When Zamiha Desai launched a small Facebook group in 2016 for South Asian women to share beauty tips and cultural hacks, she couldn’t have imagined it would one day earn her a place on the King’s Birthday Honours List. But this summer, the Northwood-based community leader and social entrepreneur has been awarded an MBE for her services to the British Asian community — and the recognition is richly deserved.
In the ever-evolving story of modern Britain, Zamiha’s contribution is a standout chapter: one rooted in resilience, sisterhood, and a vision for an inclusive future.
A movement born from the everyday
“I was 43 and still needed my mum to help me tie a saree,” Zamiha recalls with a smile. That moment of gentle frustration led to a bigger realisation, navigating identity as a British Asian woman means constantly balancing tradition and modernity. Her solution? RecommendAsian, a digital community designed to help women swap advice, ask questions, and share everything from chapatti shortcuts to skincare suited for melanin-rich skin.
What began with just over 200 women is now a vibrant network of more than 75,000 South Asian women, providing everything from parenting support to wellness discussions, wedding supplier tips, and frank conversations about domestic abuse and fertility, all within a culturally safe space.
“It became more than just recommendations, it became a lifeline,” Zamiha says.
Professionalising the platform
The success of RecommendAsian laid the groundwork for a second community: ProfessionalAsian. Unlike its sister platform, this group is open to all genders and aimed at South Asian professionals and entrepreneurs. Now home to over 95,000 members, ProfessionalAsian has grown into one of the largest spaces for British Asian business networking, a go-to for legal referrals, freelance collaborations, and peer mentoring.
“Visibility and representation in the workplace, in boardrooms, and across sectors still lag,” says Zamiha. “These groups are about economic empowerment, but also about showing up for each other.”
Under her leadership, these platforms haven’t just supported individuals, they’ve seeded a ripple effect. Countless businesses have launched or scaled thanks to recommendations and collaborations within the groups, giving rise to a quiet economic revolution in homes, kitchens, and co-working spaces up and down the country.
Turning pain into purpose
The last few years have brought unimaginable personal loss for Zamiha. Her husband passed away suddenly on Christmas Day in 2022, followed by the recent death of her father, both losses that could have brought her public work to a halt. Instead, they became fuel for her mission.
“When I lost everything, the community I built held me up,” she shares. “This honour represents resilience, mine, and ours. I’ve turned pain into purpose, and I’m not done yet.”
That sense of collective achievement is central to Zamiha’s approach. She’s quick to deflect attention from herself and instead spotlights her team and the members who have helped shape the groups into something far greater than the sum of their posts.
“This MBE isn’t just mine,” she insists. “It belongs to every South Asian woman who’s asked, shared, built something from scratch, or lifted someone else along the way.”
Championing British Asian culture with flair
Beyond the digital forums, Zamiha’s influence stretches into real-world events and ventures. She is the creative force behind Hey Gorgeous, a sold-out lifestyle and shopping experience that champions independent South Asian brands. She also co-founded Luxurist, a platform for high-achieving British South Asians who embrace both heritage and high fashion.
All of this sits within her wider vision, a Britain where South Asian culture is celebrated, not sidelined; where “fusion” isn’t a compromise, but a source of creativity and joy.
The road ahead
With her MBE, Zamiha is now more determined than ever to expand her platforms and reach. Plans are already underway to amplify British Asian voices in mainstream media, offer greater mentorship to underrepresented founders, and launch initiatives that bridge gaps in wellbeing, education and representation.
But at its core, Zamiha’s work is not about grand gestures, it’s about the everyday wins. The woman who finally found a reliable wedding caterer. The dad who got advice on navigating mental health stigma. The teenager who saw herself reflected in stories of success and struggle.
These are the moments that fuel Zamiha’s vision. And this recognition, she says, is simply a “signpost” a reminder that community work, especially the kind done quietly and consistently, matters.
“I didn’t do any of this alone,” she says. “This honour is for everyone who showed up, with a question, a comment, a cheer, a share. Together, we’ve built something that lasts.”
As the British Asian community continues to shape the cultural and economic fabric of the UK, figures like Zamiha Desai remind us what leadership really looks like collaborative, compassionate, and rooted in lived experience.
And in a world that often overlooks the quiet architects of change, her MBE is not just a royal nod, it’s a moment of national recognition for a movement that began with a simple question: Does anyone know a good mehndi artist?
