Rimla Akhtar

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Rimla Akhtar OBE (born 1982/83[1]) is a British businesswoman and sports administrator, who champions inclusivity in sport.[2] She was the first person who publicly identified themselves as an Asian, Muslim woman on the Football Association Council.[3][4] She has spoken many times on the need for sports to adapt to accommodate Muslim athletes,[5][6][7] and has called for an increase in diversity within sports and football.[8][9][1]

Biography

Akhtar was born to Pakistani parents, and grew up in Harrow, London.[9]

She is the Chairwoman of the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation (MWSF).[10][11]

Akhtar has served on the boards of several organisations. She is currently an independent trustee of Kick It Out, an English organisation campaigning against racism in football.[11] She has also held memberships of the Asian and Muslim Women and Girls Working Group, as well as the Referees Diversity Action Group.[8]

Honours, awards and achievements

Akhtar was listed as an Asian Women of Achievement by The Independent in 2013.[12] In 2015, she was listed at number 15 in a list of the most influential women in sport by The Independent.[13] She was also nominated for Muslim Woman of the Year for the British Muslim Awards in the same year.[14]

She earned an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of East London (UEL),[15] and the University of Roehampton in 2017.[16]

She was ranked at number 14 in a list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by Forbes in 2018.[17][18]

Akhtar was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2015 Birthday Honours[19][20][21] and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours,[22] both for services to equality and diversity in sport.

Projects and Campaigns

In 2018, Akhar visited Jordan on behalf of Equal Playing Field and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) to deliver a project in support of women's football and empowerment.[23] The project  also set out to set the Guinness World Record for the lowest football match, which was played on a pitch built by the Dead Sea.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA". Evening Standard. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Champion for inclusivity in sport and global businesswoman". Wimbledon Guardian. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. ^ "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA Council member Rimla Akhtar". Standard (London Evening). 11 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  4. ^ Cunningham, Sam (23 March 2018). "Islam in Football: The profound effect the religion has had on the Premier League". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Fiba Approves Religious Headgear Hijab". The Guardian. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  6. ^ Aly, Remona (11 March 2017). "Fashion Wakes Up To Muslim Womens Style". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Inclusive Swimwear Guidance For Competitive Swimming". Swim England. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  8. ^ a b Child, David. "The beautiful game: Rimla Akhtar on diversity in football". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Rimla Akhtar's goal: Ending the chronic lack of diversity in UK sport". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Muslim Women's Sports Foundation | MWSF". www.mwsf.org.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Mohamed Salah's greatest legacy may be off the pitch". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Asian Women of Achievement: the full shortlist". The Independent. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  13. ^ "The 50 most influential women in sport: The full list". The Independent. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  14. ^ "British Muslim Awards 2015 finalists unveiled". Asian Image. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Campaigner praised for her work with women from diverse backgrounds". uel.ac.uk. 1 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Honorary Degrees". roehampton.ac.uk.
  17. ^ "Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports: Nita Ambani, Mithali Raj make list topped by Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura". The Financial Express. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  18. ^ "No. 14: Rimla Akhtar". Forbes. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Queen's birthday honours list 2015: MBE". The Guardian. Press Association. 12 June 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  20. ^ "The Gazette - Official Public Record". The Gazetter. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Harrow Local Receives MBE". Get West London. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  22. ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B10.
  23. ^ a b Association, The Football. "Smiles and laughter". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 February 2019.


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