I am proud to say Sainsbury's is a great place to work and the most trusted and inclusive company to work.

I am highly delighted as I received the BAME Development Programme Nomination confirmation starting from 1st September.

My sincere gratitude goes to Sainsbury's, especially to my Area Manager Laura Payne,Head of Stores Paul Miller,Richared Riley STP and whole L02 Talent delivery team for giving me the opportunity to be nominated for BAME Development programme.

Briefly, I would like to share my journey with Sainsbury's.

I came to the UK from Pakistan in August 2008 for study purposes of fulfilling the dream of my parents. Actually, I came to the UK to secure a British degree to ensure professional excellence.

In May 2009, I joined Sainsbury's as a part-time customer service assistant. Within a few months of working, I realised that it's a great place to work that provides me with all flexibility and support to continue my studies alongside working.

During the beginning of 2010, I attend a career surgery with the intention to progress my career with Sainsbury's. I spoke to my Store Manager Majid Abbas and HR Manager Emma Clark and explained that Sainsbury's is the most inclusive and best place to work, which triggers me to think of career progression. Then I was placed in the development plan, and thus, I was signed off as Team Leader in August 2010.

In March 2011, I got the opportunity to be a part of the YOU CAN Programme. In December 2011, I was promoted to Deputy Manager in Borough High Street by my Area Manager Mark Gabriel while working part-time besides my studies.

In March 2012, I completed my Degree in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brooks University.

As a part-time Deputy Manager, I run various stores, namely; Hackney Lower Clapton, Hackney Town Hall, Hackney Mare Street, Allgood Street, Bethnal Green, Wood Green and Stratford Romford Road.

Besides working, I continued my studies to fulfil the dream of my parents, and in 2015, I completed my Master of Business Administration(MBA) degree from Anglia Ruskin University.

Proud Moments:

On 6th October 2016, I got the Best Convenience Deputy Manager of the year award.

While working part-time, I continued my studies and started studying Doctorate in Business Administration degree.

As I wanted to research on the company who fulfiled my dreams, therefore, selected the topic on Sainsbury's, namely; "an investigation of Sainsbury's success for converting satisfied customers into customer evangelist (volunteer sale force) for sustainable growth".

Regardless of being a part-timer, In February 2018, I was given the opportunity to work as a Trainee Store Manger in Leyton High Road and then moved to Ilford High Road in October 2018.

In September 2019, I got my Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and started working full-time.

In November 2019, I moved to Bromley By Bow as a Store Manager while waiting for the outcome of my Doctorate thesis.

My reflection is Sainsbury's is a great place to work as I was part-time and developed from customer service assistant to Store Manager. Now I am pleased to be nominated for BAME Development Programme.

I am proud to say Sainsbury's is a great place to work and the most trusted and inclusive company to work.