About Us
AIMS
To provide an effective conduit to encourage businesses to actively participate in community projects.
OBJECTIVES
BCBN seeks to identify worthwhile community projects and partner with credible charities. To raise the necessary funds and awareness to support socially challenging causes.
VALUES
As a Muslim-led organisation, we have a set of shared values that help us make a positive contribution to society: integrity; transparency; and social justice.
The Better Community Business Network is a registered charity set up by a group of business people and professionals that have come together to support local community projects that make a real difference to the communities they serve. We seek to promote altruism amongst the business community and to encourage it to re-direct some of its energy, creativity and the vast skills base it possesses for the betterment of wider society.
BCBN has attracted support from respected, high profile figures such as His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales; Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon. Chris Grayling; Rt Hon, Nick Clegg MP; former Attorney General – Rt Hon. Dominic Grieve and others.
Since its inception, BCBN has raised £1,344,628 in funds for local and national community causes including the Muslim Fostering Project; The Refugee Council, Children Services; NHS Trust, Reach Services; Muslim Youth Helpline and the Date Palm Project, housing ex-offenders.
BCBN does not seek government funding for any of its community causes; all funds raised go to the projects that are in need of them. As a founding principle, BCBN’s running costs are met entirely by the Trustees.
Alongside our annual fundraising events, BCBN launched its community Grant Initiative in September 2014 and has distributed over £138,081 in community funds. The Grant Initiative was established to empower charities and local community projects with grant awards of up to £3,000 in the fields of education, youth and community services.
Trustees
Tariq Usmani MBE
Co-founder and Chief Executive of Lock Terrace Ltd, Tariq is responsible for formulating strategy for the business and ensuring its effective implementation. He manages direct reports from the main areas of the business and leads on banking relationships and on ensuring the company ethos remains at the heart of the business. Charity is a key focus of the company and Tariq leads in this area. Tariq is Chair of the West London Islamic Centre, and Chair of the Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust (a registered charity working out of Feltham Young Offenders’ Institution providing mentoring and support towards reducing re-offending rates). Tariq was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list for his services in community cohesion. In a personal capacity, Tariq has always taken a keen interest in supporting young offenders, and has helped mentor several over the last decade. He has facilitated numbers of employment opportunities for young ex-offenders within his companies and through his extensive business contacts.
Kashif Usmani
Co-founder and Projects Director of Lock Terrace Ltd. Alongside his Board duties, Kashif is specifically responsible for the project delivery area of the business. His involvement includes design team management, oversight of build programmes, and management of legacy assets.
Dr Allyah Abbas-Hanif
Dr Allyah Abbas-Hanif is a clinical scientist and cardiology physician, with an interest in maternal and women’s health. Allyah has over a decade of proficiency in clinical development both in academia and industry. She trained at the University of Birmingham and Yale University and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London. Allyah supports several philanthropic projects, she has a led cardiology and emergency medical relief projects for displaced people for international NGOs, the Syrian American Medical Society and MedGlobal.
Sabah Gilani OBE
Sabah is the Chief Executive of the Better Community Business Network (BCBN), a grant-giving charity which has distributed 1.4 million to over 70 charities across the UK. She has led various initiatives through BCBN, including an ex-offender housing project, launching the Muslim Fostering Network and founding the Muslim Mind collaborative. Sabah hosts the Muslim Mind podcast series which provides key learning and insights for system leaders and commissioners of mental health services. She advises various organisations on faith and culture sensitive approaches to engaging with Muslim communities. Sabah received an OBE in 2020 for her work with Muslim youth.