ABOUT
Leadership begins with service.
Long before I led organisations or designed large-scale initiatives, I spent my summers working in humanitarian aid — learning, up close, what it means to serve humanity with humility and intention.
Rooted in Purpose.
Committed to Legacy.
Guided by Faith.
That sense of service has stayed with me, even as my journey crossed sectors.
After studying politics, media, and architecture at postgraduate level, I worked in business and property
development, learning how to build, scale, and sustain. But it was through combining strategic business acumen with a passion for social change that I found my true path — leading initiatives that bridge community needs with systemic solutions.
Over the past decade, as the CEO of BCBN, I built one of the UK’s first Muslim-led strategic grant-making models — focused on research-driven, community-centred, high-impact funding.
Leadership, as She Lives It
We funded over 100 grassroots initiatives, partnered with national organisations, commissioned groundbreaking research (Hidden Survivors, Muslim Mind Roundtables), and shifted narratives in sectors from social care to mental health.
Some of the initiatives I am proud to have led include:
- The Date Palm Project: rehabilitation pathways for Muslim ex-offenders
- The Muslim Fostering Project: responding to urgent gaps in culturally competent care
- Youth violence collaborations reaching thousands of young people annually
Founding the Muslim Mind Collaborative and partnering with Mind UK to create faith equity frameworks in mental health.
NOW:
Muslim Women Founders
My work isn’t only about building systems behind the scenes. It’s also about creating visibility, changing who is seen as a leader.
That’s why I founded Muslim Women Founders — a platform amplifying Muslim women's leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
It’s why I co-produced the Muslim Women Talk podcast, with over 17,000 global listeners. And it’s why I led the London Eid Lights project — lighting up some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks in celebration of Muslim presence and cultural pride.
Today, my journey continues — designing international leadership programmes for emerging Muslim leaders, building cross-sector collaborations, and mentoring the next generation of changemakers.
An Open Invitation
At the heart of it all, my purpose remains the same:
To serve. To build. To leave behind structures that empower others to lead with faith, equity, and impact.
If you’re here because you believe in building more than projects — if you believe in building systems, legacies, and futures — I would love to connect.
Sabah Gilani is the founder of Muslim Women Founders — a space for visibility, collaboration, and legacy. Her work is guided by faith, care, and the belief that real change is built together.