Media consultant, professor University of Bolton, executive producer, public speaker and coach
Film, Video and Photographic Arts BA (Honours)- 1992
Aaqil studied Film, Video and Photographic Arts at the University of Westminster. Upon graduation, he started work in TV where he rose up the executive ladder to his most recent appointment of Head of Commissioning and Head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC. He is the first Muslim person to hold this position.
Commissions include many award-winning and high-profile projects such as Saving Africa's Witch Children, The Qur'an, Inside The Mind Of A Suicide Bomber, and Christianity: A History and the religion strand Revelations.
My favourite memory of Westminster is coming from the north to Harrow. It was a lovely place to be; playing football for the University team and being involved in the Students’ Union – I was the president of Harrow. I used the time to think about what I wanted to do.
The course was about much more than just getting a qualification – it was also focused on connections, ethics, and opening your mind to try to understand the world. I wouldn’t be doing the job that I’m doing today if I hadn’t embraced all these other aspects of the course. It was about much more than just getting a qualification and learning how to turn on a camera. I am proud to have come from Westminster.