Zubair Junjunia is an award-winning social entrepreneur dedicated to ensuring fair and equal access to education globally. Having witnessed inequalities in education firsthand as well as its potential to influence social mobility, Zubair founded ZNotes at the age of 16 in Jeddah, an online learning platform that ensures all students have a level playing field when tackling high-stakes, school exams. This youth-led platform has reached over five million students in 190+ countries, providing them with high-quality resources and a peer support community. In 2021, Zubair received the Diana Award, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to education with ZNotes. Named after Diana, Princess of Wales, it is recognized as the the highest accolade a young person can receive for their social and humanitarian efforts. In 2023, Zubair was appointed a Generation17 Young Leader by the United Nations Development Programme and Samsung in recognition for ZNotes’ scale of impact on UN SDG4. He also became one of the youngest recipients of the Freedom of the City of London by nomination of the 694th Lord Mayor. Speaking on international stages, he was the first-ever youth moderator at the ECOSOC Youth Forum and became one of the youngest commencement speakers in the history of UCL in the 2023 Graduation Ceremony. He has also presented a TED talk on advocating for a student-empowered approach to ensure inclusive and equitable education. He currently serves as the UK Youth Leader for the Global Partnership for Education, board advisor at the Digital Education Futures Initiative, Cambridge University and as a One Young World ambassador. Zubair holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics from University College London.
