Hey everyone, the entire team at ZR Consultants hope you are doing well!  

We wanted to take the opportunity to share our experience of the mentoring programme, established by Migrant Leaders Leaders.  

Our CEO, Zeshan Raja has been mentoring Mashhood Ahmad for the last few years. Mashhood is a second-year student at the University of Warwick, studying Politics, Philosophy & Economics. He applied to the mentoring programme in year 12 after Migrant Leaders visited his school. Mashhood has discussed his experiences with the programme and his mentor, our CEO, Zeshan, with us and we would like to share his thoughts with you all!  

Here are some highlights from our conversation with Mashhood: 

Migrant Leaders benefitted Mashhood in school as it gave him insight into their mentoring programme which involves BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) representation and is a source of inspiration for those from BAME backgrounds who can resonate with mentors from fellow backgrounds.  

Zeshan has been Mashhood’s mentor since Year 12 (Sixth Form College) and is still his mentor today! As part of their mentoring journey, Zeshan has been offering advice on Mashhood’s CV, general career advice and, “whenever I’ve needed Zeshan, he has given me advice.”  

Like many young people choosing a career is a daunting thing, especially being so young and in College and University. Mashhood has echoed this sentiment and said that he felt uncertain regarding choosing his career at times and Zeshan has given him excellent advice regarding what a career in Accounting and Finance could look like, and that the advice Zeshan has given him resonates with him as Zeshan is relatable, he comes from humble roots, and it makes advice more felt.  

ZRC has taken on another mentee, and we are aiming to take on a further two by the end of the year! ZRC has found the experience fulfilling and very satisfying and we enjoy helping shape the future for others. We are actively encouraging our employees to follow suit and would highly recommend mentoring for anyone wanting to be a mentor. For anyone who is considering being a mentee but is uncertain then please feel free to reach out to Zeshan or Elham Fardad with any questions or concerns you may have. 

About Migrant Leaders  

Elham Fardad FCCA arrived in Birmingham as a 13-year-old war migrant. Many years later, she has enjoyed a successful career in senior financial leadership roles for over two decades, and now is a CEO of Elham Fardad Migrant Leaders, a charity that helps develop migrants and other disadvantaged young people across the UK. Elham launched Migrant Leaders in 2017 after coming across research which highlighted how people from ethnic minorities often struggle to reach the most senior levels of UK business. This is an excellent initiative which our CEO Zeshan Raja is a volunteer with.  

The charity aims to address the root causes of why first and second-generation young migrants, and other disadvantaged young people do not fulfil their potential. The programme is free, and applicants are between 16 and 25 years old and they gain mentoring, workshops, work experiences and connections. They now have over 1,200 senior mentors from more than 95 FTSE100 and leading firms.  

If you are interested in joining this wonderful initiative, please note that mentors typically need 2-3 hours per month for their preparation and mentoring calls with their Mentee. You can find more information regarding this on Migrant Leaders website, and by reaching out to Elham Fardad: efardad@migrantleaders.org.uk 

If anyone would like to learn more about becoming a mentor, feel free to reach out to Elham Fardad from Migrant Leaders- mentors@migrantleaders.org.uk