Simon Sheikh

Simon Sheikh (born 1986) is an Australian activist who is currently CEO of superannuation fund Future Super. He was the National Director of GetUp! from 2008 to 2012.^[1] He was a delegate to the economics stream of the Australia 2020 Summit and was named the New South Wales Young Professional of the Year in 2007.^[2]

Simon Sheikh
Sheikh in 2010
Born	1986 (age 37–38) Sydney, NSW
Alma mater	University of New South Wales
Occupation	Community campaigner
Known for	Former National Director of GetUp!
Spouse	Anna Rose

Education and career

He was born in Sydney, and has ancestry from India, Pakistan, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.^[3]

He is the son of Michael Sheikh, an Indian-born Pakistani industrial chemist and inventor and British New Zealander, Rhonda Badham. He attended Camdenville Public School and later gained entry to Fort Street High School.^[4][5] He later studied economics at the University of New South Wales,^[6] while working full-time in the Services Marketing team at Telstra and as a public servant at the NSW Treasury.^[7]

Sheikh represented Australia as the youth representative at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda in 2007.^[2]

In 2009 he was part of the Sydney Leadership Program run by Social Leadership Australia at The Benevolent Society.^[8]

GetUp!

He became National Director of GetUp! in September, 2008, at the age of 22.^[9]

He stepped down from being National Director of GetUp! on 27 July 2012,^[10] stating that he intended to avoid burnout. GetUp! claims its membership increased from 270,000 to 610,000 during his four-year term. 80,000 people donated to GetUp! in the 12 months up to July 2012. He is succeeded as director by Sam McLean.

Future Super

Sheikh is managing director of Future Super,^[11] an ethical superfund, which he co-founded with Adam Verwey.

Political career

Sheikh was a financial member of the Australian Labor Party for two years from 2004 to 2006.^{[citation needed]}

In 2013, Sheikh unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for the Australian Greens seeking election to the Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory.^[12]

Personal life

In November 2011, Sheikh married Australian climate activist Anna Rose.^[13]

References

1. Simon Sheikh. WakeUp Sydney. Retrieved on 2012-07-03.
2. The Punch biography. Thepunch.com.au. Retrieved on 2012-07-03.
3. Australian Broadcasting Corporation Q&A Panellist Simon Sheikh. Abc.net.au. Retrieved on 2012-07-03.
4. "Journey around my mother". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
5. "Simon Sheikh". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
6. GetUP! Media page. Getup.org.au. Retrieved on 2012-07-03.
7. . Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. Vromen, Ariadne (25 November 2016). Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement: The Challenge from Online Campaigning and Advocacy Organisations. Springer. ISBN 9781137488657.
9. GetUp!: FAQ. (16 November 2010). Retrieved on 2012-07-03.
10. ABC Radio National, 8:00 am, 28 July 2012
11. "Future Super". Future Super. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
12. "Former Greens candidate Simon Sheikh won't stand at next federal election". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
13. Anna Rose biography. Annarose.net.au. Retrieved on 2012-07-03.