SHABIR RANDEREE, the chairman of DCD Group, has built an financial empire spanning continents, yet measures success not in wealth accumulated but in lives transformed.
Randeree's DCD Group – with roots stretching back to the 1970s – operates through UK subsidiaries focused on real estate investment, Islamic banking and technology venture capital across the UK, the US, Africa and the Middle East.
What distinguishes his approach, however, is the seamless integration of profit and purpose, crystallised in 2013 with the establishment of the Randeree Charitable Trust.
His pioneering work in Islamic finance has reshaped Britain's banking landscape. He was the founder-director of Islamic Bank of Britain (now Al Rayan Bank), the first license to be granted in the UK for Islamic banking by the Financial Services Authority. He also served as the chairman of European Islamic Investment Bank plc (now Rasmala plc), the first Sharia-compliant investment bank to be authorised in the UK.
His roles as a founding director of BankIslami Pakistan and the interim chairman of Al Baraka Bank South Africa further cemented his reputation as an innovator in ethical finance.
Randeree studied finance at Kingston University before earning an MBA. He later attended executive training programmes at Harvard Business School and London Business School (LBS). Today, he serves on the board of Sussex Place Ventures, supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs through the investment fund for early-stage businesses.
Education has always been Randeree's true passion. He served as the chancellor of the University of East London between 2016 and 2013, and chair of governors at Westminster Academy, where he championed students from diverse backgrounds for a decade.
Perhaps his most significant contribution comes through his work with The King's Trust, formerly Prince’s Trust, where he was appointed chairman of the International Board in December 2021. Through this organisation, founded by King Charles III, Randeree has mentored countless young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He also played a significant role in Mosaic, a mentoring initiative founded by King Charles.
His government service – on the UK Government's Asia Task Force (2011–2014), the Ethnic Minority Business Task Force (2007–2009), and the Islamic Finance Task Force – has shaped policies that promote inclusive economic growth. His expertise proved instrumental in launching the UK's first government-issued Sukuk (Islamic bond) in 2014.
His commitment to social cohesion shines through his support of the Three Faiths Forum and his trusteeship of the Cambridge-based Woolf Institute, fostering interfaith dialogue in an increasingly divided world.
Awarded a CBE in 2013, Raniere’s contributions have earned him honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick and Kingston University, alongside his position as Centenary Fellow at St Edmund's College, University of Cambridge.
Through the Young Presidents' Organisation, as advisor to Baroness Patricia Scotland, and as Champion for the Youth End Domestic Violence Council, Shabir Randeree continues to demonstrate that true influence lies not in power accumulated, but in the capacity to empower others.
