I've spent more than 40 years working inside school systems — first in Pakistan, where I worked my way from finance assistant to regional accountant overseeing payroll, HR, and operations across 22 schools, and later in the UK, where I moved in 2004 under the Highly Skilled Migration Programme and built a second career starting as a bursar. Today I serve as Director of Finance & Resources at Hammersmith Academy, where my focus is financial controls, sustainability, and strategic resource management.

What I've come to understand through all of that experience is that school business management is one of the most underrated disciplines in education. When it's done well, it frees headteachers up to focus on what matters most — learning. I created the School Business Manager (UK) community to give professionals in this field the connection, resources, and support they need to do exactly that.