Biography

Parminder Vir brings a wealth of award winning production experience of drama, documentary, current affairs and entertainment working for the BBC, ITV, Channel Four and major international channels. She has worked with filmmakers from India, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Asia. She served on the Board of UK Film Council (1999-2005) and was appointed Non-Executive Director to the Board of Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), advising on creative economy, international policy and diversity strategies.  Parminder established Ingenious World Cinema, at Ingenious Media Investments, working with talent from the emerging markets, to produce cross-cultural films for the global market.

Parminder is Board Director, UK-India Business Council, expert Creative Industries, facilitating business flow between the two countries; Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneur  - TiE, a network committed to promoting entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking and education; a Skillset Patron and Board Direct or of Young Vic Theatre.

Parminder came to filmmaking from a background as a television documentary Producer with an outstanding range of award winning documentaries from her own production company, Formation Films, including Algeria Women at War; The Sex Warriors and the Samurai for Channel 4, two series of Developing Stories directed by filmmakers from the South for the BBC. She also was Producer for the Film Four feature film Babymother. 

From May 1996 – May 2004 she worked as Executive Producer and Diversity Advisor at Carlton Television, reporting to the Chief Executive of Broadcasting and Director of Programmes until Carlton merged with ITV. At Carlton Television, she developed the business case for diversity as a commercial opportunity, designed and project managed a series of innovative diversity initiatives that increased profitability and effectiveness for the company. She produced and executive produced a number of programmes including award-winning Single Voices, Melting Pot, Carlton’s Multicultural Achievement Awards, MOBO and EMMA awards. She was the co-founder of Cultural Diversity Network (CDN), an alliance of UK Broadcasters working towards greater diversity in British Television set up in 2000 and still active. In November 2005, she was the Producer of ‘Diversity Making it Pay’ a conference for ITV and CDN.

Parminder was awarded an OBE for her services to the Broadcasting and Film industry in the Queen’s birthday honours list in June 2002, the Asian Women of Achievement Award for Media in May 2001, the Media and Arts Award at the Asian Jewel Awards in July 2003 and the Windrush Diversity Award in 1999. She was born in the Punjab, India and came to England at the age of 10. She is married to writer/director Julian Henriques and has two daughters.