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

Biography

Akhtar was born to Pakistani parents, and grew up in

Harrow, London Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popula ...

. She is the Chairwoman of th
Muslim Women's Sport Foundation
(MWSF). 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. She has also held memberships of the Asian and Muslim Women and Girls Working Group, as well as the Referees Diversity Action Group.

Honours, awards and achievements

Akhtar was listed as an Asian Women of Achievement by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' in 2013. In 2015, she was listed at number 15 in a list of the most influential women in sport by ''The Independent''. She was also nominated for Muslim Woman of the Year for the British Muslim Awards in the same year. She earned an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

(UEL), and the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Roehampton was formerly an e ...

in 2017. She was ranked at number 14 in a list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' in 2018. Akhtar was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2015 Birthday Honours The 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

, both for services to equality and diversity in sport.

Projects and Campaigns

In 2018, Akhar visited

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

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. 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.

References

1980s births Living people English people of Pakistani descent Officers of the Order of the British Empire English Muslims People from Harrow, London Alumni of the University of East London Alumni of the University of Roehampton {{UK-activist-stub