Rabiah Sheikh

Bestway Group

When lockdown struck, Bestway Group, which owns the UK’s second-largest wholesaler, faced excessive demand. As the sole legal counsel overseeing Bestway’s group holding and food and beverage wholesale business, for Rabiah Sheikh the pressure was on to keep shelves stocked, ensure health and safety was maintained in stores and warehouses and assist with commercial.
As a pivotal port of call for food and essentials, Sheikh immediately identified the opportunities lockdown brought for the business. This included utilising vehicles grounded from retailers, as well as taking on staff from Covid-hit industries. The year saw Sheikh redefining her role as a business partner, as well as a lawyer, taking a leap and immersing herself in every aspect of Bestway’s operations.

When Sheikh first set out in law as a trainee in 2014, as the first lawyer in her family it was unfamiliar territory, and she was still very junior when she joined Bestway in 2016. This compelled her to assist students from ethnic minority backgrounds in writing their UCAS statements and applying to law school.

“I relate to them being out of their comfort zone,” she says, adding that her aim is to help others know what the process looks like, access the right resources and grow in confidence. Sheikh may have started at the deep end, but she has emerged as an inspiration for the next generation of lawyers.