Partner Asma Iqbal joins Business Economy and Innovation Committee

Inclusion and equality champion and Chadwick Lawrence Partner Asma Iqbal has been selected to represent West Yorkshire as part of the Business, Economy, and Innovation Committee for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Asma’s expertise, knowledge and passion for inclusion and diversity make her ideal for the role. The Business, Economy and Innovation Committee is responsible for:

• Developing policies, strategies, investment plans and monitoring impact.
• Progressing the Mayor’s pledges.
• Decision-making, covering business and innovation activity.
• Submitting funding bids and delivering and overseeing projects and programmes.

Asma says: “I’m keen to make a positive contribution to ensure the support reaches women in business, people with disabilities and black and minority ethnic businesses as well as the disadvantaged communities in our region.

“This appointment enhances the great work already being done by the BAME business committee of the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and I look forward to working with them. We will be focusing on supporting businesses, particularly start ups, who are struggling with the increase in cost of living expenses.”

Asma is a Hot 100 Lawyer and recently won the Outstanding Business Leader Award at the Yorkshire Hero Awards, part of the FB Fashion Ball, which celebrate people that are doing good work in the region through diversity, inclusion, and equality.

She is involved in many diversity and inclusion-focused activities. In January 2022, she was named a Hot 100 Lawyer by national industry magazine The Lawyer, one of the most prestigious accolades in the legal world. It recognised her work in helping the cricketer Azeem Rafiq successfully settle his employment tribunal following the racist abuse he’d suffered when playing for Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC).

Supported by Chadwick Lawrence, Asma led Rafiq’s claim of institutional racism against YCCC and provided legal support in his landmark employment tribunal. The investigation concluded Rafiq had been “a victim of racial harassment and bullying.”

In the employment tribunal case, Asma secured an apology plus six-figure settlement from YCCC. Asma is spearheading work by Chadwick Lawrence to support organisations to conduct “root and branch” audits of their equality, diversity, and inclusion practices, to ensure all employees are protected from discrimination