South Asian arts charity appoints new board members

Sampad, a charity founded by Piali Ray in 1990 to promote South Asian arts and culture, has appointed to new members to its board.

Over the years, the charity has collaborated with numerous artists to bring their unique voices and talents to audiences across the UK and beyond.

Niti Pall (pictured), who is on the board of the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, will be joining as chair of Sampad’s board. She also currently chairs the board of Harbr, a London-based health tech accelerator and is senior digital health advisor for AXA emerging customers.

Niti was recently medical director to KPMGs Global Healthcare Practice and she runs a boutique health system consulting firm Health4alladvisory Ltd.  and is immediate past President of IDF Europe. 

Her global impact spans from innovative healthcare ventures in Bangladesh to establishing clinics across China, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Hong Kong. Niti’s dedication to universal healthcare extends to multiple countries, impacting over 11 million consumers with mobile health propositions.

Joining Niti as vice chair is Paresh Solanki. Paresh is a fervent advocate for social change, utilising media technology to amplify marginalised voices and uplift communities. His impactful work, marked by creativity and innovation, has earned accolades across broadcasting, events production, and community cohesion efforts.

Holding fellowships at the Royal Television Society and The Institute of Leadership & Development, Paresh’s recent projects include filming testimonies on the Ugandan Asians’ expulsion and responses to the COVID crisis in the UK.

Paresh served in pivotal roles at the BBC such as managing editor, editor of Asian programmes, and spearheaded groundbreaking projects like the BBC Mega Mela festival.

Post-BBC, he contributed as a media expert for the Council of Europe’s intercultural programme and served as the assistant director at the Inter Faith Network, initiating the National Inter Faith Week.

Piali Ray, director of Sampad: “We are proud to announce the addition of Niti Pall and Paresh Solanki to our Board. Niti’s dedication to healthcare innovation and Paresh’s media advocacy, together with their interest in community empowerment embodies Sampad’s ethos of fostering creativity and cultural unity.”