Abdul Mohamed
"Helping to improve the life of inner-city Londoners and disadvantaged people has been a central theme to my professional life – it’s also mirrored in some of the key objectives of the Goldsmiths’ Company strategy and adds an extra sense of purpose to being a member."
After graduating from the University of Leeds I trained as a Mining Engineer, working underground in southern Africa. Most recently I was the former Councillor of Southwark in London and also Mayor, where I worked to improve inner city regeneration and house building. I was also one-time chair of the Democracy Commission, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement & Equalities and Head of the Civic Office as Mayor in 2013-14. I am currently involved in a range of activities across the business industry and political sector.
The greatest challenge of my career has been focused on attempting to solve some of the biggest problems that our inner cities currently face, which are often compounded by lack of political participation. I was chair of the Democracy Commission from 2010-12, which had a specific mandate to help solve these problems. The commission overhauled the public engagement process from the ground-up and saw a great degree of success. Helping to improve the life of inner-city Londoners and disadvantaged people has been a central theme to my professional life – it’s also mirrored in some of the key objectives of the Goldsmiths’ Company strategy and adds an extra sense of purpose to being a member.
The most satisfying part of chairing this commission was giving ordinary people who had frequently been excluded and marginalised, the space and encouragement to come up with the solutions and overcome what seemed like insurmountable problems. This is all about empowerment and offering the right tools and resources at the right times - something the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity also aims to achieve as its role as a funder.
I first heard about the Company from the Mayor of Lewisham, and as I started my journey to becoming a member in 2015, the Company could not have been more welcoming and encouraging. There was a tangible desire to open up the membership to those like me who would perhaps never have considered joining. Being a member is an exciting prospect as it provides another opportunity to contribute to society in both new and time-honoured ways, through our support for the craft and trade of gold and silversmithing and our wider contribution to national life.
As well as the Company’s support for craftspeople it’s amazing to see an organisation, approaching its 700th anniversary, able to be so relevant and forward looking in its objectives. Its commitment for greater transparency, diversity, and inclusion in the membership is reflective of this, as is the help it has extended to those in the trade recently through the COVID-19 Fund. It didn’t take long to realise that the Company is not just highly engaged in contemporary issues but also consistently active in demonstrating a duty of care towards those within its sphere of influence in what continues to be a challenging time for the trade and the charities we support. The backbone of the Company is based on this shared vision for the future and it’s a privilege to help ensure we get there.