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Rishi Khosla OBE

Co-Founder and CEO of OakNorth

London, UK

Rishi Khosla
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Rishi Khosla’s Biography

Rishi Khosla OBE is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of leading financial technology company, OakNorth.

As a capitalist, he believes entrepreneurs drive innovation, social progress and economic growth, and that everyone can prosper by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset.

This belief led Rishi to establish his first business, Copal Partners (later known as Copal Amba) in 2002, alongside his business partner, Joel Perlman. Together, they expanded the business to 3,000 employees across 11 markets, before selling it to Moody’s Corporation in 2014.

In 2015 Rishi and Joel launched OakNorth, confident that the in-depth analysis, data, and analytics traditionally reserved for institutional banking could also be applied to commercial banking, and in so doing, power the commercial economy of the future.

Rishi is deeply invested in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and creating environments for aspiring entrepreneurs through OakNorth’s Mentorpreneurship Programme, in partnership with LSE Generate. The programme is helping support initiatives... Rishi Khosla OBE is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of leading financial technology company, OakNorth.

As a capitalist, he believes entrepreneurs drive innovation, social progress and economic growth, and that everyone can prosper by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset.

This belief led Rishi to establish his first business, Copal Partners (later known as Copal Amba) in 2002, alongside his business partner, Joel Perlman. Together, they expanded the business to 3,000 employees across 11 markets, before selling it to Moody’s Corporation in 2014.

In 2015 Rishi and Joel launched OakNorth, confident that the in-depth analysis, data, and analytics traditionally reserved for institutional banking could also be applied to commercial banking, and in so doing, power the commercial economy of the future.

Rishi is deeply invested in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and creating environments for aspiring entrepreneurs through OakNorth’s Mentorpreneurship Programme, in partnership with LSE Generate. The programme is helping support initiatives in the educational space, working with schools and academies to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the next generation.

Rishi believes in fostering potential at an early level. The ambition of his and his wife’s foundation, The Rishi and Milan Khosla Foundation, is to support and boost early childhood development, which is key to enabling and nurturing the agency, creativity and curiosity that unleashes potential. The Foundation is also dedicated to promoting diversity within the entrepreneurial community. One way it achieves this is by encouraging female empowerment in disadvantaged communities. For instance, it provides support for women who are setting up micro-enterprises in the Himalayas.

Rishi was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in HM The Queen’s 2020 New Year Honours list for his services to business. READ MORE VIEW LESS

Rishi Khosla’s Newsfeed

City A.M.
OakNorth boss says ‘wealth creators’ leaving UK over tax hikes
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Bloomberg
OakNorth to Seek US Deals After Winning Approvals for Expansion
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Rishi Khosla’s Background

OakNorth Bank logo OakNorth Bank logo
OakNorth Bank
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sep 2015 - Present
London, UK
Launched in 2015, OakNorth Bank helps the UK's most ambitious firms access the rapid, flexible debt finance they need to expand, while helping savers make their money go further. With capital ranging from £250,000 to millions of pounds, the bank has lent several billion pounds to firms across a variety of sectors, directly contributing to the creation of thousands of new jobs and affordable homes.
 
ONCI logo ONCI logo
ONCI
Co-Founder
Sep 2015 - Present
London, UK
ONCI is a fintech platform enabling lenders to originate, underwrite, monitor, and book bespoke loans to SMEs faster, more efficiently and with more rigour. Its cloud-based technology sources millions of data items on SMEs across various parameters, sectors, and markets, and uses machine learning algorithms to identify data that lenders need to make more informed decisions.
 
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Rishi Khosla’s Gallery

Current Board Positions

OakNorth Bank logo OakNorth Bank logo
OakNorth Bank
Board Member
London, UK
OakNorth Bank is a UK bank that provides fast, flexible and accessible debt finance to fast-growth businesses and established property developers.
 
ONCI logo ONCI logo
ONCI
Board Member
London, UK
ONCI is a fintech platform that enables lenders to originate, underwrite, monitor, and book bespoke loans to SMEs faster, more efficiently and with more rigour.
 

Philanthropy

Rishi & Milan Khosla Foundation logo Rishi & Milan Khosla Foundation logo
Rishi & Milan Khosla Foundation
Co-Founder
London, UK
The Rishi and Milan Khosla Foundation is a private family foundation founded by Rishi and Milan Khosla focused on supporting new and innovative projects which deal with some core societal issues, including early childhood development, female empowerment, the environment.
 

