About Lord Karan Bilimoria

A distinguished biography spanning business excellence, parliamentary service, and academic leadership

Complete Biography

Business Leadership & Cobra Beer

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL is the founder of Cobra Beer, a household brand in the UK and one of the most awarded beers in the world. He is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Lieutenant to His Majesty's Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London, and a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Greater London.

He served as a Senior Non-Executive Director of the Booker Group, now TESCO PLC, from 2007 to 2016. He is one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge and a founding member of the Prime Minister of India's Global Advisory Council.

Parliamentary Distinction

In 2006, Karan Bilimoria was appointed as the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, becoming the first-ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords. He is a Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students and Co-chair of the India APPG.

He served as President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from 2020 to 2022. In November 2022, Karan was appointed Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UK in January 2025.

Honorary Doctorates & Fellowships

Karan has been awarded 12 Honorary Doctorates from prestigious institutions including:

• Herriot-Watt University

• Brunel University

• Staffordshire University

• London Metropolitan

• Cranfield University

• Westminster University

• Exeter University

• Birmingham University

• University of West London

• York St. John University

• University of East Anglia

• UPES University

Academic Excellence

He is a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London) and was the youngest university Chancellor at the time of his appointment. From July 2014 to July 2024, he served as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, becoming the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain.

Additionally, he is the President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). He is an Honorary Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge.