Born and raised in Edinburgh, Sharma brings a career spanning law, investment banking, property development and entrepreneurship. In her new Commonwealth role, she will help shape CBWN’s work supporting diaspora-led businesses, unlocking pathways to capital and leadership, and strengthening international collaboration — with a particular focus on women-led enterprises, which remain significantly underfunded globally.

Sharma’s advocacy for women’s entrepreneurship is deeply personal. After witnessing her father’s bankruptcy during her early years — and the social stigma that followed — she became driven to build her own financial independence and resilience. That experience now underpins her work supporting women across the diaspora to access capital, confidence and long-term opportunity.

Alongside the appointment, Sharma has announced the launch of The Power Diaspora Forum, a global initiative designed to bring together influential female leaders across business, politics, investment, media and culture to drive economic opportunity and long-term impact for the next generation of women entrepreneurs.
The Forum will unite an exclusive network of high-impact women from the UK, the GCC and South Asia, expanding access to capital, leadership pathways and mentorship — and tackling the persistent funding and support gaps faced by women-led businesses globally.
Sharma said:

“Diaspora entrepreneurship has had a huge impact on the UK economy, with ethnic minority-led businesses contributing billions of pounds annually. Yet when it comes to supporting women entrepreneurs across the diaspora, they remain systematically underfunded, underrepresented and overlooked — despite the scale of talent and ambition that exists.

The Power Diaspora Forum is about changing that. By bringing together women with real influence across business, politics, finance and media, we can unlock access to capital, open leadership pathways and create long-term economic opportunity.”

The first Power Diaspora Forum will take place in February 2026, bringing together influential diaspora leaders, entrepreneurs and investors to set out the Forum’s core priorities — including initiatives to improve access to capital and long-term support for women-led businesses across the diaspora.