Nadine Osman

Public engagement advisor Harris Bokhari’s four-year tenure as the first British-born Asian trustee of the Royal Parks began on July 2. Along with the other trustees, Bokhari will oversee how 5,000 acres of royal parkland across London are managed and supported.

Founded in July 2017, the charity is governed by a board of trustees, which determines how it is run, how it spends its money, and what it does for the parks. The trustees are led by a chair and are appointed for their skills and experience. Alongside some ex-officio roles, others are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Harris is a social entrepreneur, public engagement advisor, and chartered accountant. His wide range of roles includes serving on the Board of the Natural History Museum (the Museum’s first Muslim trustee), the Prince’s Trust Mosaic Initiative, and as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust.

Harris founded the Patchwork Foundation in 2010 to promote political and democratic engagement of under-represented communities. He is an Independent Member of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee and an Independent Member of the Community and Voluntary Service Honours Committee.

Harris was awarded an OBE in Her Majesty’s 2015 Birthday Honours List for services to young people and interfaith relations; named as one of London’s most influential figures by the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 List, and awarded Imperial College’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni.

He also won The Muslim News Alija Izetbegović Award for Good Citizenship in 2016. Lloyd Grossman, Chair of The Royal Parks, said, “I am delighted that Harris has been appointed as a Trustee of the Royal Parks. He brings with him important skills and experience that will be very important to the organisation as we develop and plan for the future.”

In a statement to The Muslim News, Bokhari said, “I have so many fond memories of visiting the Royal Parks as a child and enjoying these open spaces with my family. Sadly, for many other children from under-represented backgrounds, this has not been the case. One of my priorities will be to ensure that the Royal Parks continues to reach out to diverse and harder-to-reach communities so that we can all equally share in its joy and wonder.”