About Professor Hanifa Shah OBE

I lead with clarity, connection and care because I know that leadership isn’t about how much you know; it’s about how deeply you care. On the journey to becoming a senior leader in higher education, I’ve helped shape the future direction of universities, businesses and public institutions, guiding thousands of learners and colleagues through transformation in education, innovation and enterprise. My impact hasn’t come from position alone, but from a consistent commitment to progress, purpose and people.

Throughout my career, I’ve never been interested in collecting titles, though I’ve held some of the most senior leadership positions in my field, including serving as a senior executive at a leading UK university. What’s mattered most to me is making change that lasts: reimagining outdated systems, responding to the changing world, building real bridges between education and industry, and creating opportunities that outlive any one person’s tenure, including mine. This book isn’t a memoir, though my story threads through it. 

I was born into a large, troubled family, and I learned early that connection isn’t optional; it’s essential. While navigating a demanding professional life, caring for my mother and mother-in-law, maintaining my links with my siblings and raising four beloved children with my doting husband, I’ve never lost sight of what truly matters: people, purpose and progress. These experiences have shaped a deep belief that leadership must honour the whole person, not just the professional one.

My leadership style is defined by foresight and fearless action. I tend to spot shifts long before they become urgent, and I move with a mix of strategic boldness and human care, starting small, prototyping change, and scaling with trust. I’m unapologetically activist in spirit: I align the appropriate people, ask difficult questions, and refuse to settle for incrementalism when real, orbit-shifting impact is possible.

Today, I champion a leadership philosophy that holds humanity at its core. In every role, in every room, and on every project, I’m guided by one enduring truth: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And when they do, together, you can change everything.