Farmida Bi (pictured), chair of Norton Rose Fulbright’s EMEA group, has been granted a peerage by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Bi, a partner at NRF since 2008, was previously awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2020, for her services to the law and charity. She has chaired NRF’s EMEA group since 2018.
Recognised in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for both debt capital markets and Islamic finance, Bi has worked on promoting UN social development goals through unlocking ESG funding.
Previously, Bi advised the International Committee of the Red Cross on its ‘Humanitarian Impact Bond’ in 2017, the world’s first fundraising mechanism that attracted private investment to the NGO’s healthcare programmes across Africa.
Bi also serves as vice chair on the Disasters Emergency Committee’s board of trustees, which supports 15 UK charities raise money to aid crises overseas.
Additionally, Bi formerly sat as a chair of trustees for the Barbican Centre Trust between 2021 and 2025, raising funds for performing arts, and the Patchwork Foundation from 2018 to 2025, which promotes political engagement for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Commenting on Bi’s peerage, Peter Scott, global managing partner and EMEA managing partner at NRF said: ‘Farmida’s appointment is a testament to her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to public service.’
He continued: ‘Her achievements have inspired countless colleagues and set a benchmark for excellence in our profession. We are immensely proud to see her contributions recognised at the highest level.’
The prime minister nominated a total of 25 peers in this announcement, with a further five from the Liberal Democrats, three from the Conservative party and one from crossbench peers.
Nominated peers are expected to become members of the House of Lords in the new year.
