News

The Newspaper

Archives

Press Releases

Subscribe

Advertise

Mailing list

Links

About us

What's on and where

Messages for
The Muslim News

Contact The Muslim News

The Muslim News on your PDA

Back to index

Issue 255, Friday 30 July 2010 - 18 Sha'ban 1431

MPACUK elects first Woman CEO

For the first time the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPACUK) has elected a woman as their Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Since joining MPACUK in 2003, Catherine Heseltine has made a “consistently outstanding contribution to the work of the organisation.” Her various roles have included working as the head of MPACUK’s campaigns team, appearing on television documentaries including Channel 4’s ‘Women Only Jihad’, as a media spokesperson and mentoring new members.

Heseltine is an English born revert to Islam and her election victory “sets an historic precedent. We believe Catherine’s leadership will enhance MPACUK’s work in defending the civil rights of Muslims,” said a Spokesperson.

Catherine was born in 1978 and grew up in Islington, North London. She attended Westminster School and went on to do a BA in Education at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She became Muslim in 1999 while at University. She has worked for 10 years as a nursery teacher in London schools but is now taking on the role of CEO of MPACUK full-time.

When asked about her historic achievement in being elected to lead a major national British Muslim organisation, she replied, “I hope that this historic step will be a landmark in the development of a new wave of Muslim women leaders and will spark a revolution in the way Muslim women are enabled to contribute their talents in the service of both the Muslim community and wider society.”

MPACUK is a civil rights group that campaigns on issues affecting Muslims in the UK and abroad.