What's your current role and what do you do in it?

I joined Chadwick Lawrence in 2007 and became an Equity Partner in 2008, setting up their Corporate Recovery and Insolvency Department. The majority of my time is spent advising insolvency practitioners, directors and businesses in corporate pre-insolvency and insolvency scenarios, and I also provide advice to individuals in personal insolvency matters. My practice also involves dealing with Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution.

How did you get to where you are today?

After qualifying as a Solicitor in 1999, I joined Brooke North Solicitors, a commercial law firm in Leeds, where I worked as an Assistant and Associate Solicitor in the insolvency department. I spent seven years there and this was during the collapse of Lehman Brothers, so getting to experience firsthand one of the most significant insolvency events in recent history in my first insolvency role was certainly an experience - and a learning curve. My time at Brooke North offered me the opportunity to learn everything I needed to know to become a good insolvency lawyer from experts like Steven Frieze (Deputy District Judge) and Stuart Frith (Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge and past President of R3). Having had the privilege of working with them, it was inevitable that I was going to specialise in insolvency and restructuring going forward.

What made you decide to pursue a career in insolvency and restructuring?

As a Trainee in Civil Private Practice, I wanted to ultimately specialise in a niche area of law. Having set up a Debt Recovery Department for the firm, where I was a Trainee, I was always involved in advising companies in ways to recover their outstanding debts and looking at on ways to safeguard against future risk. The opportunity to then specialise in insolvency and restructuring just seemed a natural progression to the work that I was doing prior to qualification as a Solicitor.

Why did you become a D&I Champion?

I firmly believe that my achievements today are a result of the mentorship, support allyship, and encouragement I received from those around me. These individuals pushed me to embrace challenges, outside of my comfort zone, which in turn, opened doors to new opportunities. Now, I am in a position to pay it forward and support the next generation. My voluntary efforts to promote equality, diversity, and social mobility for women and minority ethnic groups aim to empower those who will shape the future of our profession.

By holding a "seat at the table" in these organisations, I am able to bring a fresh perspective that can help ensure equal access to professional opportunities, networking, and mentoring for our diverse youth. My goal is to add value and assist the younger generation from varied backgrounds in achieving their full potential and helping them overcome the imposter syndrome that I encountered.

Which aspect of the role is most important to you and why?

Equal opportunities for access into the profession and attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds is very important to me. I want to see a growing membership group of insolvency professionals from all under represented groups and hope that with the work we are doing as D & I Champions, this helps to create a more inclusive environment.

What are the best examples of EDI initiatives you have seen in the profession?

I have seen organisations reduce costs and offer sponsorship for attendance by under represented groups under the EDI support applications, which is a great initiative to encourage people in the profession that would not otherwise have an opportunity to attend.

A number of firms and organisations in the profession have stepped up to create equality and diversity groups. Bringing together voices from the profession to discuss these challenges has set that ball in motion to start bringing about a positive culture change in our industry.

In recent years I've noticed a real recognition of the lack of women in leadership roles in the insolvency and restructuring field. Recognising this unbalance is just the first step, but it's a step in the right direction and firms are starting to make positive changes on this issue.

What EDI initiatives have you benefitted from in your firm?

In my position as a muslim female Partner specialising in insolvency, I have put in place some initiatives that build upon "belonging", which helps to create:-

A diverse pipeline of employees.

Celebrating all faiths and cultures by having prayer facilities made available at events , structuring networking events that are not solely based around drink and making networking events inclusive.

Mentoring junior females in the profession for professional growth in insolvency and business development.

What's the one thing you would like to see the profession do differently when it comes to EDI?

While our profession has made some great progress in providing more opportunities to women and minority ethnic groups, I think that there is still more to be done to consider people across all aspects of diversity and inclusion, such as supporting people with visible and non-visible disabilities.

I would also note that I am still on occasions the only Muslim woman of colour at insolvency networking events, but I'm glad to see that these events no longer centre solely around drink and/or golf! We still have a long way to go but this awareness means that we can address the challenges and work together to overcome them, making it a more inclusive and diverse profession which is open and accessible to all.

And the final point I'd make is that I'm also eager to see more women in leadership positions within insolvency and restructuring, as well as at the board level in businesses, financial institutions, and venture capital firms. There is a lot more work to be done in both of these areas but I remain optimistic that meaningful change will come.