Rear Admiral Amjad Mazhar Hussain, (born 15 May 1958) is a senior retired
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
officer. He was the highest-ranking member of the
British Armed Forces from an ethnic minority.
Background and personal life
Born in Pakistan, Hussain and his mother moved to the United Kingdom in 1962 when he was three years old, to join his father who was working as a
railway signalman :''This article deals with rail traffic controllers in Great Britain and Ireland; for similar functions in other jurisdictions, see Train dispatcher.''
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points ...
.
In 1983 Amjad married Wendy Downer; they have three children: Sam, Zara and Hannah.
Career
Hussain joined the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
as a
Weapons Engineering Officer in 1976, and was sponsored to study engineering science and business administration at
Collingwood College,
University of Durham
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
, from 1976 to 1979.
He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1981 (seniority from 1 April). He was promoted to commander on 31 December 1992, and to captain on 31 December 1997.
Hussain served as Naval Base Commodore, Portsmouth, from mid-2002, where his accommodation was in Spithead House.
In 2006 he was appointed
Director General Logistics (Fleet) and promoted to the rank of
rear admiral,
[ and thereby became the highest ranking Muslim and the highest-ranking officer from an ethnic minority in the British Armed Forces.] He was appointed Director-General Weapons in 2008, and Director (Precision Attack) and Controller of the Navy in March 2009.[
Hussain is a prominent advocate of greater minority participation in the armed forces. However, he dislikes too much emphasis being placed on his religion.] He was recognised in the Muslim Power 100 List as one of the most influential Muslims in the United Kingdom. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2011 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 ''New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...
.
Awards and nominations
In January 2013, Hussain was awarded the Civil Servant of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards
The British Muslim Awards are an annual award ceremony that honours the success and achievements of British Muslim individuals, groups and businesses. It was established in 2013.
Overview
The British Muslim Awards was founded by Oceanic Consult ...
.
See also
* List of British Pakistanis
The following is a list of notable British Pakistanis, namely notable citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie in Pakistan:
Academia and education Humanities
* Sara Ahmed – professor of Race and Cultural Studies ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Amjad
1958 births
Living people
Royal Navy rear admirals
Alumni of Collingwood College, Durham
British Muslims
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
British military personnel of Pakistani descent
People from Rawalpindi