Ash Ali

Co-Founder & Growth Hacker

Co-Founder of Uhubs | Bestselling Author: 'The Unfair Advantage' | Empowering SaaS Sales Leaders to Exceed Targets

Hey there! I’m Ash Ali, an entrepreneurial spirit who thrives on turning ideas into reality. 

Best known as the first marketing director at Just Eat, I helped scale it to Series A which then went onto become UK’s first tech unicorns.

But my journey didn't start in the usual boardroom. Without a formal degree, I carved my path through sheer grit, instinct, and a knack for seeing opportunities where others see obstacles. 

Today, I leverage my 20 plus years experience to mentor, invest in, and fuel the next generation of startups.

I co-authored "The Unfair Advantage: How You Already Have What It Takes to Succeed" which won Business Book of the Year.

Our book dives into leveraging your unique traits for success — something I live by and encourage others to recognise in themselves.

I'm currently leading Uhubs, a cutting-edge B2B sales performance startup that empowers sales leaders to define and measure excellence in their teams. 

Our unique Pulse technology provides real-time insights and metrics, helping businesses understand "what good looks like" in sales performance. 

It's about bringing clarity and precision to skills for better sales strategies, enabling teams to thrive in today's competitive markets.

My personal philosophy is to:

"Embrace your unique journey, your most significant 'unfair advantage' might just be something you already possess."

If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, a sales leader looking to elevate your team, or just want to chat about the startup world's highs and lows, feel free to connect! 

I'm always open to sharing ideas, speaking at events and conferences and specialise in GTM, Marketing, Sales and everything to do with starting tech startups.

Co-founder - We're hiring!

Uhubs helps busy sales leaders at top SaaS companies optimise their sales enablement to develop reps and grow revenue, by uncovering blind spots on performance, motivation and skills.

The Uhubs Pulse platform visualises each team’s development needs for personalised upskilling & provides data-driven coaching recommendations that are saving Sales Managers 40+ hrs per quarter and helping reps ramp up 30% faster.

Supercharge your sales team by booking a demo with us today.

Kasim has experience in Business Events, Law, Education and Finance. As someone who has witnessed inequality and discrimination his whole life, Kasim has a keen focus on empowering underrepresented groups as well as promoting DEI in organisations, entrepreneurship, and apprenticeships. 

As the director of Thinkfest, Kasim runs and manages several varied projects and events from small networking affairs to large scale live events. These include Pathway2grow business networking, the Multicultural Apprentice Network and Awards, The Festival of Apprenticeships, The Business Book Awards, The Thought Leaders Collective, NeuroInclusion and many more.

Kasim is a strong believer in work hard and play harder, and thrives off success. 

“I get satisfaction and gratification from my work which acts as a catalyst to boost my productivity and helps me get the best results.”

Kasim Choudhry

I don’t really work Fridays (anymore). 🕌🏃🏽‍♂️☺️

In 2026, I decided to properly embrace a four-day working week.

When we launched the Business Book Awards years ago, I met Martin Norbury, author of I Don’t Work Fridays. I loved the idea at the time… but honestly never thought it was something I could do myself.

Fast forward to 2025, and the four-day week was everywhere in the news. It got me thinking:
Do I actually need to work Fridays? Or am I just used to it?

As a Muslim, Fridays have always felt rushed, trying to squeeze in Jumma (Friday prayer) and then heading straight back to work to get everything on my weeks to do list finished. 

In many parts of the Muslim World, Friday marks the start of the weekend, not the most stressful part of it. People often make up the time working on the weekend or longer hours in the week. 

So this year, I’m doing things differently.

Fridays are now lighter. Slower. More intentional.

Time to properly attend the mosque, give back, think, reflect, and act with clarity rather than urgency.

It’s not about working less.
It’s about working smarter and living more freely.

Let’s see where this takes me

Honorary Chair of Future Faces GB Chambers of Commerce I Multicultural Apprenticeship & Enterprise Ambassador for Pathway Group I Non-Exec Director Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance & Thinkfest

🌍✨ International Women’s Day Conference & Expo is back in 2026 on 25 March ✨🌍

We’re proud to be delivering the largest IWD Conference & Expo in the country, and this year it’s set to be bigger and better than ever.

🔹 More content
🔹 More speakers
🔹 More visitors
🔹 More opportunities to connect, learn and be inspired

Ahead of the main event, we’re also bringing back the much-loved IWD FREE Photoshoot 📸 in the last week of January with Edwin Ladd. 