Media

Rishi Khosla: 3 tips for giving better feedback logo Rishi Khosla: 3 tips for giving better feedback logo
Rishi Khosla: 3 tips for giving better feedback
Video
Aug 2024
In this short video for the World Economic Forum, Rishi Khosla shares his tips on how to give better feedback.
 
World Economic Forum's 'Meet the Leader' Podcast: Build Your Own Personal Board of Advisors logo World Economic Forum's 'Meet the Leader' Podcast: Build Your Own Personal Board of Advisors logo
World Economic Forum's 'Meet the Leader' Podcast: Build Your Own Personal Board of Advisors
Podcast
Jul 2024
OakNorth Bank’s Co-founder Rishi Khosla discusses traits of great mentors, the bank’s 'mentorpreneurship' programme with the London School of Economics, and the value of building a personal board of directors through mentorship.
 
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Interviews

Has the UK lost its fintech crown? logo Has the UK lost its fintech crown? logo
Has the UK lost its fintech crown?
Video interview
May 2024
London, UK
City A.M. talks to Rishi Khosla, the founder of digital bank OakNorth, about entrepreneurship and politics.
 
Rishi Khosla of OakNorth On 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Level Leader Of A Fintech Company logo Rishi Khosla of OakNorth On 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Level Leader Of A Fintech Company logo
Rishi Khosla of OakNorth On 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Level Leader Of A Fintech Company
Interviewee
Apr 2024
Rishi discusses what it takes to excel as a C-Level leader in a fintech company.
 
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Features

Banks on the attack as Jeremy Hunt mulls windfall tax logo Banks on the attack as Jeremy Hunt mulls windfall tax logo
Banks on the attack as Jeremy Hunt mulls windfall tax
Oct 2022
London, UK
Rishi Khosla, CEO of OakNorth bank, was featured in this article in The Times.
 
Beyond The UK Government’s Fintech Review: Scaling Digital Britain Globally logo Beyond The UK Government’s Fintech Review: Scaling Digital Britain Globally logo
Beyond The UK Government’s Fintech Review: Scaling Digital Britain Globally
Featured
Feb 2022
Rishi is quoted in this article by Forbes regarding the importance of fit-for-purpose regulation in accelerating growth in a company.
 
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Publications

Talent scout: it’s time to close the UK’s tech skills gap logo Talent scout: it’s time to close the UK’s tech skills gap logo
Talent scout: it’s time to close the UK’s tech skills gap
Author
Jun 2023
London, UK
Rishi Khosla OBE suggests that big tech is experiencing a period of change - and that more can be done in the UK to harness a global talent pool.
 
For businesses, a dash of pessimism is the key to resilience logo For businesses, a dash of pessimism is the key to resilience logo
For businesses, a dash of pessimism is the key to resilience
Author
Mar 2023
London, UK
Rishi Khosla, writing in the Evening Standard, advises business leaders and entrepreneurs to ask the question “What’s the worst that could happen?” And then ask: “Where’s the opportunity?”
 
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Awards & Recognition

New Year Honours logo New Year Honours logo
New Year Honours
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
2019
London, UK
Rishi, Co-Founder of OakNorth, was awarded an OBE for services to business.
 
The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100 logo The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100 logo
The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100
Winner
2019
London, UK
Rishi was voted #1 on The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100 list in 2019.
 
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Speaking Engagements

The Future of Trusted AI with CNBC & Clara Shih at Davos 2024 logo The Future of Trusted AI with CNBC & Clara Shih at Davos 2024 logo
The Future of Trusted AI with CNBC & Clara Shih at Davos 2024
Panel member
Jan 2024
Davos, CH
Rishi joins CNBC at Davos 2024 to discuss how to navigate AI risk, mitigate biases, and prepare your organisation for AI success
 
“No Rain, No Flowers: Funding Start-ups” Lessons From Davos logo “No Rain, No Flowers: Funding Start-ups” Lessons From Davos logo
“No Rain, No Flowers: Funding Start-ups” Lessons From Davos
Panel member
Jan 2024
Davos, CH
Rishi was a panel member of a discussion at Davos 2024 on how to increase access to capital for start-ups.
 
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Rishi Khosla’s Education

University College London logo University College London logo
University College London
BSc in Economics
 
London School of Economics logo London School of Economics logo
London School of Economics
Masters in Accounting & Finance