Haris Kiani receives Honorary Fellowship from UWTSD

Haris Kiani has today received an honorary fellowship from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) during a graduation ceremony at the Guildhall in London, for his work to provide opportunities for people from marginalised communities in Pakistan.

Presenting Mr Kiani, from London, to the congregation, Dr Conny Matera-Rogers, Provost of the London and Birmingham campuses said: “It gives me great pleasure on this proud occasion to present to you Mr Haris Kiani for the Award of Honorary Fellow of our University.

“Haris Kiani has been and continues to be an exceptional role model. He has been dedicated and passionate from a young age to championing social mobility opportunities for other young people from low-income backgrounds and unrepresented communities through his own social enterprise Jaggo, a microfinancing fund in Pakistan enabling over 500 women from marginalised communities by providing them with the means and support to kickstart their own businesses.

“Haris has been an advocate for Financial Literacy and has worked with multiple community leaders and local authorities to address this on a national scale. He also helped establish Bubl, which operates both as a digital platform and as a physical venture studio based in Pearson College, London, and is designed to support and grow entrepreneurs, student projects and early-stage start-ups that are attempting to make a wider difference to the community.

“Mr Kiani is also a board member and trustee for multiple organisations, including Greater London Authority Young People’s Recovery Mission, ‘EY Foundation’, the V&A Museum, the Mayor’s Fund for London, and ‘Al Quds Foundation for Medical Schools’, and has collectively helped lead fundraising appeals for charity totalling over £250,000.

“He is passionate about using technology for good and is currently on a mission to raise and deploy the United Kingdom’s first Social Technology focused Venture Capital Fund to enable entrepreneurs from overlooked backgrounds who are working on innovative ideas to support disadvantaged communities to have access to the necessary capital they need to scale up and support people from vulnerable communities.

“Having been recognised by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and charities such as UpReach and others as a ‘Social Mobility Champion’, he excels as an exemplar and a leader who is passionate about your postcode not being a barrier to what you can achieve in this life.

“Mr Kiani’s values, goals, aspirations and achievements directly align with the University’s mission to create an inclusive environment for tomorrow’s leaders and break down barriers which exist in our society today.

“He is an inspiration and an example to us all.”

On receiving the award, Haris Kiani, commented:

“Coming from a privileged position where I’ve been able to work with lots of different communities and people from different backgrounds, one common theme I keep seeing is that these communities are often overlooked and marginalised by society. But these are stories that should not be lost or overlooked, they should be shared.

Speaking with the Vice Chancellor, I’ve heard some of your wonderful stories, and personally understand the different challenges that some of you may have faced to achieve this success. So, I say now: it’s your responsibility to go and share your stories with the world. It’s your responsibility to go out and inspire, to motivate the next generation so that they may stand here in future.

The commonalities that are shared amongst us are greater than any differences that might appear around us. As a community, you should nurture the relationships you have built over these past years, and use them as a motivational tool to conquer anything.

Be brave, challenge the world and achieve all the greatness that you can – keep inspiring.”

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

Principal PR and Communications Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email:  arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467076