Dr. Vishal Pandey, Ph.D.

Director

Relevant experience

Vishal is a Dubai based Market Entry & Insights Advisor who has lived and worked in the UK, India and across the Middle East. Previously as a research lead with Deloitte Consulting’s Dubai offices, he was part of a team responsible for strategy and operations assignments across the Middle East and Africa region. Vishal has been involved in over 1,000 research & market entry engagements mostly across MENA and South Asia region in his career spanning 20 years across a diverse set of industries.

He is a leading MENA focused Market Entry & Go-To-Market Strategy Specialist. He has been numerously interviewed on the subject. He contributes frequently to several regional and global publications in the areas of growth & market insights, tourism, policy, retail and real estate. He is also often invited to be a speaker at key Middle East and South Asian foreign investment, innovation, growth strategy and retail industry conferences. He is currently on the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts.

Vishal holds an MSc in Real Estate and Regeneration from the University of Glasgow, a UNWTO Themis degree in Tourism & International Cooperation for Development from The George Washington University and a Ph.D. in Management.

Derrick

Director – Africa

Relevant experience

Derrick is a Zimbabwean based consultant who has extensive experience across Sub-Saharan African markets. With over 10 years’ experience in market intelligence and growth consulting, he has done numerous projects in key sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa that includes Environmental and Building Technologies, Infrastructure Development and Automotive and Transportation Sectors.

Previously with a Global Research Consultancy, he has built a strong reputation within the industry and is a recognized thought leader. Furthermore, he has published numerous articles in the South African and International press, featuring as an expert analyst on several news programs (on local and international television networks) and receiving numerous invitations to participate and speak at key industry events and conferences.

Tamer Ali

Director- Field Research

Relevant experience

A field research veteran with over 1,000 field research projects delivered in MEA. Tamer worked in various capacity with a leading research organization in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years.

His main responsibilities are ensuring recruiting, staffing, executing, project management and quality control for all projects. He has in-depth knowledge of the region, culture and trends. Currently associated with GRC in handling the field operations for various research initiatives. Tamer has an astute ability of managing big teams with an eye for detail, ensuring the entire field work conducted is of high quality, within time frame & budget.

Nimisha Kapil

Subject Matter Expert – Mystery Shopping

Relevant experience

Nimisha has over 16 years of experience in marketing intelligence and growth consulting covering a diverse set of industries across the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent. A seasoned Project Manager, she has handled consumer research and b2b research projects across multiple domains.

Nimisha holds a BA in International Hospitality Management from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK, and an MBA from Middlesex University, UK.

Ken James

Subject Matter Expert: Automotive & Mobility

Relevant experience

An Experienced Director in international business who has worked for OEMs such as JLR, BMW, Ford and Volvo. Ken was also a VP for a Distribution company covering Latin America and Director for a Global Branding and Marketing experiential company. He has experience across Gulf, Levant, Asia and Africa markets. He was instrumental in establishing overseas offices for multiple companies and built Dealer and Distributor networks in the Gulf, Levant, Asia and Africa markets.

Ken is an expert in international strategic planning, brand building and development, dealer/ retail and distributor development, dealer selection and launch, dealer operating standards, sales & marketing planning and management including product launches.

Tariq Khan

Project Manager – Automotive & Mobility

Relevant experience

Tariq has more than 15 years of experience in Business Research and Strategy Consulting, he has led over 100 consulting projects. His expertise lies in market opportunity assessment and market entry strategies, competitive benchmarking, end-user analysis, new product strategy and business planning.

With a strong understanding of Automotive Industry – OEMs, Component Suppliers and Aftermarket. Extensive expertise in Global Teams Management across India, Middle East and Africa through consulting engagements covering multiple industries including Automotive, Logistics, Industrial, Construction, Retail and Consumer Durables.

Rajesh Parakh

Subject Matter Expert – Corporate Finance

Relevant experience

With over 25 years of finance leadership in the region, he has navigated pivotal roles at esteemed organizations like Emaar Properties, Deloitte Consulting, Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat), Belhasa/EDI Group, and Marya Group. Progressing from Consultant to Head of Treasury/Financial Controller and eventually Group CFO.

Rajesh’s experience with diversified industries enables him to analyze businesses comprehensively, addressing overarching strategies and minute details for growth. His extensive expertise covers business diagnostic reviews, growth strategies, financial and operational management & planning, fundraising, investment analysis and management, due diligence, commercial negotiation, M&A, and post-acquisition integration. Rajesh has successfully applied these skills across diverse sectors, from SMEs to listed companies to family offices, honing a critical and pragmatic problem-solving approach with a focus on achieving growth.

Parham Gohari

Subject Matter Expert – Strategy

Relevant experience

Parham has around 25 years of experience in consulting, executive management and entrepreneurship extending across 5 continents and 40 countries, he has lead multi-disciplinary teams and projects for government and public sector entities, global multinationals, regional family offices and startups on a range of advisory services, including: strategy design and implementation, business planning, M&A, valuations and modelling, due diligence, value enhancement, operational improvement, organizational design, commercial excellence, transformation, interim management, market growth and expansion and public policy development. He previously led Renoir Consulting in the Middle East and served as Deloitte Monitor’s Strategy Consulting Practice Leader across the Middle East region.

He has led high-impact strategy, operating model design, and implementation projects across the Middle East and North Africa—ranging from national housing support and FDI promotion to healthcare infrastructure, education reform, motorsport venue strategy, and corporate transformations for global and regional leaders in construction, pharma, consumer products, and industrial sectors.

