Jamal’s family came from Bangladesh. His father lived in Gerrard Street before it became China Town, moving to Seven Dials in 1964. Jamal went to St James’ & St Peter’s Primary School in Soho then to the Bluebird High School in Bangladesh. He completed his further education at City of Westminster College and higher education at University College London. He first became involved with the Trust in his late teens. Jamal recalls that during his childhood when he heard from his dad that the area would be demolished and replaced with high-rise buildings, pedways and an underground ring-road, he was excited, especially about the underground road network. Today he is glad none of that happened. As Seven Dials was his playground, he remembers how it used to be and how the physical character and fabric of the area has been enhanced since. “The Trust has achieved the unachievable and made life in the Dials proudly liveable with all the former magnificence of the 1690s restored”, says Jamal. He and his wife balance bringing up their family with running a design house. They are both involved in the annual Mela (usually held in locations such as Regent’s Park, the British Museum, the British Library and the Coram's Fields) which celebrates the cultural diversity of Camden and Westminster showcasing the outcome of activities carried out throughout the year by the schoolchildren, their teachers and parents as well as the youth organisations and community centres of Central London.
He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Royal Historical Society.
