Where Technology Meets Community-Param Singh MBE

Meet Param Singh MBE. Born in London, he is a British business and technology consultant, entrepreneur, and civic leader whose career bridges engineering, innovation, media, and community impact. Over the years, he has worked with major global organizations, including Ford, Rolls-Royce, Sainsbury’s, Accenture, and MetLife, before moving into the startup space in 2011, where he launched a legal search platform inspired by TripAdvisor. Today, he works at the forefront of data and artificial intelligence transformation within a Fortune 500 organization, while also helping shape one of the UK’s most influential British Sikh professional networks as Founder and Co-Chair of City Sikhs. 

Alongside his professional journey, Singh has become a recognized public voice on diversity, inclusion, and representation. He was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to faith communities and technology, and has also been honored with the “Man of the Year” award at the British Indian Awards. His wider public profile includes appearances on the BBC’s The Ranganation and, earlier, making history as the first Sikh contestant on the British dating show Take Me Out, reflecting a presence that spans both professional and cultural platforms. 

His story, however, is deeply rooted in legacy. It begins in 1926, when his grandfather arrived in Sheffield to study Mechanical Engineering, planting the first seeds of a family journey that would span nearly a century in the UK. “My family’s connection with the UK goes back almost 100 years,” Singh explains. That legacy includes manufacturing businesses in pre-partition India that were lost during Partition, followed by his parents’ rebuilding in the UK through small grocery and clothing businesses. 

Growing up in a working-class British-Indian household, Singh was raised with a strong emphasis on education, hard work, and service, alongside a lived understanding of resilience and reinvention. After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield, he began working as an Aerospace Design Engineer. Despite a strong technical foundation, he chose to move into management consulting. “I wanted to understand technology, business, and organizational change more broadly,” he shares.    

Alongside his corporate career, he co-founded City Sikhs after engaging with leadership and interfaith initiatives in London. “City Sikhs was founded to create a professional, inclusive and outward-looking space where British Sikhs could connect, develop as leaders, engage with public life and contribute to wider society,” he reflects. Today, he sees it evolving into a broader civic leadership platform for British Sikh and British Asian professionals, while continuing his work in AI and data transformation, as well as mentoring emerging professionals.  

Looking ahead, Singh sees artificial intelligence as a defining force for the next decade. However, he is clear that technology alone is not the story. “The opportunity is not just to respond to technological change, but to shape it in a way that improves lives and strengthens society. I hope that more people see themselves not only as users of technology, but as builders, leaders, and ethical voices in how these tools are developed and applied.”