Islamic finance specialist Farmida Bi has been appointed as Norton Rose Fulbright’s global chair.
 
She will take over from US chair Shauna Clark in the ambassadorial role, which is rotated annually across the firm’s regions, on 1 January.
 
Bi has chaired the firm’s Europe, Middle East and Asia arm since 2018 having been re-elected for a second three-year term earlier this year. She specialises in debt capital markets and has professed a particular interest in the role Islamic finance can play as a form of ethical finance and therefore support the UN Social Development Goals. 
 
She said she aimed “to nurture a culture of inclusivity and innovation” at the firm, adding: “We are facing unprecedented changes, both as a firm and as a society, as we emerge from the global pandemic and respond to the climate crisis.”

Bi’s status as a leading finance lawyer from the UK’s Muslim community has frequently earned her national recognition, including being named in The Times’s first Muslim Women Power List alongside entrepreneurs, politicians and media personalities.
 
She chairs the trustees for the Barbican Centre Trust, the largest performing arts centre in Europe, and the Patchwork Foundation, which promotes engagement in politics and civil society for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Last year, she was recognised for her services to the law and by being made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).

NRF achieved a significant benchmark last January, when more than 50% of the 47 partners promoted across its network were women.