Why Us

Our insights, content and people set us apart

OUR INSIGHTS

Our Frontline Insights Span The Continent

From Iran to Japan, Mongolia to Indonesia, we’ve worked on dozens of business, policy and leadership challenges across a broad spectrum of sectors and industries.

We’ve facilitated collaboration between a European juice giant and a Chinese smallholder farming cooperative, promoted inclusive fintech to bank Myanmar’s unbanked, and developed strategies to provide appropriate healthcare technology in India and Vietnam.

A deep appreciation for local context and cultures, and an extensive network of regional relationships help us foster impactful, sustainable solutions for our clients and partners.

 
OUR CONTENT

Our Ideas Are
Our Ideas

Thought provoking and practical, GIFT’s original content covers leadership learning, business models for the future, and our vision for redesigning society.

Our proprietary curriculum and learning methodology have been presented to the United Nations as an innovation in leadership development.

We write books, reports, and articles that are published and presented globally, and our library of sustainability driven business models uncover exciting opportunities to address some of the world’s most salient challenges.

our ideas
 

Curriculum

GIFT leverages a proprietary curriculum and learning tools refined over 15 years of running leadership programmes and workshops. Our content is revised and updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant, meaningful and highly engaging.

 
OUR PEOPLE

We Practice What We Preach

Our vibrant global team, led by Founder and CEO Chandran Nair, has diverse backgrounds, experience, and interdisciplinary skill sets. We embody our ethos to ensure everything we deliver pushes the boundaries and exceeds expectations.

GIFT’s world-class project research, design and management are all conducted in-house, with a leadership team involved at every step, from ideation to facilitation.

Our team and insights are enriched by an unrivalled global network including CEOs and scientists, policy makers and entrepreneurs, NGO leaders and social activists.

Chandran at WEF
our people
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SPEAK TO US






  • VENUS DULANI
    PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE

    Venus is Programme Associate at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, she worked at the United Nations, USL Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has experience in climate change and sustainability planning, stakeholder engagement and community outreach. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies, with an additional concentration in Inequality Studies. She is fluent in English and Hindi, proficient in Spanish, and conversant in Cantonese.






  • KARIM RUSHDY
    FACILITATOR

    Karim joined GIFT in 2010 as Business Development Manager. Over the next decade he served as Head of Programmes in Hong Kong, and as Managing Director of GIFT ASEAN in Malaysia where he led the transformation of a small rep office into a fully-fledged regional business.

    During this period Karim designed and facilitated dozens of public and custom development programmes for thousands of professionals from Fortune 500s, regional MNCs, Government Agencies and NGOs. Karim’s articles on insights gathered through his work in the classroom and in the field have appeared in a range of publications.

    In 2021 Karim left his executive role at GIFT to pursue graduate studies in mindfulness – a practise he is deeply passionate about. He continues to contribute to programme design and facilitation, and is an advisor to GIFT’s new EdTech company GIFT.ed

    Karim has lived in Asia for over 20 years. Prior to GIFT, he was a partner in a successful Shanghai-based food and beverage company which today operates almost 50 restaurants across a dozen major Chinese cities. Karim has an MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China, and is pursuing a Masters in Teaching Mindfulness Based Courses at Bangor University in the UK.






  • ERIC STRYSON
    MANAGING DIRECTOR – GLOBAL SERVICES

    In addition to leading GIFT’s dynamic team and business, since 2008, Eric has facilitated more than 50 experiential leadership programmes in fifteen countries. He is well versed in introducing new ideas on governance, business and sustainability and coaching participants to think critically about their role as leaders. Before joining GIFT, Eric spent several years managing multi-stakeholder partnerships between global brands and civil society groups in the United States and China. He writes and speaks regularly on topics related to leadership development and the changing role of business in society. Eric is an alumnus of Standford University and holds a Masters from Hong Kong University.






  • CHANDRAN NAIR
    FOUNDER & CEO

    For more than three decades, Chandran has advised governments and MNCs on strategic management, leadership issues and sustainability, and is often invited to facilitate for top corporate education providers including Duke CE, INSEAD and NUS. He was previously Chairman of ERM in Asia Pacific, helping establish it as the world’s leading environmental consultancy. Chandran is on the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome and is a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability and Experts Forum, where his thought leadership is sought for its fresh insights and intellectual honesty. He is the author of the best-seller – Consumptionomics: Asia’s Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet, and The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society.