Pav Akhtar (born United Kingdom) is an official within the international trade union movement.
Akhtar is presently the Director for Professional and Managerial staff at UNI Global Union. Akhtar leads various international campaigns to negotiate rights-based contracts for workers in global blue chip companies. He also sits on the Council of Global Unions' committee on labour migration and is involved in developing both green economy and youth employment policies for the global context.
Akhtar is a current member of the British Labour Party which he served between 2006-2010 as a local authority councillor, representing Stockwell ward in the South London Borough of Lambeth. He, additionally, remains a director of UK Black Pride, the community-led organization, which has staged major events with artists including Ms Dynamite, Jessie J and Beverley Knight. Akhtar maintains an involvement in the British trade union movement where he serves on PCS union's Proud and Black members' committees, as well as on the TUC Race Relations Committee.
Akhtar is an openly gay Muslim politician and is a regular speaker at anti-racist and anti-fascist events, as well as at employment, equality and human rights conferences. Akhtar received the British Diversity Award's gold medal in 2000; was awarded the national accolade of Ethnic Student of the Year in 2001; was ranked among the 50 most influential LGBT people in British politics by Pink News in 2007; a Pink Paper Readers' Award In 2011; the Stonewall Community Award in 2011, and the Trinity College Dublin award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Rights in 2011.
Akhtar has appeared on a number of television and radio shows including the BBC 2's Big Question; Channel 4's 4-thought, Relocation, Relocation, and in documentaries screened at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. In 2009 Akhtar worked directly with the media in his capacity as the chair of the LGBT Muslim rights group, Imaan. Imaan were consulted by BBC during the development of the romantic gay Muslim storyline for the character Syed Masood in their flagship show EastEnders.