In a region where cultures, industries, and ambitions converge, Nasreen El-Mansub has carved out a unique role: guiding leaders and organizations through the complexities of intercultural communication and leadership alignment. As the Founder and CEO of Al Multaqa Consultancy, she partners with multinationals, government entities, and family-owned conglomerates across the GCC to unlock growth by bridging cultural divides and helping leaders thrive in increasingly diverse environments.
Tell us about your career journey
My career has been defined by curiosity about people, culture, and systems and the belief that effective leadership starts with understanding how we connect across differences. After earning my BSc in Politics and International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE), I completed an LLM in Law and Development at Queen Mary University of London, followed by specialized training in international dispute resolution and human rights law.
Early in my career, I worked on ethical labour reform in Australia, contributing to policy changes that criminalized forced marriage and increased protections for vulnerable communities. This work exposed me to complex negotiations between governments, organizations, and communities from vastly different cultural backgrounds. It was here that I first saw how communication gaps can make or break progress, a lesson that continues to shape my approach today.
What do you currently do?
I am the Founder and CEO of Al Multaqa Consultancy, a UAE-based consultancy with operations across Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC region. As CEO, my role is both strategic and hands-on. I lead program design, facilitate executive workshops, and develop bespoke solutions for clients. My work focuses on leadership development, executive coaching, and intercultural leadership advisory, partnering with multinational corporations, family-owned businesses, and government entities to help them align leadership strategies and navigate cross-cultural environments, particularly within the context of Vision 2030 and regional transformation initiatives.
What has been your biggest career success?
My biggest success has been building Al Multaqa into a trusted partner for GCC organizations undergoing transformation. Seeing a family-run Saudi conglomerate achieve measurable improvements in team productivity and executive alignment within six months, or watching a multinational corporation reduce cultural friction while increasing innovation these tangible outcomes validate our approach of combining evidence-based frameworks with deep cultural insight.
What inspired you to found Al Multaqa Consultancy?
Founding Al Multaqa was deeply personal. As a third-generation expat raising children of mixed heritage, I have experienced firsthand how cultural diversity enriches our lives but also presents challenges when mismanaged. I wanted to create a consultancy that equips leaders with the skills to navigate those challenges while leveraging cultural diversity as a competitive advantage.
The name “Al Multaqa” means “the meeting point” in Arabic, and that reflects our mission: creating spaces where leaders, teams, and organizations connect across differences to achieve shared goals.
What drives and motivates you?
My passion lies in unlocking human potential across cultural boundaries. I am driven by the belief that when leaders understand how to connect authentically across cultures, they can achieve extraordinary results. My core values centre on curiosity, respect, and impact, always approaching cultural differences with genuine interest rather than judgment, treating every perspective as valuable, and ensuring our work delivers measurable business outcomes.
Tell us more about your work at Al Multaqa Consultancy
At Al Multaqa, we specialize in leadership development, executive coaching, and intercultural advisory services. Our work focuses on three core areas:
Executive Leadership Development: Equipping senior leaders with the tools to make confident, informed decisions in culturally complex environments.
Intercultural Communication Advisory: Helping organizations manage diverse teams, build trust, and reduce friction caused by different working styles.
Strategic Advisory for Transformation: Partnering with boards and C-suite leaders to align business strategy with cultural realities, especially in the context of Vision 2030 and Emiratization.
What are your most in-demand programmes right now?
Two programmes have been generating significant traction:
1. The Executive Compass: Navigating Global Cultures A flagship programme designed for senior leaders and decision-makers. It helps participants identify their intercultural leadership style, understand potential blind spots, and develop strategies to lead effectively across cultures. This programme has become so popular that we are launching an intensive workshop version in Q4 2025 for executives who want accelerated results.
2. The Intercultural Communication Audit & Enhancement An organization-wide diagnostic and development process that identifies communication bottlenecks, collaboration gaps, and cultural friction points then provides actionable solutions to enhance team performance and engagement.
What are the key topics you cover in your courses?
Our programmes are highly customizable, but core themes consistently include:
- Leadership styles across cultures and their impact on team dynamics
- Building trust in hierarchical vs. egalitarian environments
- Decision-making speed and consensus-building across cultural contexts
- Navigating feedback, conflict resolution, and difficult conversations
- Communication preferences and non-verbal cultural cues
- Leveraging cultural diversity for innovation and competitive advantage
Each topic is tailored based on the client’s industry context and specific challenges, ensuring immediate relevance and application.
In what industry do you see the most rapid growth for your services?
