The people behind our work

Dr Mohammed Ali OBE

QED Foundation is the brainchild of Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, who set up the organisation on a shoestring in 1990. Since then he has been the driving force behind its development into a key player in ethnic minority issues at both national and international level.

Our chief executive has first-hand experience of the difficulties facing BME communities, having arrived in the UK unable to speak English at the age of 13. After studying at a language centre for immigrants, he went on to gain a degree in applied chemistry and a diploma in business administration. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford in 1997 and the OBE for services to ethnic minorities in 2001.

Dr Ali has also held many offices and appointments including membership of the DWP Ethnic Minority Employment  Stakeholder and Home Office Earned Citizenship Strategic advisory groups. Numerous accolades have included the Dan Fodio Award for Excellence in Community Development and the Beacon Prize.

Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL

Our deputy chief executive Adeeba Malik was awarded the MBE for her work with ethnic minorities and businesses and the CBE for services to community cohesion. 

She has held many ministerial and non-ministerial appointments on national boards including the Women and Work Commission and British Waterways. She has also chaired the National Ethnic Minority Business Forum. Adeeba has served on the Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Immigration, the National Clinical Assessment Authority, Race Disparity Advisory Group in the Cabinet Office and the Green Deal Women's Panel in DEFRA.

Appointments closer to home have included board member at Regional Development Agency Yorkshire Forward, Governor of Sheffield Hallam University and director of Northern Ballet. 

Currently, she is on the board of The Race Advisory Group at the Home Office, board member/trustee of Bradford 2025 City of Culture Company and a member of an Honours Committee at the Cabinet Office.

In the Woman and Home Magazine, July 2023 edition, Adeeba was listed in the top ten “Britain’s Most Amazing Women”

In April 2022, Adeeba was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, and in June 2022, Adeeba was made a Visiting Professor at York St John's University.

Our Staff

QED employs a range of experienced staff and associates to support delivery of projects and campaigns.

Our Advisors

Since 1990 we have benefited from the guidance and support of many senior decision makers including government officials, politicians, business people and third sector leaders. They have helped us in many ways including speaking at our events, taking time out to discuss ethnic minority issues with grass-roots community activists and giving feedback on our work. Most importantly, they have played a vital part in bringing our message of equality of opportunity to other leading decision makers. Please see a list of our supporters in the 21st + 25th Anniversary Reports.

Our Partners

We join forces with organisations working at both grassroots and national levels so that we can improve the life chances of disadvantaged ethnic minority communities across Britain. Organisations we are currently/recently working with to improve the social and economical position of ethnic minority community include :

• 3SC
• Agha Khan University
• Asian Virsa 
• Aspire i-Gen 
• Attock Community Centre 
• Autism Plus
• Bradford Council
• Bradford Opportunity Area
• British Pakistan Foundation
• City Forum
• Controlled Migration Fund 
• European Migration Forum 
•  European Network Against Racism 
•  G4S
•  Groundwork 
•  Home Office
•  Job Centre Plus 
•  Lapage Primary School 
•  Lloyds Bank
•  Meridian Centre 
•  Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 
•  Oriental Arts 
•  Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund 
•  Paul Hamlyn Foundation 
•  Postcode lotteries fund 
•  Race Disparity Group, Cabinet Office
•  Race Equality Network (REN) 
•  Royal Bank of Scotland 
•  Sangat Centre
•  Santander Foundation 
•  Shipley College 
•  University of Bristol 
•  University of Essex 
•  West Yorkshire Police 
•  York St. Johns University