Pro Vice-Chancellor at University of Staffordshire Professor Raheel Nawaz has been awarded the Award for Excellence in Education at The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2025.
Hosted by the UK’s largest independent Muslim newspaper, the annual ceremony recognises outstanding individuals and organisations, across a range of fields, from the British Muslim community.
This award recognises Professor Nawaz’s role as a global leader in education and AI. His innovative degree apprenticeship model has outperformed top UK universities – including Oxbridge – in graduate outcomes and influenced programmes worldwide from Canada to Spain, and Pakistan to New Zealand.
A National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he has published more than 200 research articles (h-index = 51) and secured £14M+ in grants. He is among the top-10 most cited scholars in the world in 5 fields: Applied AI, Digital Education, Workbased Learning, Future of Education, and Skills Policy.
Professor Nawaz has advised heads of state and governments across the world, shaping national policy on education, skills development, digital transformation, and AI. A former Pakistani army officer turned academic; he is renowned for combining academic rigour with social impact. He is also a trustee of JISC and UVAC. He passionately believes that kindness is the most impactful leadership trait and being an intrinsic giver in life is the most sustainable route to happiness. This was also the topic of his TEDx talk.
Winners were announced at a prestigious gala dinner in London this week, attended by senior politicians, diplomats, dignitaries, and business leaders, including West Streeting, Sir Ed Davy, Lord Wajid Khan, Domin Grieves, Stephen Flynn, and Sir Hamid Patel.
Professor Nawaz said: “It’s a profound honour to receive this recognition from the Muslim community. Education has the power to transform lives – not just academically, but socially and economically. This award is not just a personal milestone, but a reminder of the responsibility we all share to uplift others through knowledge, opportunity, and compassion.”
Accepting the award, Professor Nawaz spoke passionately about the shared values between British and Islamic identities: “Democracy, rule of law, respect for differing beliefs, and individual freedom – these aren’t just British values; they’re Islamic values too. I’m proud to be a British citizen and proud to be a Muslim. And proud of my identity as a British Muslim.”
He added: “Let’s not to forget about the importance of education, especially higher education, when we are thinking of the future of our communities, nations, and the world.”