Shani Dhanda
Social Entrepreneur, Disability Inclusion Specialist and Broadcaster
Top 10
Shani is a multi-award-winning disability inclusion specialist, thought leader, social entrepreneur and broadcaster.
She has taken change into her own hands and founded Diversability, Asian Woman Festival and Asian Disability Network to challenge social inequality globally.
In the last 12 months as a keynote speaker and inclusion consultant, Shani has worked with over 70 clients and motivated global audiences on significant world stages, including twice at Dubai Expo 2020 and the United Nations. Shani’s TED talk received over 30,000 views in the first 36 hours after it went live.
Shani is named one of the sixteen most influential women in leadership, a Changemaker to watch in 2022 by CEO Magazine and listed in the BBC’s 100 Women List 2020.
Shani is a guest panellist on ITV’s Loose Women, a consumer expert on BBC’s Rip off Britain and a panellist on Jeremy Vine on 5 and made waves with her This Morning appearance on ITV. Shani also had a guest star role in EastEnders and won six awards and honours in 2021 for her relentless activism and commitment to disability inclusion.
Shani was the face of LinkedIn’s first TV advert in 2019/2021 and ranked in the top 1% of most influential LinkedIn members in the UK. She’s also featured in a Netflix series Time to Eat initially aired on the BBC, ONS Census 2021 and the second LinkedIn Changemaker TV advert.
Shani holds seven executive and advisory roles and is an ambassador at five disability organisations.
“It’s a privilege and honour to hold space and represent the experience of disabled people, especially those who face multiple layers of oppression, like me, simply because of characteristics that make us who we are. Here’s to making even more systemic change and making the world a fairer place for everyone.”
