Monica Shafaq holds a BA in Sociology from Birmingham City University having graduated in 1995. Later in her career completed an MSc in Housing at De Montfort University, graduating in 2009.

Monica Shafaq’s first managerial role came in 1998, serving as a regional manager for the Asra Midlands Housing Association. After leaving Asra Midlands in 2002, Shafaq then joined Accord Housing Association. She began her new role by working as a housing services manager for four years, before working as head of neighbourhood services from 2006 to 2010, tasked with leading 48 members of staff, managing rent, allocations, tenancy and estate management and housing related support services for around 3000 general needs properties.

Despite leaving her neighbourhood services role in 2010, Shafaq remained on the board until 2014. 

In March 2010, Shafaq was appointed chief executive of The Kaleidoscope Plus Group. She has since spearheaded a radical rebrand, restructure and repositioning of the organisation to guarantee future sustainability, managing a circa £3 million annual budget and establishing partnerships across numerous sectors including the sport, public and voluntary sectors.

Between 2012 to 2015, Shafaq chaired ACEVO, the Black and Asian Leadership Special Interest Group. From 2013 to 2015, she also sat on the board of the Sandwell Chamber of Commerce.

In 2014, Shafaq took up another housing related role, sitting on the board of the South Staffordshire Housing Association until 2016. Between 2015 and 2019, she was also on the board of Regional Action West Midlands.

In May 2015, Shafaq co-founded the Inspire You charity, which helps deprived children, mainly in Brazil, and helps them achieve better life chances through the provision of faith, education, art, sports and health initiatives. Shafaq was active in the running of the organisation until her departure in March 2017.

The partnerships that The Kaleidoscope Plus Group have forged have seem Shafaq in a number of new sport-related and housing related roles. Between 2017 and 2020, she served as a non-executive director of the Sports & Recreation Alliance.

To date, Shafaq is a member of The Premier League’s Equality & Diversity Standards panel and is an independent non-executive director of the Birmingham County Football Association. She has also been a non-executive director of Kidderminster Harriers Football Club since early 2020 and leads on equality and wellbeing issues.

Shafaq has also teamed up with The Paul Canoville Foundation - established by former Chelsea footballer Paul Canoville - where she holds a non-executive directorship. The foundation aims to empower children and young people to live their best lives and address issues such as gun and knife crime, poverty, homelessness and mental health problems.

Since June 2019, Shafaq has also held a non-executive director role at charity and social housing provider, Citizen.