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]
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]
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.
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]
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