Shani Dhanda

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 named as Number 1 on The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 List in 2023 - she was Number 2 in 2021 and 2022. She was also named on the BBC's 100 List in 2020 and she won Campaigner of the Year at the 2021 European Diversity Awards. She has been recognised with multiple honours and awards for her inclusion and activism work, including being named as one of the six most influential women in the new world of work, one of the most influential women in leadership and a world-leading changemaker. Shani helps businesses and brands break barriers and become more inclusive and accessible for their disabled employees and customers. She is a former LinkedIn UK Changemaker and she was featured in LinkedIn’s first-ever UK advertising campaign across digital, print and radio channels with over 17 million views. This led to her being ranked within the top 10% 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).

Shani has also been a contributor on Channel 4 News, ITV News and Sky New amongst others and she has been featured in British Vogue, Stylist and the Financial Times, as well as writing for Glamour. 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.

Shani also holds eight executive and advisory roles and is an ambassador for five national disability organisations including Scope. 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 the likes of Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton.