Ayaz Manji

Policy and campaigns training and consultancy

I’m a policy and campaigns consultant who has been working in social change roles for the last thirteen years. I know about campaign strategy, parliamentary influencing, sharing power, and involving people in policy design.

I’ve seen how change can happen when organisations think deeply about the fundamental causes of the problems they’re trying to solve, share their power with the people who have direct experience of those problems, and build bridges between people who come from very different starting points. If that sounds like the way you work or where you’d like to be, then I’d love to talk.

Ayaz has been the rock on which we have built our influencing and campaigning work on benefits. Wise, assured, values-led and a superb ambassador for Mind in one of our toughest areas.

Paul Farmer
Chief Executive, Age UK (formerly Mind)

Ayaz really gets how policy change happens and how to influence it – he thinks strategically about objectives and tactics, builds effective relationships with decision-makers, and is passionate about involving people with direct experience of the issues concerned.

Tom Pollard
Head of Social Policy, New Economics Foundation 

Ayaz is a pleasure to work with. His pragmatic, collaborative and personable approach helps bring people together and enables him to influence change.

Policymaker

As we stepped into parliamentary advocacy for the first time, Ayaz helped us get to grips with the essentials, and the range of tactics, strategies, and options that were available to us. Ayaz shared advice and knowledge that clearly came from a place of experience, and which we certainly wouldn’t have reached without him.

Client (small charity)

You recommended reaching out to select committees when they open an inquiry as they will be thinking ahead about witnesses. I have recently done this, and managed to secure our director as a witness to give oral evidence! And have also managed to influence the committee’s line of questioning for when the relevant Minister appears afterwards!

Training participant

Background in policy and campaigns

At Mind I spent five years supporting people with mental health problems to campaign for a better benefits system. I helped people develop their own priorities for change and connected them to Ministers, senior civil servants, select committees, think-tanks, and lawyers. Together we helped secure changes to policy and legislation affecting thousands of people who need financial support when they’re unwell. 

At Stonewall I led on work to expand our remit to include trans equality. I delivered a community consultation with more than eight hundred trans people, helped develop and write a five-year change strategy, and worked with staff at every level of the organisation to build trans equality into our programmes.

As an adviser to the Women and Equalities Select Committee, I managed the committee’s inquiry into islamophobia and employment. I helped build trust and find new ways for people with direct experience of discrimination talk to the committee and shape our final recommendations to Government.

Alongside my work in policy and campaigns, I have also practiced as a welfare rights adviser with a specialism in health and disability benefits. This includes managing a welfare rights service in south London, leading a busy team of sixteen staff and volunteers to help people with mental health problems challenge unfair decisions and navigate the benefits system.

How I can help

Some of the things I can help with include:

  • Influencing strategy
  • Connecting service delivery and influencing
  • Online training on topics in policy and campaigns
  • Individual coaching
  • Grant writing for social change work
  • Policy development and analysis
  • Policy writing
  • Public affairs and parliamentary work

Please note that I am next available for projects from June 2026.

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