SPONSORED BY CF FERTILISERS
DIVERSITY AWARD
CF Fertilisers general manager Martin Liddle( right) presented the Diversity Award to Sahida Ditta and Paul Murphy of MFC Foundation.
WINNER
MFC FOUNDATION
The“ power of the badge” and a trailblazing Iftar event earned MFC Foundation the Diversity prize at the Tees Business Awards 2025.
Last year, Iftar – the evening meal that marks the end of fasting during Ramadan – was taken for the first time at the Riverside Stadium in an event organised by the foundation and Sahida Ditta of the AMAL Project.
Attended by more than 350 guests, it was the sort of event the foundation – the official charity of Middlesbrough Football Club – is always looking to arrange as it uses the Boro badge to help increase community cohesion.
And after receiving the Diversity award, having pipped Like Us and Alt Labs to the prize sponsored by CF Fertilisers, fundraising and events manager Paul Murphy teased that another ground-breaking event may be on the horizon.
He said:“ We’ ve done a lot of work with Sahida and the AMAL project, including that first Iftar celebration at the stadium. It’ s great to bring together a real mix of cultures and religions and to hear the call to prayer inside the empty stadium bowl that night was really emotional.
“ Now we’ re looking at an Eid event in June to bring increased awareness and knowledge of it across the community. It’ s under wraps at the moment, but watch this space!”
The foundation’ s ground-breaking work and support for EDI( Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) initiatives regularly wins it plaudits and awards – it won three at the inaugural Tees Business Awards, for example.
Other recent innovations included Ramadan football, where inclusive and well-supported sessions were held later in the evening. And Paul says the power of the MFC badge remains a massive“ plus”. He said:“ The power of the badge is massive across all communities but we don’ t take it for granted. For a range of communities and with education as well, we can turn up there with the same kit as the players would wear and, in their eyes, we’ re the same level, so it’ s great to get that engagement and that connectivity.
“ The players are really supportive too, and not just those from the local area. People like Finn Azaz run with it and understand how we operate and what we do. And again, going back to how helpful and powerful that badge is, they can be really important to that engagement, so it’ s good to have player involvement.”
FINALIST ALT LABS
Led by British Asian entrepreneur Imran Anwar, Alt Labs has built a culture of respect and accessibility, reflected in its workforce and community-focused programmes.
Through initiatives such as Tees Valley Labs, it has empowered under-represented entrepreneurs, offering tailored mentorship and resources to remove barriers to success. Internally, the company’ s inclusive policies foster a workplace where every team member can thrive. Alt Labs’ leadership also extends its efforts beyond the organisation, advocating for equality in the regional business ecosystem.
And by embedding diversity into its strategy and championing inclusivity, Alt Labs shows how small businesses can drive meaningful change and reflect the diversity of their communities.
FINALIST LIKE US
Led by CEO Shak Asghar, whose multicultural background and personal experiences with health challenges and neurodiversity shape the company’ s values, innovative business support agency Like Us boasts a diverse workforce that mirrors the rich cultural fabric of Tees Valley and champions inclusivity both within its team and across the business community.
Through tailored programmes, mentoring and grants, Like Us supports minority-owned businesses and hard-to-reach communities, ensuring they have the tools to thrive.
As a Real Living Wage employer, the company fosters fairness and opportunity, creating a welcoming workplace where everyone can succeed. Like Us exemplifies how embracing diversity strengthens businesses and communities.
SPONSOR’ S REFLECTIONS:
Martin Liddle, general manager, CF Fertilisers:“ It was a relatively easy decision for us to sponsor this category again. We’ ve sponsored it since its inception three years ago and it fits with the culture we’ re trying to create at CF. We wanted to be part of that and recognise what other people are doing in that space and hopefully learn from some of the things they’ re doing. It was really tough to pick a winner but MFC Foundation submitted a great entry and does excellent work in the community.”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 119