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I didn’t grow up knowing exactly what I’d become. I was a taxi driver, a rubbish collector, a real estate agent, I’ve done it all. But I knew I wanted to be useful, to serve people. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer – probably from watching LA. Law (the 90’s lawyer drama that is basically Suits), but the deeper truth is that I’m most energised when I’m working with others, in service of others. That’s the thread through everything I’ve done. My ‘why’ is about building institutions and opportunities for communities that have long been underserved, particularly the Australian Muslim community.

One moment sticks with me. After I graduated in a Master of Law at the ������, I couldn’t get a job. I had no connections. A man, let’s call him Hussein, promised me an interview. He told me to show up at 10am on a Saturday. I got there early, waited all day. But he never showed. He eventually stopped taking my calls. That crushed me. I remember feeling small and unworthy. But those moments steel you. They also teach you how not to treat others. On the flip side, the highlight? Founding an Islamic superannuation and finance business to collectivise Islamic wealth and serve more than a million Australian Muslims, stands out because that’s my purpose.

Creating Salaam Group and Australia’s first Islamic-focused superannuation company is probably the most meaningful achievement to date. Not because it’s a business, but because it meets a real community need. It gives dignity and choice to people of faith, and it’s building something that will hopefully outlast me. That’s the kind of win that matters.