Welcome Meb!
We’d like to welcome Meb Vadiya to the DataKind team! He has joined the DataKind UK board of trustees as an HR and legal expert with an extensive background supporting different types of organisations.
Tell us about your background
I have had a varied legal career, working in the Middle East in energy, shipping and international trade, the financial services sector, and setting up my own boutique commercial law firm. I’m a long-term member of the Employment Lawyers Association and have delivered presentations on nuclear liability for the OECD.
In recent years I decided to step away from daily legal practice to become Head of Strategy & Change and a Programme Director, before returning to take up an Associate General Counsel role at International Nuclear Services, a subsidiary of the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
What led to your interest in the role?
I was attracted to the role of Legal/HR Trustee at DataKindUK as it draws on my skills and experience around governance, legal, HR, stakeholder engagement, assurance, and strategy. I’ve had a varied career working in a variety of sectors and industries. I’m energetic and pragmatic, understand the challenges faced by the social sector, and have expertise in legal services, HR, ethics & compliance, and governance.
I’m committed to using my energy and expertise to help others. I’m Chair of the NDA Group Race Equality Network; and a director at Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale & Trafford, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, and Energus, a provider of education and training in the nuclear sector.
Having worked in the voluntary sector for a number of years, I’m acutely aware of the challenges the sector faces and the significant benefits that could be harnessed through better use of social data. Good use of data can unlock significant benefits for the social sector, allowing social impact organisations to make better-informed decisions in respect of investments and strategic priorities.
What excites you about being a DataKind UK board member?
I’m excited to be part of the DataKind UK board and wider global network, and to play an active part in DataKind’s journey of growth and capacity building. I look forward to spending time getting to know my fellow board members, the wider DataKind staff and volunteers, and how DataKind UK delivers.
“Post-COVID19, our services will be needed by the non-profit sector more than ever before to help organisations survive and thrive.”
What else are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about justice, fairness, and eradicating inequality in all its forms. I also love reading and consume books on historical fiction, autobiographies, history, psychology, politics, and corporate management. As lockdown reading, I recommend Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
