Shani Dhanda

Shani Dhanda is a broadcaster, social entrepreneur, award-winning disability specialist and LinkedIn UK Changemaker. In 2020, Dhanda was named on the BBC 100 Women List and in the Top 10 of The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List of the UK’s most influential disabled people. She was subsequently named as 2nd in The Shaw Trust 2021 Disability Power 100 List and she won Campaigner of the Year at the 2021 European Diversity Awards. She was also named in CEO Magazine’s most influential women in leadership 2021 list alongside Kamala Harris and Jacinda Arden.

Dhanda featured in LinkedIn’s biggest UK advertising campaign including their first television advert. Her credits include Rip Off Britain (BBC One), Morning Live (BBC One), Sunday Morning Live (BBC One), The Truth About Looking Good (BBC One), Nadiya’s Time to Eat (BBC Two), Loose Women (ITV), This Morning (ITV), Good Morning Britain (ITV), Jeremy Vine on 5 (Channel 5) and Divided Britain: The Lockdown Debate (Channel 4).

As an accomplished keynote speaker on diversity and inclusion, Dhanda has spoken at global conferences for companies such as Google, Bloomberg, Virgin Media and Viacom alongside Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton amongst others. She has also spoken at the United Nations and give a TEDx Talk. Dhanda is the founder of three initiatives: Diversability, the UK’s first inclusive platform providing discounts for disabled people; the Asian Woman Festival, the UK’s first of its kind event to empower and celebrate Asian women; and the Asian Disability Network, an educational platform and support network for people who experience multiple types of stigma due to their ethnic and cultural identities.

Dhanda is an ambassador for Scope, trustee of Leonard Cheshire Disability, and an executive committee member of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

As a commentator on disability and inclusion matters, Dhanda has been a contributor on Channel 4 News, ITV News, Sky News, the BBC Asian Network and various BBC regional radio stations. She has also been featured in British Vogue, Stylist and the Financial Times and has written for the Metro and The Huffington Post.

Dhanda's style and approach are described as 'a winning combination of authenticity and passion, helping to remove the awkwardness and fear of having confident conversations about disability within business and society.'