India UK Achievers honours alumna
We are delighted to announce alumna, Mirra Sondhi (Electronic and Communications Engineering, 2007), has been shortlisted as a finalist for a NISAU India UK Achievers Honours.
The NISAU India UK Achievers Honours celebrate and showcase the extraordinary achievements of Indian students and alumni who have studied in the UK and are creating a significant impact on their profession and society at large. Criteria span various award categories, from Business & Entrepreneurship to Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Best Student Society and Lifetime Achievement. In partnership with the British Council, the UK Government, and the UK Higher Education sector, these awards foster a thriving community of global achievers whose contributions shape not only the India-UK bilateral relationship but also global discourse on critical issues.
Mirra was shortlisted as a finalist in the Business & Entrepreneurship category of the Achievers Honours. The category honours leaders and innovators who have demonstrated considerable impact in starting, running or managing businesses exhibiting all the hard work, determination, creativity and resilience required to excel in their sector.
Mirra is currently a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, with 16 years of experience in technology risk and audit-related services, her career spans being a Manager at KPMG Advisory, Senior Manager - Technology Risk and Resilience at PwC, and Head of Technology Risk at Schroders. In addition, she also founded the Hindu Network at Schroders - a community aimed at enhancing Inclusion and Diversity vision at the workplace and beyond.
In her current role at Deutsche Bank, she leads the implementation of technology risk framework for 1st line CTO function globally and presents the Tech risk view to senior leadership and the Board. She also works closely with the CTO, CSO, controls assurance, Group Risk and Audit teams for informed priority and investment decisions whilst managing risk against appetite.
Overcoming challenges in her professional journey, she held notable positions along the way such as at TheCityUK's Next Generation Leadership Council and speaking at the U.K. Parliament on Women in Technology.
Recognised twice by the Financial Times in 2018, as Top 50 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders and 100 Most Influential Technology leaders, she was also the finalist for WeQual Awards in 2020, recognising senior women with potential for C-suite leadership.
In response to being shortlisted, Mirra said,
I am delighted to be recognised as a finalist for the India UK Achievers Honours as it beautifully ties together my cultural heritage, my formative University experience and my interests in developing a future narrative that incorporates and combines technology, equitable access and inclusion. I sincerely encourage and recommend all those who aspire to make an impact to remain inquisitive to learn, stay true to your authentic self and share the ladder with others.
(L to R) Piruthivi Sukumar- ProDean International Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Vaibhav Sonone, Jennifer Cleaver, Engagement Officer (Global Networks), University of Leeds, and Mirra Sondhi.
During her time as an undergraduate at Leeds Mirra won a slew of awards, including the Regional Undergraduate Contribution to Business Award and the National Undergraduate Contribution to Business Award; both of which are awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
She also won The Sir Henry Royce Award for Excellence in Industry and Profession, where she competed against students from America, Australia, Africa and Europe. This was awarded by the Institution of Engineering and Technology for her placement year project.
To add to this Mirra won the Filtronic Prize for the best student in Communications Engineering at the University.
Describing her experience at the University she said “My student years at the University of Leeds and the opportunities that education has afforded me, have had an indelible influence on my life and on my career. Pursuing my engineering degree during those formative years has kindled within me a lifelong passion for technology, diversity and inclusion.
My time at Leeds has been the foundation for the initiatives that I pursued since then, fostering cross-cultural bonds between different communities, advocating for more women in technology, and championing the career progression of under-represented minorities in the corporate world.
I would like to thank the University for the unwavering support it has shown me and for the kind and generous recognition it has given me over the years.
It has been an honour and a privilege to be a graduate of this institution and I am proud to call it my Alma Mater.”
