Farmida Bi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 September 1967 |
| Education | Downing College, Cambridge (LLM) (1989) |
| Honours | CBE |
| Member of the House of Lords-Designate | |
| Life peerage TBD | |
Farmida Bi, CBE (born 2 September 1967) is a British corporate solicitor and the EMEA Chair of Norton Rose Fulbright, having also served as Global Chair in 2022. [1] [2] [3] She is the United Kingdom's first female chair of a major law firm, and has been named one of Britain's top five most powerful Muslim women. [4] [5] She stood as a Labour Party candidate in two elections, and founded Progressive British Muslims three days after the 7/7 London bombings. [6] She was appointed a CBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to Law and charity. [2]
Bi was born in Pakistan, and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of six. [7] At the age of 14, her interest in rights and fairness led to her desire to become a lawyer. [1] She read law at the University of Cambridge. [8] At Cambridge, she studied at Downing College, graduating in 1989 with a Master of Laws.
Bi trained as a solicitor at Clifford Chance, qualifying in 1992, before working as an associate at JPMorgan and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She qualified as a New York attorney in 1999, and was partner at Denton Wilde Sapte from 2002 to 2008, following which she joined Norton Rose Fulbright. [2] [9] [6]
She was appointed Chair of EMEA at Norton Rose Fulbright in 2018, making her the first female chair of a major law firm in the United Kingdom, and she continues in that role. She also served as the firm's Global Chair in 2022. [4]
In the wider industry, she has served as Chair of the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) Council since August 2023. The IRSG is a cross-sectoral forum for the financial and related professional services industry that promotes regulation to encourage open and competitive global markets. [10] Since August 2023 she has also served as a board member of the CityUK, the industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services, which champions and supports the UK financial sector and the interests of its members, particularly in international trade. [11]
In the charitable sector, Bi has served as Vice-Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee since 2023. [12] From 2021-25 she was Chair of the Barbican Centre Trust (the registered charity supporting the Barbican Centre), [13] and she was Chair of the Patchwork Foundation (a charity promoting the integration of disadvantaged and minority communities into public life) from 2018-25. [14]
In the 2005 United Kingdom general election, she stood as a Labour Party candidate in Mole Valley, Surrey, winning 10.7% of the vote. [9] [15] [16] Bi also ran as the Labour candidate for the Hillside ward in the 2006 Merton London Borough Council election, winning 13.2% of the vote. [17]
Most recently, she was recognised in the Financial News' Fifty Most Influential Lawyers 2025 [18] and its Most Influential Women in Finance 2025. [19]
Previously, in 2009, Bi was named one of the United Kingdom's five most powerful Muslim women. [5] She was a nominated for the British Muslim Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015 for services to finance and accounts, and services to law. [20] [21] In 2018, she was named one of the Financial Times' Top 10 most innovative lawyers [22] and listed in Cranfield University's 2019 Women to Watch supplement. [23] She was included in the Women Role Model list in 2019. [24] She was appointed a CBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to Law and charity. [2] Bi has been recognised for her commitment to action towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace. [1] [9] She is Chair of the Patchwork Foundation and Barbican Centre Trust, and has been trustee of the Muslim Youth Helpline. [25] [26] She was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge in June 2022.