Senior judge with Black Country links tells of pride over CBE honour
A senior judge who started his law career in the Black Country has told of his pride after being made a CBE in the New Year's Honours list.
Tanweer Ikram, the deputy senior district judge (chief magistrate) was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to judicial diversity.
Mr Ikram, known as Tan, said he was “immensely humbled” to receive the honour and praised the Judicial Office for supporting him over diversity issues.
The 56-year-old said: “No individual can achieve anything. I therefore thank you for your incredible support in our journey to where we have got to.
“In one sense, we are at only at the beginning and there is so much hard work now to be done. Thank you so much for listening, criticising and being there and making great things happen."
Mr Ikram was appointed to the roll of deputy senior district judge by the Queen in 2017 and is responsible for 300 district judges (magistrates’ courts) and deputies across England and Wales.
Mr Ikram was called to the Bar in 1990 and admitted as a solicitor in 1993 after graduating from Wolverhampton Polytechnic, now the University of Wolverhampton.
After graduating he became a partner in a regional law firm.
In 2007 he was elected president of the London Criminals Courts’ Solicitors Association then appointed to the office of district judge (magistrates’ courts).
In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (FRSA) and the following year he was appointed the deputy lead diversity and community relations judge, and is a specialist judge in extradition.
In 2015 he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from Wolverhampton University.
