Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon KCMG (born 3 April 1968) is a British businessman and a Conservative life peer.[1][2] He previously served as Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Commonwealth and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.[3]
Early years
editBorn in Lambeth,[4] to Punjabi-speaking immigrant parents from Pakistan. His father was born in Gurdaspur and his mother was born in Jodhpur in British India.[5] Tariq Ahmad was educated at Rutlish School, Merton Park, southwest London.[6]
Career
editIn 1991, he entered NatWest's Graduate Management programme, eventually working as Head of Marketing, Sponsorship and Branding and in 2000 went to work for AllianceBernstein.[7][8] In 2004, he joined Sucden Financial, where he served on the Executive Committee and as Director of Marketing, Strategy and Research.[8] He is an Associate of the Institute of Financial Services and a member of the Institute of Directors.[7][8]
From 1999 to 2008 he served as vice-president of AMYA, a British Muslim youth organisation.[9] From 2001 to 2006, he served as a governor of Wimbledon Park Primary school.[9] He joined the Conservative Party in 1994.[10] In 2002, he was elected a Councillor in Wimbledon.[10] He contested Croydon North for the Conservatives in 2005. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party.[10]
He is a part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and was a national vice-president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association's youth organisation from 2003.[11]
Parliamentary career
editOn 13 January 2011, he was made a life peer, and was created Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon, of Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton.[12] He formally joined the House of Lords on 17 January.[13] In 2014, Ahmad was promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCLG. After the 2015 general election, he was appointed jointly as Minister for Skills and Aviation Security at the Department for Transport and Minister for Countering Extremism at the Home Office. In 2016, he was appointed Minister for Aviation, International Trade and Europe at the Department for Transport in the first May ministry.
After the 2017 general election, Ahmad was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibilities to the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and later South Asia, the Middle East[6] and North Africa.[3]
Honours
editIn the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) "for services to British foreign policy, humanitarian affairs and the Commonwealth, faith and integration, community and families in the UK.".[14]
Arms
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Notes
edit- ^ South Asia and the Commonwealth (June 2017–September 2020); South and Central Asia, North Africa, United Nations and the Commonwealth (September 2020–September 2022); Middle East, South Asia and the United Nations (September–October 2022); Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations (October 2022-November 2023)
References
edit- ^ "In full: New members of the House of Lords". BBC. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Minister of State (Middle East and United Nations) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ Haidar, Suhasini (27 May 2023). "U.K.-India ties see thaw with Minister Tariq Ahmad's visit". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Government Profile".
- ^ a b Official website, About Archived 8 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Official website, Professional Archived 30 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Official website, Community Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Tariq introduced to House of Lords
- ^ /www.wimbledonsw19.com
- ^ "No. 59676". The London Gazette. 20 January 2011. p. 869.
- ^ "Ahmad takes his seat in the House of Lords From: UK Times London". South Asian Pulse. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "No. 64423". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2024. p. B3.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019.