Shani Dhanda is a broadcaster, disability inclusion and accessibility specialist, and social entrepreneur.
Shani is one of the UK's most influential disabled people having been listed as second on The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List in both 2021 and 2022. She is also one of the BBC's 100 Women laureates of 2020. Shani helps businesses and brands break barriers and become more inclusive and accessible for their disabled employees and customers.
Shani won Campaigner of the Year at the 2021 European Diversity Awards and is a former LinkedIn UK Changemaker. She featured in LinkedIn’s first-ever UK advertising campaign across digital, print and radio channels with over 17 million views and she was ranked within the top 0.09% of most influential LinkedIn members in the UK.
As an experienced broadcaster, Shani is one of the consumer experts on Rip Off Britain (BBC One) and a regular contributor on This Morning (ITV). Her other TV credits include Morning Live (BBC One), Sunday Morning Live (BBC One), Loose Women (ITV), Good Morning Britain (ITV) and Jeremy Vine on 5 (Channel 5).
As a commentator on disability and inclusion matters, Shani 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. As a South Asian woman who experiences disability, Shani has taken the change she wants to create in the world into her own hands. Her intersectional activism has led to challenging social inequality globally through entrepreneurship, and she is the founder of Diversability, the Asian Woman Festival and the Asian Disability Network.
As a subject matter expert, she holds eight executive and advisory roles and is an ambassador for five national disability organisations. She brings the perspectives of disabled people and their organisations to policy development for the Government's Disability Unit.
Having spoken at over 250 conferences and companies worldwide, including the United Nations, World Expos, and TEDx, Shani has shared speaking stages with Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton.
Shani is an ambassador for Scope. She has also been recognised with over twenty four honours and awards for her inclusion and activism work, including being named as one of the six most influential women globally in leadership by CEO Magazine and a world-leading changemaker.
Hero Image taken by Andy Fallon