Meet The Team

Toaha Qureshi MBE – Chief Executive Officer

Toaha was appointed as the Interim Chief Executive in late 2018. He has an extensive background in housing, education, community development and rehabilitation. He was previously Chairman of the Board and is currently leading the organisation to new horizons by reinvigorating its approach to tackling the housing crisis. He has been active in the housing sector for two decades, sitting on boards for various BAME housing associations.

Mr. Qureshi is Member of the Order of The British Empire after being conferred an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II for services rendered for community relations. His other recognitions include the Lambeth Civic Award and the British Community Honours Award.

Ayea Barley – Administrator

Ayea joined the Association in 2006 as a volunteer as is now a part time staff member working as the Administrator. She holds a degree in International Tourism Management and has previously worked in frontline customer service roles. She works with tenants to ensure that they are keeping up with their rent, dealing with tenant enquiries and requests and new tenant applications.

Ayea gives back to her community by helping out a fortnightly food bank to help set up and distribute food to the needy. She also helps out with a local Sunday school.

Leanda Tate- Receptionist

Leanda joined the Ash-Shahada in 2023, taking on the role of receptionist. She has a background in the hospitality field, for numerous years she has held many customer service positions. She has a genuine interest in the tenants’ welfare and enjoys seeing them get the help they need. Leanda enjoys working as part of an enthusiastic team and looks forward to getting to know the tenants at Ash-Shahada housing association.

Leanda’s interests are cooking, working out and reading. Leanda enjoys giving back to the community by donating to local charities in Wandsworth including British heart foundation.

Leanda joined our lovely reception team in 2023 and her previous 15 years of experience came from managing in retail and working as a receptionist in the hospitality sector. Leanda is a great addition to our team, she jumped right into her work and it felt like she had already been with us for years.

Tasnim Karati- Admin Assistant

Tasnim joined us in 2023 as an admin assistant. She has achieved a Bachelors and Master of Arts in International relations. She recently moved from Dubai to the United Kingdom, In Dubai she did an internship in the Consulate General of Iraq, where she helped Iraqi citizens with their applications, assisted in the issuing of passports and liaised with the applicants of all government issued application.

During the Pandemic Tasnim was volunteering with the university of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to help distribute food, drinks, and masks to the vulnerable and elderly people. Her interests are travelling, cooking, sports, and IT.

Safa Faisal- Admin Assistant

Safa joined the Association in 2023 as an Admin Assistant. She achieved a bachelor’s in Tourism Management in 2022 from the University of East London. Safa was given an honorary award by the University of East London for her work as a course representative over the course of her three years of study.

Safa has experience working in front-line customer service and several administrative positions. She has been responsible for recruitment, managing accommodation, dealing with various clientele, screening applications, and managing appointments. As Admin Assistant, Safa will be supporting social housing tenants with day to day living, maintenance and repairs, management of tenant files, tenant surveys etc.

Safa enjoys reading, travelling, sports, and fashionable clothing.

Abdelkader Khiar – Finance Officer

Abdelkader is a finance professional who holds a postgraduate diploma in leadership and management. He has previously held senior manager positions in finance and has provided consultancy services for over 15 years. He is currently in charge of the finance at Ash-Shahada and is responsible for rent arrears, His roles include finance manager for a private college, senior community development for a charity as well as trustee and treasurer for the Southwark Educational Project between 2006 and 2010.

Abdelkader is active in his community helping refugees, asylum seekers, young children and the disadvantaged. He volunteers as a tuition teacher in his local commuinity .

Zain Ali – SEA Compliance Officer

Zain joined the Association in 2023 as the SEA Compliance Officer. He is a graduate professional with a degree in Business and Finance which has allowed him to develop experience acquired through valued roles. I have a broad range of skills in Compliance, IT, Business, Law and Finance. I have previously worked in the Insurance sector and as a Paralegal at a Law Firm.

Through his previous roles, he has been able to gather years of substantial experience in working with local authorities, government bodies, medical experts and third parties. He is based in the Birmingham office where he carries out compliance checks on properties as well as systems data compliance ensuring that all certification is in place. He is also responsible for conducting support provision audits, KYC testing and more. 

Tamseel Abbasi MSc – SEA Assistant (Finance and Admin) 

Tamseel joined the Association in 2022 and is currently working as a SEA Assistant (Finance and Admin). Tamseel holds master’s degrees in business administration and bachelor’s degrees in marketing and human resources. He is also working on a CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualification. He previously held HR positions with a number of Birmingham-based private security organisations.

In the supported exempt accommodation scheme, he deals with managing the tenants and property database, remittance, assessing spreadsheets and handling communication with the council.

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Taha Elmarghani MSc – SEA Assistant (Finance and Admin) 

Taha joined the Association In 2023 as a SEA Assistant (Finance and Admin). He holds a bachelor’s in accounting and finance having achieved a first and master’s in accounting and finance which he completed with distinction. He has a background in accounts assistance, administration and client service.

In the supported exempt accommodation scheme, he deals with managing the tenants and property database, remittance, assessing spreadsheets and handling communication with the council.

Taha enjoys to give back to the community by volunteering local charity shops including Cancer Research.

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Umar Mahmood LLM, MA – Director Operations

Umar joined Ash Shahada in 2018. He brings a wealth of management experience from the higher education sector having spent over a decade in senior positions including managing student accommodation and a student base of over 3000 further and higher education students. His most recent role was as the Quality Assurance Provider Facilitator, managing a yearlong quality review for the organisation consecutively for three years with outstanding results. Umar is leading on the supported exempt accommodation project in Midlands to tackle the lack of housing for the homeless and vulnerable.

Umar gives back to his community on a regular basis with emphasis on interfaith harmony, peace and community development. Among his many roles, he is a Guest Lecturer at the King’s College of London, Governor for the Lambeth Nursery Schools’ Federation and Children’s Centres, Mentor for Mosaic (Prince of Wales Charity) and Member of the Independent Advisory Group for Lambeth Metropolitan Police. He has also been a form Advisory Board Member (London) for the national charity Tell MAMA. Umar has been recognised for his work by Sir Ken Olisa (Lord Lieutenant of Greater London), Helen Hayes MP, Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP and others.

Interested in Working with us?

If you are interested in working with us a property owner or manager, please click here. We work with providers of high- quality supported accommodation, where the tenants are at the heart of our service. All our providers undergo rigorous application processes and ongoing inspections to ensure the property standards and services offered are always of the highest quality. If you are a Housing and Support Provider and would like the opportunity to work with us, then please fill out the Landlords Application form for more information.

Mitzi Isaacs, who retired in 2020, said: “my thanks and appreciation to all the staff and the Chairman for your time, kindness, warm and generous good wishes and lovely gifts for my retirement. I have enjoyed my time working with you all and have been missing the warm, caring family like environment of the office.”

Volunteer With Us!

Volunteers are a vital link in helping support our tenants and staff. By offering a helping hand you could help enrich our resident’s lives in countless ways. By getting involved and being a friendly face that the tenants can talk and interact with, it can provide them with a much-needed boost into their lives.
We are always looking for volunteers to help in activities with our residents in and around Birmingham and London. If you’re a friendly and confident person that’s looking to get involved with the vibrant community, then please get in touch to help us support the vulnerable.

You can volunteer for the day or for just a few hours. Our activities can range from helping organise fun days, street parties or transporting tenants for a day out.