Kush Kanodia is one of those people who uses his will power, and success to initiate positive change in his community by helping to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities globally.
In 2018, Kush was selected in the top 10 most influential Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic Leaders in technology at the UK Parliament. He is a champion for equality & inclusion and the visionary leader behind the unprecedented #NoWheelchairTax Campaign, which abolished all disabled car parking charges in 206 NHS hospitals in England. Helping over 2.5 Million Disabled People in England to access critical healthcare during the Covid19 pandemic. However, the early years of Kush Kanodia’s life have been anything but easy.
Since childhood, Kush Kanodia has suffered from a disability known as Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia which impacts all of the joints in his body. In our recent interview with him, Kush said, “When I was a child, I used to have severe pain because my hips used to dislocate and that used to cause extreme pain and it could happen at any time, as stood up off the chair or walked. So, it was very difficult for me to get involved in sports or even studying and having an active life.”
Despite his childhood struggles, Kush pushed through the barriers set forth by society and pursued his life’s goals with passion, and courage. His hard work led him to attain success in his endeavors. In 2006, Kush Kanodia graduated from the University of Kent with an MBA and a Distinction with Honours and now he is also an Alumni with Oxford University.
In 2012, Kush Kanodia was selected as the Torch Bearer for the Paralympics Games in London.
“When I became a torchbearer for the Paralympics, that transformed my relationship with my disability. From my childhood, I thought of my disability as a curse. However, I later reframed it into a blessing because I realized this when I looked back, my disability had given me all these wonderful attributes,” says Kush Kanodia.
He further said, “It helped me to become humble. It helped me become grounded. It helped me to be compassionate, determined. It helped me refocus my career from investment banking to disability rights. If it wasn’t for my disability, none of that would’ve happened.”
In 2015, he was elected as a Governor for the Chelsea Westminster Hospital and in 2018 he was re-elected to manage two hospitals consisting of 6,000 staff members and serving a population of one million people in North West London. Chelsea Westminster is one of the leading NHS foundation trusts in England and was the first charitable funded hospital in the world, founded 300 years ago.
Other than being a disability rights advocate, Kush is also a social entrepreneur, who has developed a portfolio career assisting several NGOs, social enterprises, charities with a focus on the intersection of disability with health, sports, technology, and employment & entrepreneurship.
In 2019, he was selected by Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100, as the 2nd most powerful and influential disabled person in the UK at the House of Lords in the Parliament. There are currently over 14 million disabled people in the UK.
In 2019, Kush Kanodia also won further awards for Social Entrepreneur of the Year with TiE London at the Landmark Hotel and Entrepreneur of the Year with Asian Achievers Award at the Governor House in Park Lane, London.
His life story and campaigns have been published in numerous major publications such as the Financial Times, The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, the BBC, and more. This week, we had the privilege of interviewing Kush Kanodia.
The full interview in audio and text format can be found here.
