Biography

Born in 1975 to Rabia and Gulam Khonat, one of 8 siblings, I spent most of my childhood in the working class backstreets of Blackburn, learning about life the hard way.

At 18, I went to The University of Manchester to study Economics and Corporate Finance – I will forever love The University and the City. During my final exams, my father tragically passed away in a car accident, which inevitably tested and fortified my character at a young age.

Upon graduation, I commenced employment with Deloitte and then set up a string of award-winning business ventures. My enterprises have won scores of awards and have also been featured in the Sunday Times Top 100 Fast track and Profit Track listings. You can learn more about these in the business and awards sections.

In 2014, at the age of 39, I formally retired from my Business ventures to pursue my life-long dream of dedicating my business skills to philanthropic endeavours. These endeavours include humanitarian relief work, Islamic finance and Muslim community empowerment. You can learn more about them here.

Now married with 3 amazing children, I tend to enjoy playing Tennis when possible alongside supporting football’s greatest team MUFC. I must also confess to holidaying far too often in Dubai, Istanbul and Africa too. Never one to take life seriously; rather, a day at a time but with a long-term strategy in mind.