Meet The Experts
Naveen Balkhi
Director, Global Talent Leadership & Executive Advisory
Naveen is a United Nations CSW speaker and contributor, JPMorganChase Wall Stree.t Investment Banker, Board Director, Leadership Development Transformationist, ESG & Sustainability Champion, & Executive Coach; Naveen optimizes each leader’s potential. Recipient of industry and leadership awards, she is a seasoned, global thought-leader. Engaging teams in change, she sparks loyalty & excitement; and leads complex mergers and acquisitions.
Experienced in 17 countries over 25+ years, focusing on North America, Saudi Arabia, UAE & MENAP, her teams execute leadership & Board programs & development, with an ESG & Sustainability focus; impacting thousands.
Educated at a top US university, and critical certifications, Naveen’s 25+ years of leadership spans Oil & Gas, Financial Services, FMCG, Chemicals, Mining, Retail & Manufacturing: Global players such as Agrium/Nutrien (NYSE: NTR), JPMorganChase (PM) & Engro/Exxon. She deploys Six Sigma achieving defect and cost-reduction rates of 40-60%.
A strong advocate of making every global community a home, Naveen gives back to the communities she lives in. She’s appointed to Boards and mentors Youth, startups, at-risk women and builds bridges globally.
Durriyah B. Asghar
Director, Global Tax & Finance Strategy & Board Advisor
Durriyah, a seasoned CPA and international tax expert, worked at PwC New York and licensed in New Jersey, brings a wealth of experience from both public practice & industry. Her expertise makes her a sought-after advisor for tax mitigation strategies, compliance, research, and financial planning. She’s a strategic thinker, known for co-developing growth strategies that drive triple bottom-line results in the global business landscape. With a knack for leadership, a collaborative & sincere approach, Durriyah motivates teams to add strategic value, drawing from her background in Internal Audit and Senior Faculty roles. Her extensive experience in aligning tax compliance with regulatory frameworks, and her commitment to sustainable finance makes her an asset in developing innovative solutions for any organization.
Nominated as a Board of Trustees Overseer, she has served on Boards and committees & is a trusted Board Advisor for not-for-profits. Throughout her career, Durriyah has exemplified excellence and a commitment to driving impactful change. Durriyah also leads Zakah & Waqf Advisory & has been involved in community coaching & mentoring programs for youth.
Khadeeja Balkhi
Director, Global Sustainability & Board Advisory
Khadeeja is a globally-recognized Sustainability & ESG leader, with over two decades of high-impact in public, private and non-profit. She delivers strategic insights and masterclasses, enhancing energy productivity, renewables integration, DEIB, governance and beyond. She has developed sustainability strategies for governments like Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) – and crafted risk mitigation models with the F&B industry, eg Coca-Cola. Her influence spans international markets, impacting organizations such as GRI, National Foods, OMV.
An award-winning journalist, she has published 400+ articles, covers, book chapters including Forbes, Newsweek, Arab News, The National, Saudi Gazette, Fair Planet, Women’s eNews & others.Her extensive experience includes authoring sustainability reports and conducting board-level strategy reviews, cementing her role as a trusted C-suite advisor and transformative leader.
Shameelah R. Balkhi
Director, Research and Content Design & Health and Wellness Coach
Shameelah combines her background in molecular biology and behavioral psychology to foster holistic health and organizational well-being. As an Emory-trained Health and Wellness Coach she thought-partners with women in a co-creative process to help them reach their vision of wellness in 8 distinct and synergized areas of wellness, to actualize their personal potential and experience renewed zest for life.
Trained as a scientist at the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale, my research on self-cleaving DNA is referenced in patents and publications. Between then and now, her varied experience includes parenting, teaching, authoring, mentoring and social work. As a former educator with multiple accolades, Shameelah now applies her expertise to research and content design, delivering impactful personal development programs. Her coaching approach empowers individuals to achieve optimal health, self-awareness, and renewed life satisfaction.