CHAIRMAN

Zayaan Tirmizi is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Spread the Love Projects and a medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. Initially the organization’s Treasurer, Zayaan has been a core member of the team since 2023, overseeing the majority of the organization’s financial and fundraising wings. Since then, he has worked to strengthen organizational partnerships and expand STLP operations to assist more families in the Pittsburgh area.

Zayaan’s research interests include healthcare quality improvement, global health, and neurosurgical and neurological disorders.

STRATEGIC ADVISOR

Cassie is currently practicing as a pediatrician at UPMC Children's Hospital. She has studied and trained throughout the US and internationally. In addition to providing care to children admitted to the hospital, Cassie is passionate about addressing health inequities and is excited to continue this mission in her role with Spread the Love Projects. She believes in fostering strong relationships between healthcare and the communities that they serve to help children flourish.

As Strategic Advisor, she hopes to use her experience in medicine to help guide the direction of STLP to continue to make impactful change.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

With over 35 years of international and U.S.-based experience, Zulfiqar is a versatile and accomplished leader in consumer banking, organizational transformation, and product development. He holds Masters degrees in Electronic Commerce, Business Administration, and International Management, reflecting a strong foundation in both business strategy and technology.

Most recently, Zulfiqar led the deposits transformation initiative at UBS, developing a new checking product and supporting systems from the ground up. During a decade at PNC Bank, he held multiple senior roles, including Head of Consumer Checking, where he developed award-winning student and second-chance products for the unbanked population. His leadership helped pioneer Agile product development at PNC which helped the bank streamline a vast portfolio of deposit products and improve the customer experience.

Earlier, at Barclays Bank in Dubai, Zulfiqar directed digital banking strategy across 15 emerging markets, launching mobile and internet banking platforms that served hundreds of thousands of customers. A highlight was the integration with M-Pesa in Kenya, extending banking access to underserved populations.

Recently retired, Zulfiqar plans to use his skill set and experience to ensure that STLP’s financial practices support the organization’s mission. His goal is to drive it toward sustainable growth while maintaining financial stability.