Words by Levitha Biji

Leicester business owner opens up about her experience of racism, which led her to start a business based on equality, diversity and inclusion 

Experiencing racism once – in a new business owner’s life – motivated Minakshee Patel to start her own consultancy firm. 

Whilst at a Polytechnic in the mid 1980’s, she stood in an election for the Students Union. She wrote history being the first female as well as the first Asian during the election. However, there were some individuals who believed she didn’t have a place there, she told us: “They used a derogatory term to describe me because I am Asian, I was shocked.” Being the character she is, the experience made her more determined to win the election, which she did. She said, “It was more about them than me.” She eventually started her own consultancy business, Minakshee Patel Consultancy. 

She turned this experience into a positive one and now Minakshee, who has 16 years’ experience, wants to make a difference by adding value regarding equality, diversity and inclusion to other organisations and ensuring their employees have a voice. This business owner’s goal is to be a catalyst in her clients’ journeys to help them reach their goals by using MindSonar®. 

MindSonar® measures cognitive diversity and the insights gained enables staff to perform at their best and improve diversity & inclusion within the workplace by helping to address unconscious bias, leading to a competitive advantage for your organisation.