Last year, we photographed over 450 people, this year, let’s see if we can top that 💪

👩‍💼 All women and allies are welcome to take part.

If you’re passionate about gender equity and want to:
👉 Run a session
👉 Sponsor a panel
👉 Be part of shaping one of the UK’s most impactful IWD platforms

Get in touch and join us in making IWD 2026 truly unforgettable.

#IWD2026 #InternationalWomensDay #IWDConference #Equity #Leadership #Inclusion #Allies #WomenInBusiness #BirminghamEvents

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A friend. A colleague. A mentor. - إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

January has been an incredibly challenging month, but this news was truly devastating.

It's been a sombre weekend after hearing about the sudden passing of Councillor Waseem Zaffar MBE JP someone I had the privilege of knowing for over a decade, during which we built an amazing relationship rooted in mutual respect, honesty and plenty of good-natured political banter.

While we often found ourselves on different sides of the political debate, Waseem was always balanced, thoughtful and generous in spirit. He had a rare ability to win people over with his warmth, his smile and his genuine care for others. He regularly encouraged me to step into politics myself, an invitation I always politely declined, but it spoke volumes about his belief in people and his desire to see good individuals serve the city.

Waseem was always at the other end of the phone, ready to help where he could, never transactional and always sincere. He was a beacon of light for Birmingham: a young, energetic councillor who genuinely wanted to make life better for Brummies and worked tirelessly to do so.

He will be greatly missed by our city and by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Our prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.

Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we shall return.

Great to be back at Aston University delivering a session with the Team Entrepreneurs 👏🚀📈

We spent time exploring how some of the most successful brands didn’t start with huge budgets or polished launches, they started with activations and events.

We reflected on local and global success stories, including:

	•	Ben Francis MBE, Aston alumnus, who built Gymshark through activations across the world long before opening his first physical store, a brand built on community, movement, and momentum

	•	Grenade, founded by Al Barratt, and the now-iconic big orange tank, an activation-led brand that ultimately went on to be acquired by Mondelēz International (owners of Cadbury)

	•	Red Bull, whose entire growth model is rooted in activation, from sponsorship to outright ownership of extreme sports and cultural moments

What stood out most, though, was the students themselves.

The energy in the room, the ideas being tested, the side hustles in motion, and the ambition to learn by doing was genuinely impressive. I left having learned just as much from them as they may have from me.

Huge thanks to the team at Aston University for the invitation and for creating a space where experimentation, curiosity, and entrepreneurship are actively encouraged. Carolyn Chapman-Lees, Aimee Postle MEd MBA Chart.PR SFHEA, Modasar Rasul, Dr Elinor Vettraino and Péter Tasi. 

The future is in safe hands 🚀

Kush Shah, Comfort Arthur, Jason Aitcheson, Abdirahman Abdilahi, Saul Davis, Alexander Follows, Jordan Thompson 

#Entrepreneurship #Activations #AstonUniversity #TeamEntrepreneurs #BrandBuilding #LearningByDoing

What is the social economy – and why are we celebrating it⁉️

There are many definitions but for me the social economy is made up of organisations that trade with purpose. Businesses, social enterprises and charities that don’t just focus on profit, but on creating real social value: jobs, skills, inclusion, opportunity and stronger communities.

Today, we brought some of that story to life at a lunch event celebrating the winners of the 2025 Social Economy Awards.

It was fantastic to welcome so many inspiring organisations into the room, all doing brilliant work across the region, and to hear first-hand how they are tackling inequality, supporting people into work, and proving that social impact and commercial success are not mutually exclusive.

The awards exist to shine a spotlight on this often under-recognised part of our economy. The social economy matters because it:

	•	Creates pathways into employment for people furthest from the labour market
	•	Keeps wealth circulating locally
	•	Builds resilient communities, not just balance sheets
	•	Shows that values-led leadership delivers long-term impact

Huge thanks to Harinder Kunor and Pam Sheemar CCIB J.P from NatWest Group  for hosting us and for their continued support of the social economy.

It was great to see partners, leaders and changemakers come together, share success stories and remind ourselves why this work matters now more than ever. Lovely to catch up with Birgit Kehrer, Bobby Singh, Indi Deol, Karolina Medwecka-Piasecka, Gavin Dell, Rebecca Stone and many others.

