Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE DL FCA FRSA

Biography

Karan Bilimoria is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership, a Joint Venture with Molson Coors. In the Monde Selection, one of the most prestigious quality awards in the world for beer, the Cobra range have collectively been awarded a total of 131 Gold and Grand Gold medals since 2001, making it one of the most awarded beers in the world.

Lord Bilimoria is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London); he was the youngest University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. Karan was a former Senior Non-Executive Director of the Booker Group now TESCO PLC (2007-2016); he is one of the first 2 visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge; he is a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. In 2006, Karan Bilimoria was appointed the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, making him the first ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords. In 2008 he was awarded the Pravasi Bharti Samman by the President of India.

Karan is an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and was Chair of the Advisory Board of Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge from 2015-2020 and subsequently appointed as an Honorary Ambassador. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (FCA) with Ernst & Young and graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. He graduated with a B. Commerce (Hon) degree from the Indian Institute of Management and Commerce, Osmania University. He is also an alumnus through executive education of Cranfield School of Management, London Business School and Harvard Business School. In July 2014, he was installed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, making him the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain, and he is the President of the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA). Since 2017 Lord Bilimoria has been a Bynum Tudor Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Lord Bilimoria is an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron Royal Air Force. In June 2020, he was appointed President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) for a 2-year term; he is now Vice President until June 2023. In September 2020, he was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford based at the Centre for Corporate Reputation.

Karan has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from University of East Anglia, University of Birmingham, Brunel University, Cranfield University, University of Exeter, Heriot-Watt University, London Metropolitan University, Staffordshire University, York St John University, University of West London (previously Thames Valley University), and University of Westminster. Karan is also President of The UK Council on International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students. He joined Policy Exchange & the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) as a Board Member in 2022.