Meet Raj Burman
Meet Raj Burman, who will be serving on the panel of judges for Young Tech Leaders’ Final Presentation Day.
Raj is the CEO of Techfugees, a global impact organization empowering displaced persons with responsible digital technology. He has over 3 decades of international experience scaling high-growth ventures across the private, public, and non-profit sectors and working at the intersection of ICT, digital innovation, and entrepreneurship. Previously, he established several disruptive technology start-ups and led the UK business acceleration scale-up program for an independent body of the European Commission.
Get to know Raj below!
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Why did you want to participate in Young Tech Leaders of the Middle East?
We need to uplift young leaders with radical solutions to break down conventional systems and barriers for our climate-stricken digital world, so we can reset towards a better future in realizing inclusion and equitable prosperity for all. I am looking forward to participating in Young Tech Leaders to guide, connect, and support conflict-affected and refugee youth as I love working with entrepreneurs, innovators, and difference-makers who aspire to accelerate impactful digital innovations.
What do you currently do in your role as CEO of Techfugees?
My role is to ramp up Techfugees’ international efforts with the global digital tech collective and volunteer community. We aim to empower refugees and marginalized displaced communities with responsible digital innovations that are developed by and for refugees—thus enabling equitable access to information, education, health, work, and social inclusion whilst elevating displaced voices to the front.
What experiences prepared you for that role?
I previously served as the Ambassador to the UN Global Poverty Project, advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); led a scale-up business accelerator program for the European Commission; co-founded a philanthropic venture for WPP Group; mentored refugees with TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network); and was a board member of the Refugee Youth Service.
What was your first job?
My first job was an apprentice welder in the 80’s making bulk carrier ships in Glasgow, Scotland.
What's your leadership style?
At heart, my core values center on strength, courage, and compassion, which drive servant leadership. I believe in uniting people and organizations under a common cause, and nurturing them so they can discover their purpose, ignite their creativity, and become difference makers and disruptive agents of change.
What was the best advice you've ever received?
The best one which came a few months ago and deeply resonated with me was, “Don’t waste your most valuable currency – time!” by Sylvester Stallone.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Build doors to open if opportunity doesn’t knock. To do that, realize that silver plates are never served and that nothing comes free in this world. Stand firm and tall like the mighty oak, rooted by strong core values with sound body and mind. But be prepared to fall and pay the price. Above all, never stop learning, and persevere with true grit.
If you could invite 3 people to a dinner party, who would they be?
I would bring the following three individuals as representative of the past, present, and future:
Past: Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet. His poems are passionate, spiritual, and intense with explosion of emotions—in particular, “Lose Yourself.”
Present: Denzel Washington, a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will of consistency to conquer the odds.
Future: Aelita Andre, a 14-year-old Australian master of abstract impressionism and surrealism whose art has stormed the world.
What's a fact about you that not many people know?
During my time in Japan, I learned haiku (Japanese poetry) and wrote several poems, a few of which were published and exhibited.
What's your favorite technology?
The humble watch governing the daily flow that has stood the test of time, only to get digitally smarter to beat your rhythm.