Well done to Shania Edwards and Sylwia Juranek (SJ) 🚀 🌟 from the team at Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs for co-ordinating such a fantastic event.  

Congratulations again to all the 2025 winners 👏
Your impact is being felt far beyond your organisations.

#SocialEconomy #SocialEnterprise #PurposeLedBusiness #Impact #Community #Leadership #SocialValue

⛱️ Costa Del Amington ☀️ There’s only one week of January left. ⏳

If you set big goals for 2026 and already feel like you’re behind, you’re not failing. You’re adjusting. 🤝

Post-Christmas reality has hit:
 🔁 back to work at full pace
 ❄️ cold days, dark nights
 🧠 the mental load January always brings

And let’s be honest, 2026 is shaping up to be a tougher year. More uncertainty. More pressure. More change. That means the old “set it and forget it” approach to goals won’t work.

This is the year we need to improvise, adapt and overcome, but not at the expense of our health. 💪🧘‍♂️

📌 Be agile with your plans
 📌 Be realistic with your expectations
 📌 Be kind to yourself while you figure it out

Progress doesn’t have to be loud. 🔇
Consistency beats intensity. 🔁
Looking after yourself isn’t optional, it’s strategic. ❤️
One week left in January. Plenty of year still to shape. 🚀

What are you choosing to carry forward, and what are you letting go of? 👇

I chose to give up working on Fridays but I like to play catch up on a Saturday morning, when it's quiet and peaceful. 

This morning my colleague Martin Chandler and I both found ourselves without a car. He sent me a picture of him on a train and I sent him the attached picture, just a bit of light hearted humour to get us through the weekend. 

#Leadership #Wellbeing #GoalSetting #Agility #2026Mindset #MentalHealthAtWork #ResilientLeadership #JanuaryReset

📸 It Starts With a Photo 📸  Join the UK’s Largest International Women’s Day Experience In the Country

This January, Birmingham becomes the stage for something unmissable. As part of the IWD Conference & Expo, we’re inviting anyone who believes in equality, representation, and change to take part in the UK’s largest FREE IWD photoshoot at 24 Stories formerly Orelle Restaurant, 26–29 January.

This isn’t just a photoshoot, it’s a platform. A chance to:

📸 Capture a professional portrait in just 5 minutes
📲 Share your story, celebrate the women who inspire you, or speak your IWD message
🌟 Make your support for equality visible and celebrated

Whether you’re a woman, a male ally, or someone who wants to stand for change, this is your invitation to be seen, heard, and part of something bigger.

Sponsored by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, hosted by The Evolv Collection Christina Kruzewski with balloons by Candy Bubbles Naomi Spencer and photos being taken by Edwin Ladd. 

Slots are limited, and interest is soaring, don’t miss your chance to be in the frame.

💪 Let’s make IWD 2026 bold, visible, and unforgettable.

#IWDExpo #IWD2026 #RepresentationMatters #BirminghamEvents #Allyship #EqualityInAction #WomenEmpowerment

Are We Letting the School Bully Win? 😡 

Watching the renewed rhetoric around the US “interest” in Greenland feels almost surreal, but it’s also a reminder of how quickly political posturing can reshape global norms.

What’s more concerning is the ripple effect we’re already seeing beyond borders. Shifts in US policy and tone around Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are giving some global organisations permission to quietly retreat. Budgets are being paused. Language is being softened. Commitments once proudly displayed are now being reframed as “optional” or “non-core”.

This isn’t just a US issue. Multinationals often follow the gravity of American policy, whether they admit it or not. 

I know many senior leaders in this space who have been made redundant over the past 12 months because ED&I is no longer a priority.

When EDI is politicised at the highest level, it becomes easier for boards elsewhere to deprioritise it under the guise of “focus”, “efficiency” or “neutrality”.

The real question is: what comes next?

Do we see:

	•	A two-tier system where EDI survives in principle but not in practice?

	•	Organisations in Europe and beyond stepping up to fill the leadership vacuum?

	•	Or a redefinition of inclusion that removes the uncomfortable parts but keeps the branding?

Moments like this test whether values were ever embedded, or simply convenient.

Leadership isn’t proven when it’s easy or popular, it’s proven when the headwinds change. And the organisations that hold their nerve now will be the ones people trust tomorrow.

#Leadership #EDI #GlobalBusiness #ValuesInAction #Inclusion #CorporateResponsibility

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Ash Ali

Kasim Choudhry

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kasim Choudhry's LinkedIn Performance

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