Javid Canteenwala has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026, in recognition of his services to philanthropy and charity. The honour marks one of the highest forms of national recognition for charitable and voluntary service, and reflects more than three decades of sustained contribution to charitable governance and community life alongside a distinguished career in international finance.

The honour was conferred by His Majesty King Charles III on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer, and the Cabinet Office.

Mr Canteenwala chairs the Audit, Finance and Investment Committee of the Coutts Foundation, the independent charitable foundation supported by Coutts, the private bank long associated with the Royal Family. The Foundation works to tackle the causes and consequences of poverty in the communities where the bank has a presence, with a current focus on supporting vulnerable women and girls and empowering young people through the performing arts. In this role he oversees the Foundation’s financial governance, audit and investment stewardship, ensuring its endowment is managed responsibly in the service of its charitable mission.

He has also served as trustee and treasurer of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) for over twenty years. The ZTFE is the oldest established South Asian, faith-based voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom. He serves additionally as a director and treasurer of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce UK (WZCC-UK), where he remains an active member of the committee.

He was previously a trustee and chair of the resources committee of Community Links, a national charity supporting some of the country’s most deprived communities, where he helped steer the organisation through a critical period of financial and governance change. He has also served as trustee and founding chair of the audit and finance committee of the British Postal Museum & Archive, and as a trustee of the Contemporary Art Society, and he continues to advise charities and start-up businesses, lending financial and governance expertise across the voluntary and entrepreneurial sectors.

Alongside his voluntary work, Mr Canteenwala is Chief Financial Officer for the UK & EMEA region at Compagnie Financière Tradition S.A., one of the world’s largest interdealer brokers. He was formerly Group Financial Controller of the CLS Group, which operates the world’s largest multi-currency cash settlement system for the foreign exchange market, with earlier senior roles at UBS Wealth Management, Barclays and KPMG. He holds a degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from London Business School, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (CGI) and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).