A businessman born and raised in Alum Rock, Birmingham, B8, has spoken of his pride after recently collecting his MBE, in recognition of his services to diversity and inclusion in business.
Safaraz Ali, a Birmingham entrepreneur and social impact leader, received the honour after near 25 years of work across skills, employability, care and enterprise, with the last 10 years strongly focused on promoting apprenticeships, social mobility and inclusive leadership. His story is deeply rooted in Birmingham. Raised in Alum Rock, Safaraz comes from a family shaped by the city’s working communities.
His father worked at IMI in Witton as a Team Leader Furnace Preparer in titanium production, something Safaraz says gave him an early understanding of hard work, discipline and aspiration. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he began his career in banking and financial services. He later went on to build businesses and initiatives across skills, employability, care and social impact, spending the last 24 years creating organisations designed to combine enterprise with purpose.
In recent years, much of his work has focused on changing the way apprenticeships are seen by families, employers and communities. Through his work with the Multicultural Apprenticeship & Skills Alliance and the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards and the Apprenticeship Diversity & Social Mobility Forum, Safaraz has become a leading voice in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands for promoting apprenticeships as a respected and ambitious route into careers and long-term success. The Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards, in particular, have become a growing success story, celebrating apprentices, employers and role models from diverse backgrounds while helping raise the profile of apprenticeships across Birmingham and beyond.
Alongside that, the Multicultural Apprenticeship & Skills Alliance has brought together employers, providers, educators and community leaders to push for greater inclusion, stronger partnerships and better visibility for multicultural talent. At the heart of Safaraz’s mission has been a clear belief that apprenticeships should not be seen as a second-best option. Instead, he has consistently argued that they should be recognised as a credible, high-value pathway into careers, leadership and economic mobility.
A major part of his work has been to help rebrand apprenticeships in the minds of parents, employers and young people, so they are seen as a first choice rather than an alternative for those with no other route. Speaking after collecting the honour, Safaraz said: “It was a real privilege to receive my MBE and a moment I will never forget.
“Meeting The Princess Royal made the occasion even more special and brought home the significance of the honour in a very personal way. What this recognition really does is strengthen my sense of responsibility. It reinforces why the work around skills, social mobility and inclusive leadership matters, and why it is important to keep pushing for better outcomes.
“This honour would not have been possible without the support of so many people around me. I am deeply grateful to my team at Pathway Group, the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards and the Multicultural Apprenticeship & Skills Alliance, to our patrons and sponsors, and to the communities we work with every day.” From Alum Rock to Buckingham Palace, Safaraz’s journey reflects a wider Birmingham story of resilience, hard work and giving back.