Dr Qadir Bakhsh was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year’s 2011 Honours List for his community services and community cohesion work. Formerly Head of the Race Relations Unit with London Borough of Waltham Forest during 1986-1998 and a former Director of Race Equality Council in Kent. Until recently he had been a Non-Executive Director of Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: having previously served for many years as Non-Executive Director of West Essex PCT, North Essex PCTs cluster, as Governor of the North Essex Partnership Foundation Trust (mental health) and as Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chair of Redbridge PCT.

He continues to advise and serves on various voluntary groups e.g. as Chair of East London Community Law Services (ECLAS). He is also an advisor to the Qalb Mental Health Centre and Trustee of Kanka-Gajendra Foundation. He is founder Executive Committee Member of the London East Three Faiths Forum and General Secretary of Waltham Forest Muslims Burial Trust. Throughout his over 50 years of public and voluntary sector career, he has attached a great significance to community engagement, involvement and empowerment. A published author of numerous publications, he continues to research into needs and challenges facing BAME and Muslim communities and implications for social and public policy development.