Asif Iqbal , Deaf, Board member of Disability Employment Advisory Committee, (Department for Work and Pensions) and Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, (Department of Transport) has landed a role as a Public Appointments Ambassador in a new Government programme led by the Government Equalities Office and Cabinet Office to encourage more people to apply for public appointments. The Public Appointments Ambassadors programme was launched at a high profile event in Whitehall on 14th January by Government Equalities Office Minister of State Maria Eagle MP.
Asif has a wide experience of deaf, disability and black and minority ethnic groups (BME) issues. He is currently the Media/Project Manager for Deaf Parenting UK and is the first Deaf Ambassador. He is keen to represent the views of the excluded communities including D/deaf, disabled people and BME communities.
Public Bodies make decisions that affect our day to day lives, but too few women, people from ethnic minorities and disabled people sit on boards like the Arts Council, the governing bodies of local hospitals and the Competition Commission.
Asif Iqbal said: “It’s an honour to be selected as an ambassador for this campaign. I have found being a public appointee a hugely rewarding experience. I hope my experience will inspire others from different backgrounds with skills to bring to public boards to come forward.”
Asif Iqbal joins over 180 ambassadors, who are current public appointees from across the UK, including playwright and Deputy Chair of the British Museum, Bonnie Greer, and Peter Cooke, Vice-Chair of the Independent Living Fund. As an ambassador Asif Iqbal will show why it’s vital to have people with a wide range of skills and experience involved in the important decisions public boards make, playing a key role in highlighting the benefits of serving on a board and encouraging more people from under – represented groups to apply.
Two new public appointment mentoring schemes were also launched at the event.
To find out more about public appointments, current vacancies and how to apply for new mentoring programmes, click here.
