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Office Bearers

Dr Wajid Akhter
Secretary General

Dr Wajid Akhter brings extensive experience in community leadership and healthcare. His previous roles include founding a youth project raising millions of pounds for orphans and children in need across the world, Vice President of the British Islamic Medical Association, Lifesavers Project Lead, and Assistant Secretary General of the MCB.

Maswood Ahmed
Deputy Secretary General

Maswood has over 35 years’ experience in public services. He has served as a trustee and volunteer of national and international charities. He is a broadcaster on cultural, religious and socio-political issues. He has held senior positions in various local, national and international organisations. A longstanding member of the National Council of the Muslim Council of Britain. He has served as Assistant Secretary General under successive Secretary Generals of the MCB.

British Muslim Communities

Our work is undertaken by several teams and overseen by an Executive Committee and National Council, with individuals drawn primarily from our member organisations in accordance with our governance structure.

Governance

As set out in our Constitution, the decision-making and ruling body of the MCB is its General Assembly which must meet at least once a year. The Assembly is composed of delegates representing member organisations.

Every two years the General Assembly directly elects the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary General roles, as well as approximately 60 individuals to the National Council.

The National Council meets at least quarterly and is responsible for holding the MCB leadership team to account.

Diversity

We try our utmost to ensure our volunteers and staff reflect the diversity of British Muslim communities in terms of age, gender, ethnic background and school of thought.

Frequently Asked Questions

The National Council consists of approximately 60 individuals drawn from a wide cross-section of MCB Member organisations.

They meet at least every 3 months and are responsible for reviewing the activities and direction of the organisation, as well as holding MCB Office Bearers to account in line with the best interests of MCB member organisations and the wider Muslim communities in Britain.

On 25 January 2025 Dr Wajid Akhter was elected Secretary General and Maswood Ahmed elected Deputy Secretary General.

The remaining members of the new leadership team will be listed here shortly.

Former MCB Secretary Generals are:

  • Ms Zara Mohammed – 2020-2025
  • Mr Harun Khan – 2016-2020
  • Dr Shuja Shafi – 2014-2016
  • Mr Farooq Murad – 2010-2014
  • Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE – 2006-2010
  • Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE – 2002-2006
  • Mr Yousuf Bhailok – 2000-2002
  • Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE – 1998-2000

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Frequently Asked Questions About MCB's Leadership

The MCB’s Constitution demands an organisation that will base its policies and decisions on consensus of its members and the largest practicable measure of common agreement. The final decision-making and ruling body of the MCB is its General Assembly that must meet at least once a year. The Assembly is comprised of delegates from MCB member organisations. The other organisational units within the MCB are the National Council, various specialist committees and task groups, and the office bearers. See more on MCB governance structure here.

The MCB’s leadership is elected by its General Assembly, which is made up of delegates from member organisations. Every two years, the Assembly elects the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and National Council. From these, the Office Bearers and Executive Committee are appointed to run the organisation. All Office Bearers serve on a voluntary basis and can only hold the same post for a maximum of two consecutive terms (four years). To ensure fairness, an independent election commissioner is appointed in advance of each election and oversees the entire process independently of the current leadership. You can find more information about our governance structure and current Office Bearers here.

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