigate the riots that occurred in May 2001. He was an open critic of the Inquiry, claiming that under government pressure the Inquiry was steered towards language and citizenship, instead of structural inequalities and the growing influence of far-right groups such as the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP).
Awards and honorary degrees
Waqar Azmi received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2002 at the age of 32 by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of his major contributions in the UKand in 2003 he was awarded Britain’s Young Asian Achievers Award by Lloyds TSBLloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
.
In 2001 Waqar was awarded an Honorary Masters Degree by the University of Worcester
University of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
.. In 2004 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University is a university of 17,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre....
, and later that year, the University of Central Lancashire
University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...
awarded him an Honorary Fellowship. In 2009 he was listed in the World's 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan.
Coverage and publications
1. Religious discrimination law2. Race and Higher Education
3. Ethnic Socialisation and Political Behaviour: The Case of South Asians in the UK
4. Ageism biggest employee gripe
5. Discrimination 'affects a quarter ofworkers'
6. 10-point plan for diverse civil service
7. Diversity Recruiting for Success
8. Listen to an inspirational speech given by Waqar Azmi OBE
9. London schools debate hot issues at a Mock EU Council
10. Ban planned march by Islam4UK
11.Birmingham Boys win the first Apax Partners-Mosaic Enterprise
12. The London Peace Debate
13. UKNDA director warns of growing threats to Britain's security and cohesion
14. Students debate Europe
15. Parliament Seminar Supports Government Ban
16. Public Management and Governance