Navin Shah, Former Chair of the London Assembly & Former Assembly Member Representing Brent and Harrow has been awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2022.
Shah was born in Sarkhej near Ahmedabad in India. His father Fakirchandbhai, a prominent businessman was a freedom fighter and his grandfather Punjabhai was President of the Ahmedabad Stock Exchange, a devout Jain and a community leader.
After qualifying as an Architect in Mumbai, Navin came to the UK as a University College London scholar in 1973 where he completed a Diploma in Development Planning. Working as an Architect and Development Planner in private practice he was involved in a variety of projects in the UK, Middles East, West Africa and India. He has worked on medical (university hospital), education, commercial and residential projects.
Harrow is Navin’s home where he with his wife Rekha have raised their daughter Aneka and son Neil. Aneka is married to Daniel Levy and their daughter is Amari.
Rekha is a longstanding Harrow councillor and former Mayor of Harrow. Aneka Shah-Levy is involved with local Charities and is a Harrow Councillor. Son, Neil Shah is a lawyer. In his spare time, Navin enjoys art, music, travel and photography.
Spanning nearly 45 years Navin’s active engagement in community cohesion and fighting racism started in about 1977 when he got involved with the local Anti-Apartheid Movement and joined the Community Relations Council in Harrow to address the issues of discrimination faced by the Asians fleeing from East Africa.
Here is a snapshot of some key areas of his contribution and engagement with community organisations:
Navnant Vanik Association: A longtime supporter of this major NW London community organization initially based in Harrow and helped them to move to a new significant site in Hayes. Navin provided free/voluntary service as an Architect for the planning and major refurbishment of the project. Continuing to support their cultural and senior citizen activities.
OneJain: Working closely with this national organization of the Jain community. One of the major involvements was preparing and promoting a petition for the inclusion of Jain as a religion in the Census 2022.
Religious Places of Worship / Faith Groups: Shah advised and supported major planning projects in NW London e.g. Several Hindu Temples including SKSS Temple in Kenton; BAPS Temple Neasden, Swaminarayan Temples in Stanmore & Kingsbury, Jain Temple in Colindale and SKLPC Centre in Ealing. He also advised and supported development of the Harrow Central Mosque – a major new purpose-built mosque.
Commenting on this honour Navin Shah said, “I’m delighted and overwhelmed with this honour. I accept it as a mark of success in reaching out to communities and stakeholders, working in the spirit of partnership to promote social justice, combat racism and discrimination in all forms, support the deprived and protect and enhance the environment.
“It has been a true privilege to campaign on behalf of Londoners and in particular my residents and stakeholders in Brent and Harrow. Throughout my public service, I’ve strived to make a positive and meaningful contribution to shaping and supporting communities. I hope I’ve succeeded in my endeavours.
“I have immensely enjoyed my voluntary community work spanning over 40 years which includes 23 years of service as an elected member initially for 20 years as a Harrow Councillor (and then Council Leader) and 13 years as a London Assembly member representing Brent and Harrow.”
