Independent Member
Mukesh Sharma MBE DL was born in England and raised in Northern Ireland within the Indian community. He has a breadth of experience in business growth and acquisition, organisational change, partnership working and advocacy in developing international partnerships. Most of his business life has been in the travel, tourism and airline industry and he has worked in the UK and abroad, heading up a number of major companies during this time. In 2016, Mukesh was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast and was awarded an MBE in 2016 for Services to the travel industry in Northern Ireland. He has led many initiatives across Northern Ireland to promote the arts, community cohesion and the prevention of racism, sectarianism and hate crime. He serves as a board member of a number of charities including Barnardos, ArtsEkta, The Goliath Trust and The Princes Trust. He was appointed to the Northern Ireland Executive Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition which undertook a programme of work to shape a Northern Ireland free from segregation and division. He holds one other public appointment, Chair of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland and UK Trustee