Dr Bijna K Dasani’s MBE Award Investiture

 Dr. Bījna Kotak Dasanī MBE, FRSA NED and Ambassador, Accloud Plc praised for her professional journey & impact by HRH The Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace 

Dr. Bijna a distinguished former Banker turned Venture Capitalist and Entrepreneur is highly commended for her efforts in leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) across the Financial Services Industry. She has been appointed Member of The Most Excellent Order OF The British Empire (MBE) by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, at a recent Investiture ceremony, held at Buckingham Palace, London. 

Dr Bijna was first appointed Member of The British Empire by Her Majesty, (Late) Queen Elizabeth II, in October 2020. The (Late) Queen was a dedicated Head of the Commonwealth, linking more than two billion people worldwide and first met with Bijna in 2010, when she was invited to Buckingham Palace for high tea and a tour, in recognition of her commitment to the her efforts that have since earned her the MBE. 

The Princess Royal, Princess Anne and Dr Bijna Kotak Dasani
MBE, FRSA photographed at the Throne Room,
Buckingham Palace, London in June 2023

The recognition is appreciated and attributed to the supporters of my journey over the years; equally it’s a responsibility towards which I hold myself accountable to, and will continue to deliver to. I have the utmost admiration for the Royal Family, having learnt about their impact through proximity of opportunities to serve The Crown, and having been supported through milestones by institutions of The Crown, over the years. The Princess Royal leads by example in her patronage of Opportunity International and over 300 charities, organisations and military regiments in the UK and overseas. In a similar fashion His Majesty, King Charles III has been instrumental in establishing more than 20 charities over 40 years, including The Prince’s Trust, which I have also served and taken inspiration from, early on in my career’ states Dr. Bijna The prestigious MBE is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and service to the community, making a significant impact on society. Originating from Leicestershire, England, Dr. Bijna has since lived and worked in some of the World’s most prominent financial centres (with renowned financial institutions such as Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, SSGA, and Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley) over the last twenty three years, has progressed through the ranks to c-suite roles whilst re-scripting the narrative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) along the way. She has also become a recognised thought-leader and voice in surrounding industries such as Venture Capital, Fintech, Technology. The well-deserved accumulation of awards and accolades from around the globe, including the likes of Fortune Magazine (2022), His Royal Highness Sheikh Saif Bin Zayad Al Nahyan (2021), an Honorary Doctorate from De Montfort University (2018) and others, are testimonial to Bijna’s undeniable commitment and dedication. Dr. Bijna, an alumna of the University of Oxford and De Montfort University, identifies as a British-Indian female (of African descent). With her rich multicultural background, Bijna draws upon her lived experiences and professional resources to propel the global diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) agenda forward, as she embarks new initiatives and partnerships on an ongoing basis. Her work focuses on the a broad spectrum of verticals in DE&I including including gender, race, ethnicity, neurodiversity, intersectionality, economic empowerment & financial literacy, emotional intelligence, allyship, social mobility and more For more information, please refer to www.bijna.com

