Monica Shafaq is a British mental health advocate and chief executive at Kaleidoscope Plus Group.

Education

Shafaq has a bachelor's degree in sociology from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

and a master's degree in housing from

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

Career

After her graduation from university, Shafaq undertook various roles including working as security personnel at Birningham International Convention Centre; in the departures lounge at

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Bor ...

and then a job as the manager of an Asian women's refuge. She then moved to the housing sector where she was a housing officer (at an organisation called Friendship Housing which no longer exists); she then secured a regional manager job at another housing association called Asra Midlands where she oversaw general needs and sheltered accommodation across the West Midlands. Shafaq become housing services manager at Accord Housing Association. She became head of Neighbourhood Services overseeing all general needs accommodation as well as some specialist provision. This is where her interest in mental health developed. She then went to work as the CEO at Sandwell Mind, a small mental health charity that was affiliated to the national

Mind The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

network. It is under her leadership that Sandwell Mind was rebranded and became the Kaleidoscope Plus Group from 2014. She is the CEO at Gordon Moody. She is on the board of

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. They compete in the Premier League, t ...

Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafaq, Monica Living people 21st-century British businesswomen Alumni of De Montfort University Alumni of the University of Birmingham Mental health activists Year of birth missing (living people)