Munish Mohendroo

Subject Matter Expert: Valuation

Relevant experience

Munish is a leading expert in valuation matters who spent 20 plus years in professional practice with the Big 4 firms (Deloitte, EY & KPMG) across Canada, Middle East and Africa. He has worked across a wide range of sectors, including Oil & Gas, Mining, Aviation, Education, Healthcare and Construction.

Munish has leveraged his cross-industry experience of working closely with entrepreneurs, private businesses, and large corporations in more than 35 countries, providing valuable business insights and practical solutions. He provided advice to clients relating to transactions, business planning, reorganizations, taxation, financial reporting, tangible asset and corporate valuations.

Sari Alabdulrazzak

Subject Matter Expert – Strategy & Go-To-Market

Relevant experience

Sari is a Dubai Based Strategy and Finance Advisor with over 18 years of experience. Sari has worked on projects across the world and has been an expert witness for a major ICCA case. His core expertise is in market research, business plans, feasibility studies, financial modeling, and corporate strategy. In his recent years, Sari ventured into the RetailTech and EdTech startup world. Previously, he worked with Deloitte Consulting in the Middle East, he was part of the strategy and operations team with a focus on industrial, construction projects and lead the healthcare and Life-sciences team in Deloitte.

Sari holds an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a B.Sc in Bioengineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA and a Certificate in Strategic Management from The George Washington University.

Samir Jha

Subject Matter Expert – Consumer Research

Relevant experience

Samir has over 20 years of work experience spread across Middle East (11+ years) India (5+ years) & North Africa (5 years) in both client side (8+ years) and consultancy & research agency roles (12+ years). He has worked with the major market research powerhouses like Nielsen, KANTAR and IPSOS as well as clients like Al-Futtaim Group and CEMEX. Over these years he has covered Automotive, BFSI, Government, Retail (both traditional and online), Telecom, Real Estate, Fashion, Furniture, Building Materials, HORECA, FMCG and B2B as sectors.

While he has championed the domains of Stakeholder Management, Ad & Brand, Innovation, Market Mapping, Market Sizing, Market Feasibility, Market Entry and Segmentation within market research, he firmly believes that the key to client satisfaction and hence successful business partnerships are still the basic softer principles of listening, understanding and accommodating the client’s business requirements. He focuses on developing and fulfilling shared vision through delivering sustainable results in the most efficient & effective manner by challenging the status quo & fostering innovation in positively charged team camaraderie.

Samir is a Civil Engineer from BITS India & MBA in Marketing from IISWBM, University of Calcutta, India. His pursuit of excellence has resulted in conducting several BPI projects and presentencing papers at prestigious conferences like ESOMAR and MRSI.

Edward Smith  

Relevant experience

Edward has been associated with the marketing and consulting industry for over 20 years in various capacities. He until recently was a Director with Deloitte US and India offices.

Edward has delivered several consulting projects across Middle East and Asia. He is a leader in sustainability and is a LEED accredited professional.

He has been a key note speaker at IFMA conventions, is a member of CoreNet, the American Business Council, the British Business Council, a BOMA FMA and Management Master Class graduate from Harvard. He was an instructor as part of a facilities PhD program and is currently giving Classes in Enterprise Sustainability and Value Engineering as well as a keynote speaker at Index.

Siddarth Razdan

Relevant experience

Siddarth Razdan is a first attempt qualified Chartered Accountant and did his mandatory professional training with a Big 4 firm and a SKP a leading home-grown firm in India today where he gained valuable experience in corporate tax. Post qualification he joined a Big 4 firm in their corporate tax advisory department and handled several leading MNC’s as clients including Citibank ADCB etc. The formation of Sebi in 1992 led him to the lure of capital markets and he joined a boutique investment bank in 1993 where he successfully handled 4 IPOs.

He set up his own audit and an advisory firm with a couple of friends and handled over 25 fund raising assignments from 1994 to 2001 aggregating over $ 100 million. The firm offered comprehensive corporate advisory services including both Debt and Equity. Client serviced included Nagarjuna Construction Haldia Petrochem Satyam Computers Shriram Group Chennai Multiarc India Ltd to name a few. In 2002 he moved to middle East as Cfo for Euro Rscg part of Havas a Fortune 500 company and 5th largest advertising and public relations group. In Mid 2004 he joined Karvy, a leading financial services group as their Head for GCC till mid-2010.

Post his Karvy stint he has been involved in fund raising and advisory assignments including restructuring in many geographies in UK USA India and Middle East. He joined hands with Mr K. K Rathi in early 2015 to set up Firstbridge Capital. He presently looks after fund raising for Firstbridge Capital as well as all strategic initiatives.

Elena Vishnevskaya

Relevant experience

Ms. Elena Vishnevskaya is the Managing Partner at AEG Consulting in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Born in Ukraine, graduated in 2004 from the Donetsk State University of Economy and Trade holds Bachelor Degree in Marketing and Economy, evaluated and recognised by University of Toronto. Ms. Elena was actively involved in business development processes in CIS countries Market for Aflex Software, multivendor software company, where key vendors were Acronis and Parallels – leading technologies in back-up and virtualization systems.

Her major interest areas include business consulting regarding international markets expansion for Canadian and international companies, businesses, investors. Immigration to Canada for Corporate clients and Individuals, available programs.