A MAN who grew up in Dukinfield after arriving to this country from Bangladesh has been honoured with one of the area’s highest ceremonial roles.
Ali Akbor may have an OBE for services to the community in Leeds and be involved with the Masjid-ul-Aqsa in the Coppice area of Oldham.
But Tameside is where he was brought up after arriving as a nine-year-old and started his career in local government.
Now he has been named as a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester.
Mr Akbor, 65, is now a prominent figure in the UK housing sector and was a panel member of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.
He began his career in local government as a Youth Opportunities Programme trainee at Tameside Council and held various finance and accountancy roles after qualifying as an accountant.
In January 1999, he was appointed chief executive of Unity Housing Association in Leeds.
During his over two-decade tenure, it expanded its services to include enterprises that promote local entrepreneurial activity and employment support.
He stood down from the CEO role in October 2020, when he was appointed by the Prime Minister as one of the three panel members for the Grenfell Public Inquiry.
The inquiry was established to investigate the devastating fire that occurred in London in 2017 and published its final report in September 2024.
Mr Akbor was honoured in the 2019 New Year’s List and since retiring, he has been appointed to the board of Pickering and Ferens Homes based in Hull while also keeping his commitments with Masjid-Ul-Aqsa & Islamic Centre.
He is also listed as a trustee of Hyde Bangladesh Welfare Association.