Pictured from left to right: Alison Perry, Head of the School of Law, Lucy Griffiths, Head of SEA, Asim Hafeez, Home Office Director of International, Strategy, Engagement and Devolution, and Michael Draper, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Education.
Asim Hafeez, Home Office Director of International, Strategy, Engagement and Devolution, recently returned to his alma mater to share his impressive career journey in the Civil Service with Swansea University students.
Hosted by Swansea Employability Academy (SEA), the event took place in Singleton Campus’ Richard Price Lecture Theatre on 14 March 2023.
During his talk, Asim discussed the hurdles he had to overcome on his way to the top, encouraging the audience to learn from his experiences.
Asim also explained how he has successfully dealt with inclusivity, often a lack thereof, in the workplace.
Speaking on returning to Swansea University, Asim said: “I was so honoured to be invited back to the place that I called home for so long and feel the memories of all the amazing experiences I had there.
“Swansea University did so much to shape me, not just academically but spiritually, intellectually, and even physically!”
Since graduating from the University in 1996 with a Master of Arts in International Relations, Asim has forged a successful career in the Civil Service, developing the Welsh Assembly Government’s Prevent Strategy before joining the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism at the Home Office.
In 2011, he provided Counter Terrorism Consultancy in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and is now the Home Office Director of International, Strategy, Engagement and Devolution.
In a voluntary capacity, Asim also runs Islamic knowledge classes and has a close connection to the Swansea University Mosque.
Speaking on the honour of welcoming Asim back, Michael Draper, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Education, said: “Asim generously gave of his time and experience emphasising the importance of character, integrity and being true to yourself as key attributes in career development.
“It was great to hear Asim recognise Swansea as both a diverse and an inclusive university, given the dedication of colleagues and students in building a vibrant institutional community where ambitions and opportunity can be realised. Asim also kindly met individual students immediately after the event to offer further guidance.”
Jess Loomba, Employability Services Manager at SEA, added: “Asim inspired everyone in attendance, from students and early graduates to staff, sharing lessons learnt from his personal journey, on resilience, balance, inclusivity and being proud of who you are as an individual both in life and through your career.
“We would like to thank Asim for all his guidance, and we look forward to welcoming him back to Swansea University in the future.”
Swansea University students and graduates can learn about upcoming events and access employability support tailored to their needs through the Swansea Employability Academy—email employmentzone@swansea.ac.uk for more information.