Young Pakistani entrepreneur receives MBE in King Charles Honour list

LONDON: Bilal Bin Saqib, a young Pakistani entrepreneur, has been awarded the honour of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his humanitarian services during COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, particularly the initiative, One Million Meals.

The award comes in honour of Saqib’s efforts to deliver fresh, hot meals to the frontline workers of the UK during the pandemic through his initiative One Million Meals, which he ran along with two other Pakistanis.

"I am honoured to be part of the King’s Birthday List and I am excited to be awarded an MBE for my contribution to the charitable work I have done. I am truly honoured. I will continue to do my best to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people, that’s the mission of my life and I am thankful to His Majesty for this recognition," he said, sharing his excitement for the award.

During the lockdown in 2020, over 100,000 meals were sent to the National Health Service (NHS) and key workers, the homeless and people in need.

The campaign, which received support from sporting stars such as former footballer David Beckham and boxer Amir Khan, inspired hundreds of volunteers to help with communications and deliveries. Local companies donated food and healthy drinks.

Operating in more than 200 locations through 47 hospitals, trusts and food banks, the initiative aimed to continue providing nutritious meals, whilst the nation recovered from coronavirus.

Saqib, an alumnus of the London School of Economics (LSE) with a Master’s in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 member. The young Pakistani is currently working on blockchain technology adoption and education in Pakistan.

He is the founder of Tayaba, a non-government organisation working to ease access to water in deprived communities. He was also recognised in the Pakistani Foreign Minister's Honours List in 2021 for his service to the community in the UK.

When Pakistan declared a state of emergency as the recent floods wreaked havoc across the nation, Saqib also co-founded SavePakistan. crypto initiative through which he raised funds from the global crypto community. Through this initiative, he also revolutionised fundraising by creating the first-ever non-fungible tokens (NFTs) tied to real-world humanitarian goods.