We’re thrilled to welcome Marium Qureshi as Faire’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lead. As a people-first leader, Marium fosters inclusive spaces and equitable systems, elevating the strengths of both individuals and teams. With a range of experience spanning across community advocacy, the nonprofit sector, and social work – Marium brings a wealth of diverse background and knowledge to her role at Faire. 

Marium joins us from Twitter, where as Head of Global Programs, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility she partnered across the company to embed equity and inclusion throughout the organization. She built robust programming and resources for employees around belonging and allyship. Before making the transition to tech to focus on social impact at-scale, Marium spent 4 years as a social worker in the nonprofit sector where she completed fellowships at Alliance for Girls and Fremont Hospital, and held roles at MidPen Housing Corporation, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, and Community Housing Opportunities Corporation.

At Faire, we’re incredibly proud to serve a diverse customer and employee community spanning multiple geographies, identities, and lived experiences. With Marium’s experience fostering inclusion and belonging – she will play a key role in creating an environment that further empowers Faire customers and employees to succeed and thrive.  

We asked Marium a few questions to learn more about her background and interest in Faire. Please join us in welcoming Marium! 

What does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mean to you?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is really about looking at the way we work holistically, from the internal employee experience, to our customers, and even the broader impact we have in the world. It’s about creating equitable systems, policies, and products that enable all of us to do our best work and thrive. To me, it’s about understanding that the world in which we live and work wasn’t built for us all to succeed, and then doing the work to build one that is. 

If you could open your own retail shop, what would it be called and what would you sell?

I would sell handmade, ethically sourced textiles and housewares from female artisans in Pakistan, and I’d call it Ammi’s Almari, which translates to “my mother’s closet.” I have fond memories of pulling out little treasures – embroidered fabrics, intricately carved wooden boxes, or hand painted vases – from my own ammi’s closet and it would be a joy to share local Pakistani craftsmanship with the world.  

Why Faire?

Faire’s mission of empowering entrepreneurs to chase their dreams spoke to my heart because it is so rooted in values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the United States for example, Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs. Faire is leveling the playing field for them and other small business owners from communities that historically, have been excluded and underserved. As the daughter of immigrants and a woman of color, I am thrilled to join a company serving predominantly female entrepreneurs. Faire’s purpose, passion, and commitment to getting it right is why I am here.

More about Marium

Marium has a B.S. in Community and Regional Development from the University of California, Davis and a Masters in Social Work, Change, and Innovation from the University of Southern California.

To stay up to date on the latest Faire hires, job opportunities, and updates on the future of retail, visit Faire.com/careers and follow Faire on LinkedIn.