We are thrilled to announce that our CEO, Ghazala Baig, will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bolton today in recognition of her services to healthcare. We are all very proud of Ghazala and what she has achieved for MedEquip4Kids in her 23 years at the charity. During that time, she has helped to raise millions for medical equipment in North West hospitals, giving thousands of children a better experience of healthcare.
Ghazala first joined the charity in a schools fundraising role, quickly progressing to be the schools team leader and then the Corporate Fundraising Manager, where she used her sales and marketing talents to build relationships with new and existing corporate sponsors. In 2008 she was promoted to Deputy Trust Director, and then in 2011 she was appointed as Chief Executive Officer. She now has overall responsibility for the management of the charity, including budgets and strategy, staffing, legal and financial issues, and working with the board of trustees.
Born and bred in Burnage, Ghazala is the daughter of Karim Din, founder of the Victoria Park Mosque, who received an award from the Queen for his achievements during the 1970s in integrating the Muslim community into Manchester. She now lives in Prestwich with her husband Rehan and enjoys spending time with her three grown-up children and her four grandchildren.
Ghazala says: “I am deeply grateful to the University of Bolton for nominating me for an Honorary Doctorate. I consider myself very privileged to have such a rewarding role, working for a small charity that makes a big difference to children’s lives. Good health is one of the most precious gifts we can give to a child and we all want the best medical equipment to be there for our kids when they need it most. I am very lucky to be in a position where I can help to make that happen.”
The graduation ceremony will take place later today and we’ll be reporting back on the event next week. In the meantime, huge congratulations to Ghazala for a much-deserved award.