TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Nihad E. K. McBride

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Imaginative. Innovative. Unstoppable. These are just a few of the many words used to describe Nihad E. K. McBride, founder and CEO of the boutique global consulting firm Acquence Solutions Inc. With a client roster that includes leading organizations in the public, private, and social sectors in more than 20 countries across five continents, Nihad and her team have spent the last 13 years serving as trusted advisors to Fortune 500 and Inc. 5000 companies alike. As someone who subscribes to the proposition that “innovation is a mindset and a drive, triggered mainly by inspiration and often by the need to survive,” Nihad sees power in helping people grow.   “Young talent needs an inspiring and safe environment to innovate,” she believes.  

 

With multiple careers in organizational strategy, organizational change, behavioral design, business transformation, corporate finance, and risk management, Nihad is on what she describes as a “deep, fulfilling journey.” Leveraging a behavioral science toolkit invented by the U.S. Air Force and an Ivy League education, Nihad is driven by an insatiable thirst for innovation and discovery. “An innovation culture is critical, as is a structure that fosters communication and minimizes conflict, where experts lead experts and leaders contribute and engage in a meaningful way,” she explains. “Behavioral science provides access to valuable insights into communicating, empowering, aligning, and facilitating learning to help clients fully realize their vision.”

 

The daughter of an executive and a French literature teacher, Nihad is a Mediterranean with a multicultural background and a unique life story, including many stints in expat compounds. She’s actively supported not-for-profit organizations since 1999 and has mentored young leaders for over 15 years. After meeting the formidable young leader, indigenous rights advocate, filmmaker, and producer Kumiko Hayashi, she was inspired. “I knew I’d found another culture champion,” she recalls. Together, they co-founded Kako Earth—a nonprofit to preserve indigenous rights, with a focus on the Siekopai nation—less than a year after they’d met. Now, the duo has built a triad of projects connected to the Siekopai nation. “For us, it goes beyond preserving the culture and territories of the Siekopai people,” she states emphatically. “It’s about healing and preserving humanity through access to their knowledge and the protection of the Amazon rainforest.”

 

Nihad E. K. McBride

Founder & CEO — Acquence Solutions, Inc.

Website: http://acquence.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nihadkmcbride