Iqbal Awarded the 2016 Excellence in Leadership
In honor of her many years of remarkable service and dedication, Iqbal was honored at the Staff Association's 2016 Excellence in Leadership in a ceremony on June 23, 2016 at the World Bank headquarters. Iqbal's son was on skype from Canada to see the event and witness one more time the enormous appreciation her colleagues have of her life and legacy.
President Kim presented the award to 10 recipients, selected amongst 400 nominations for 220 individuals. The nominations address staff who lead in a variety of areas including Communicates a compelling vision, Manages change an drives results, Forges partnerships, and Develops Self and Others. Among the award winners was Iqbal, who received the award posthumously. Her World Bank career spanned 23 years. Iqbal was serving as Senior Social Protection Specialist in the East and Southern Africa Unit of the Social Protection and Labor Global Practice at the time of her passing. Her service also included numerous years of development work in MENA. In his remarks, SA Chair Daniel Sellen stated:
Iqbal was a person who had compassion and led efforts to provide professional paths for the underprivileged. In Eqypt, she developed a project that provided rehabilitation for thousands of child laborers who had lost the use of their legs after kneeling for 10-14 hours a day in the mud making bricks. While battling her own illness, she continued to work on behalf of the poor and marginalized. Never seeking the limelight for herself, she was the quiet leader from behind, the person who did the work, stayed up late and nudges all to do more."