Rimla Akhtar

Dr Rimla Akhtar MBE[1] (born 1982/1983 (age 37–38))[2] is a British businesswoman and sports administrator, who champions inclusivity in sport.[3] She was the first person who publicly identified themselves as an Asian, Muslim woman on the Football Association Council.[4][5] She has spoken many times on the need for sports to adapt to accommodate Muslim athletes,[6][7][8] and has called for an increase in diversity within sports and football.[9][10][2]

Biography

Akhtar was born to Pakistani parents, and grew up in Harrow, London.[10]

She was awarded an MBE for "her contribution to equality and diversity in sport in 2015 Birthday Honours".[11]

She is the Chairwoman of the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation (MWSF).[12][13]

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.[13] She has also held memberships of the Asian and Muslim Women and Girls Working Group, as well as the Referees Diversity Action Group.[9]

Awards and Achievements

2013

Akhtar was listed as an Asian Women of Achievement by The Independent.[14]

2015

She was listed at number 15 in a list of the most influential women in sport by The Independent.[15] She was also nominated for Muslim Woman of the Year for the British Muslim Awards in the same year.[16] Her most notable achievement, however, was being included in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, achieving an MBE.[17]

2017

She earned an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of East London (UEL),[18] and the University of Roehampton.[19]

2018

She was ranked at number 14 in a list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by Forbes.[20][21]

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.[22] 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.[22]

References
  1. "Harrow Local Receives MBE". Get West London. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  2. "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA". Evening Standard. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  3. "Champion for inclusivity in sport and global businesswoman". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  4. "'It may take 10 years to tackle football's lack of diversity' - FA Council member Rimla Akhtar". Standard (London Evening). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  5. Cunningham, Sam (2018-03-23). "Islam in Football: The profound effect the religion has had on the Premier League". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  6. "Fiba Approves Religious Headgear Hijab". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  7. "Fashion Wakes Up To Muslim Womens Style". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  8. "Inclusive Swimwear Guidance For Competitive Swimming". Swim England. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  9. Child, David. "The beautiful game: Rimla Akhtar on diversity in football". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  10. "Rimla Akhtar's goal: Ending the chronic lack of diversity in UK sport". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  11. "The Gazette - Official Public Record". The Gazetter. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  12. "Muslim Women's Sports Foundation | MWSF". www.mwsf.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  13. "Mohamed Salah's greatest legacy may be off the pitch". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  14. "Asian Women of Achievement: the full shortlist". The Independent. 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  15. "The 50 most influential women in sport: The full list". The Independent. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  16. "British Muslim Awards 2015 finalists unveiled". Asian Image. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  17. Association, Press (2015-06-12). "Queen's birthday honours list 2015: MBE". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  18. "Campaigner praised for her work with women from diverse backgrounds". uel.ac.uk. 1 November 2017.
  19. "Honorary Degrees". roehampton.ac.uk.
  20. "Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports: Nita Ambani, Mithali Raj make list topped by Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura". The Financial Express. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  21. "No. 14: Rimla Akhtar". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  22. Association, The Football. "Smiles and laughter". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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