The GCC is experiencing unprecedented transformation, and we are seeing the strongest demand from healthcare, technology and digital innovation, education, and public sector transformation. As organizations in these sectors scale globally and recruit increasingly diverse talent under Vision 2030 initiatives, there is growing recognition that cultural agility is not just nice to have it is business critical.
What is the biggest challenge facing organizations in the MENA region right now?
The single biggest challenge is aligning multicultural, multi-generational teams while maintaining organizational performance and agility. Many organizations are expanding rapidly, bringing together local talent and global expertise, but without a framework for understanding different cultural expectations, misalignment can slow decision-making, affect employee engagement, and reduce overall productivity. Leaders often tell me they know diversity is valuable, but they struggle with the “how” of managing it effectively.
How are your leadership development programmes unique?
Our programmes go beyond theory and focus on immediately actionable strategies. We integrate globally recognized tools, while tailoring them specifically to the GCC’s cultural and business landscape. Each programme is designed with real-world case studies, personalized coaching, and context-specific insights so participants leave with solutions they can implement the next day, not abstract concepts they will struggle to apply.
How can businesses in the MENA region leverage cultural diversity as a competitive advantage?
Cultural diversity, when managed intentionally, becomes a strategic asset. Diverse teams innovate faster, solve problems more creatively, and connect with global markets more effectively. However, success depends on developing leaders who can translate differences into strengths. At Al Multaqa, we help organizations turn cultural complexity into strategic clarity by aligning leadership styles with team dynamics and market expectations. The companies that invest in this capability now will outperform their competitors in the years ahead, because ultimately, retaining talent, reducing turnover, and keeping employees engaged directly impacts the bottom line. Every employee who stays because they feel understood and valued represents significant cost savings and retained knowledge.
Can you share an interesting project or case study?
One of our most impactful engagements involved a family-run conglomerate in Saudi Arabia with over 14 subsidiaries. The leadership team wanted to reduce micromanagement, resolve internal conflicts, and build trust across generations a common challenge in family businesses navigating modern growth.
Through a combination of executive profiling, targeted workshops, and one-on-one coaching, we helped them achieve:
- Aligned leadership styles across decision-makers
- Improved communication between subsidiary managers and executives
- Increased team productivity and collaboration within six months
- Reduced decision-making time by 40%
This project perfectly illustrated how localized, data-driven leadership development can transform family business ecosystems while preserving cultural values.
You are also an Affiliate Corporate Member of AmCham Saudi Arabia, tell us more about this
AmCham Saudi Arabia provides a strategic platform to connect with global leaders, share insights, and stay ahead of policy and investment trends. Through this network, I have access to cross-border opportunities and strategic collaborations that support Al Multaqa’s growth and strengthen our clients’ access to international best practices. It’s also where I often meet executives who later join our programmes, the connections formed there consistently lead to meaningful partnerships.
What is next for you? What are your goals for the next five years?
Over the next five years, my vision is to scale Al Multaqa’s impact regionally and globally through three key initiatives:
Digital Platform Launch: Creating an integrated leadership and cultural intelligence platform that combines assessments, personalized dashboards, and on-demand coaching capabilities.
Programme Expansion: Scaling The Executive Compass into high-growth sectors like tech, healthcare, and education, starting with our intensive workshops launching in Q4 2025.
Research Partnerships: Collaborating with academic institutions to develop region-specific intercultural frameworks and advance original research on leadership effectiveness in the GCC.
Book Publication: Publishing “10 Steps to Understanding Any Culture: A Practical Guide for Leaders, Teams, and Global Citizens,” scheduled for mid-2026, which will provide leaders and organizations with actionable frameworks for navigating cultural complexity in today’s business and global environment.
The immediate next step is our upcoming Executive Compass intensive workshops, designed for senior leaders who want to accelerate their cultural leadership capabilities in just two days rather than weeks.
Where can readers find out more?
For executives interested in developing their intercultural leadership capabilities or organizations looking to enhance team performance across cultures:
🌐 Website: https://almultaqaconsultancy.com/
🔗 LinkedIn: Al Multaqa Consultancy
📧 Email: info@almultaqaconsultancy.com
The Workshop Series: https://almultaqaconsultancy.com/womens-workshop-series/
Ready to take the next step? Contact us directly to discuss your specific challenges or to learn more about our upcoming Executive Compass intensive workshops, spaces are limited and filling quickly as regional leaders recognize the competitive advantage of cultural agility.
“Cultural diversity is not just about representation, it is about transformation. When leaders learn to navigate across cultures effectively, they unlock potential that drives real business results.” — Nasreen El-Mansub
