Pakistani entrepreneur and chef Zahra khan has successfully made it to Forbes 30 under 30 Europe List of world’s most impactful and game changing businessperson. Being founder of three eateries in London, the Pakistani female chef has secured a place in retailing and E-commerce category of the Forbes, making the whole nation proud.
Zahra Khan is a Pakistani-UK based chef hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, who with her dedication and passion towards cooking and baking, not only inspired thousands of other women, but with her capabilities and strong-mindedness has also made it to the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 lists.
Talking about her struggles and obstacles in pursuing the cooking career, Zahra revealed she too belonged to the narrow-minded society that believed that women are restricted to homes and families. However, Zahra had pledged on breaking the pigeonholes and setting up a stronger image of the society. And, today, Zahra is recognized both nationally and internationally, that too for not giving up and hunting the career of her choice.
“At the age of 13, I was told to study sciences because I could not achieve a worthy career out of baking. I was repeatedly told that women are homemakers, only belonging in kitchens at home. I had fallen into a cultural stereotype; in Pakistan where I was born, women historically remain at a disadvantage due to cultural and religious barriers leading to setbacks like gender discrimination, employability, and mental health issues, – stated Zahra Khan in an interview.
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“Moving to the UK and pursuing an independent career came with significant challenges, which in turn became my motivation to combat societal pressures and prove that women of any background can take professional leadership roles and empower other women, especially mothers,”
Here to mention, Zahra Khan has graduated from the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Tante Marie Culinary Academy and she is the only Pakistani lady to ever attend the academy since its opening in 1954.
After graduation, Zahra founded the Feya and Dyce cafes near the iconic Harrods and Selfridge’s retail stores in the upscale part of Central London in Knightsbridge and Oxford Street. Moreover, she had established the Feya’s café at the same time she became a mother.
Furthermore, revealing about her forthcoming ventures and past reputation, Zahra Khan mentioned,
“I have received 100 plus franchise applications from countries like UK, UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, and that too without any formal listing.”
“I am in the process of expanding Feya’s retail network and targeting further 25 sites outside UK via franchise agreements. By 2025, I am expecting to create 400 job opportunities for women and spread the message of empowerment: promoting UN’s Sustainability Development Goal 5,” she added about her future plans.
Moreover, as revealed by Forbes,
“There were tens of thousands of nominations and recommendations from industry experts and former Under 30 alumni were reviewed to make up a shortlist.”
“The finalists were selected with the help of a judging panel that included Russian E-commerce billionaire Tatyana Bakalchuk, founder of Wildberries, French jewelry entrepreneur Valérie Messika, and Pascar Sivam, founder and CEO of Danish watchmaker Nordgreen and 2019 30 Under 30 Europe alum.”
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