Bijna’s Professional Profile

Bijna is a banker-turned-venture capitalist and entrepreneur. She advises and serves the Boards of various companies (to include celebrities, monarchies, listed companies, advisory businesses, financial services institutions, funds and various other firms) across the globe. Her roles include those of Managing & Operating Partner, Advisor to / Member of the Investment Committee, (Non) Executive Director. Previously, as a long-standing member of Senior Executive Management Committees (in her former firms), she has managed AUM / portfolios and instituted and led commercial & product strategy, operations, transformation and innovation – in business entities for which she has owned P&L’s for – on behalf of the World’s most prestigious institutions (to include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, SSgA, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley, etc.) within the Financial Services sector across the UK, EMEA, the Americas and Asia – spanning two decades. During this tenure she has also advised firms in the domains of RegTech, Fintech and advised leadership teams of established esteemed groups such as Bank of Lichtenstein, Vienna. Presently, in her philanthropic capacity, Bijna is an appointed member of the United Nations (UN) Women UK delegation; where she is engaged with the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. She is also an ambassador for Surviving Economic Abuse, a registered UK charity and has contributed to UK-wide legislative changes for policies in this domain. Additionally, Bijna presently holds advisory (board) roles with Cajigo, the Global Fintech Convergence Council, the Inclusive Companies Network and FinTech Connect. She also serves as a Host / Judge for a portfolio of initiatives including EfMA, the Inclusive Companies Awards, Dublin Tech Summit and The Diversity in Tech Awards, powered by Microsoft, The Global FinTech Awards and Fintech Connect North America. Bijna has addressed audiences globally for some of the Worlds’ most prominent brands (such as Seamless Middle East and Saudi Arabia, Money 20/20, etc.) as a thought-leader, and she has featured in various periodicals and interviews across geographies – to include the likes of Banking Frontiers – and has also authored various Thought Leadership papers (for example, with Oxford University) which have been published over the years. Bijna has also co-authored / features in publications including following books: Disruptors II (2023), Bias Breakers (2023), The Seamless Middle East e-book (2022), CIO NET’s Digital Transformation Cookbook (2022), Aspire To (2021), The Ultimate Professional Networker’s Guidebook Volume 1 (2019) and Women Kind: Unlocking the power of women supporting women (2018); She is also featured in the Citywire Tech Travels Podcast (2021), is a former host and presenter of the Women in Business TV show (2018) and featured on the Dream Corner podcast (2012) as well as many others.

Bijna has been honoured by The Princess Royal, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne during her investiture at Buckingham Palace (2023) and is an appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire since 2020, per order of Her Majesty, (Late) Queen Elizabeth II for Bijna’s services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Services industry. Bijna has most recently been appreciated by Global Women Leadership Awards (UAE) as Woman Leader in Equity and Venture Capital (2023), by Glantor X Media as India’s Top 50 under 50 Femina (2023), by Fox Story News India as Woman Face of the Year (2023) for her contribution to empowering women in Business. Bijna has been honoured by Fortune India as one of the Most Dynamic (Business) Personalities (2022) and has been named Global Icon for Services to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) by World Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (WASME) supported by the Ministry of MSME, Government of India (2022). She has been recognised by Yahoo Finance and Involve People as #28 of the Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives #EMPower list (2022) across all industries and sectors globally, alongside the likes of Ajay Banga and others. Furthermore, she has been awarded title of Pride of India by NRI World across 100+ countries (2022), Advocate of the Year for Diversity and Inclusion (2021) by Morgan Stanley and as honoured in Times Square (New York) billboards for eight days. Bijna was honoured as Digital Leader of the Year (2021) by Seamless Middle East and Terrapin under the patronage of HH Sheikh Saif Bin Zayad Al Nahyan; In 2021, Bijna was also recognised by Yahoo Finance and Involve People as #40 of the Top 100 Women Executives (2021) and as one of the Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives (2021) across all industries and sectors globally. Bijna has also been appreciated as follows: Bijna was named Britain’s Rising Star, UK Women of Inspiration awards (2019), #29 in the World’s Top 100 Women Execs by Yahoo and HERoes (2019), one of Top 50 Women to Watch (2019) by Cranfield University, #EMRoleModels19 Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives (2019), Innovate Finance Women in Fintech Powerlist (2019-18), one of the #TechWomen100 (2019), as ‘Business Role Model of the Year’ by the Women in IT Awards & Amazon (2019), by the Lloyds Banking Group Top 100 BAME Role Models List (2019, 2018) as a ‘Global Champion’ (#60) of the Top 100 Executive #FTHERoes18 by the Financial Times (2018) and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from De Montfort University (2018) for her
‘outstanding services to Business’. She was honoured by felicitation at the House of Lords (UK), at the NRI Pride of India World Summit (2017) for ‘Making India Proud’. Bijna is credited as one of the Top 50 Visionary Young Leaders in Business, by Henley Business School (2017), one of 35 leading British Businesswomen under 35, by Management Today, Accenture and The Telegraph (2015) and has received recognition with 15 further honours including the National Diversity Awards (2012) and the Asian Women of Achievement Awards (2010). Bijna is also the International Women’s Day Young Achiever of the Year (2006). Bijna is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), and an alumnus of Oriel College, University of Oxford and Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University.