It is not often that you come across someone who is so widely loved, respected and renowned for personal and professional credibility. With a Pakistani-German family heritage, Shireen Naqvi has been gifted with the ability to connect with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and social strata. Her patience, wisdom and visible sincerity make her the mentor that many go to for advice and guidance. She is an individual who defines the contours of ZIKR – the Carnelian Values of Zeal, Integrity, Kudos and Renewal.

Working with organizations in the corporate, social, public and academic sectors, Shireen strives to stir core beliefs, leading to innovative outcomes. Shireen’s focus areas include personal development, visionary leadership and emotional intelligence. A participant of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmark Standards, she has also worked extensively in the area of diversity and inclusion.

Shireen works with people in a variety of formats: at large conferences as a keynote speaker and panelist, in hands-on workshops, and through one-on-one coaching interactions. Her methodology focuses on experiential learning backed by concepts rooted in management sciences. She has worked with over 300 organizations and institutions—in Pakistan and abroad—written articles on numerous topics, and earned several awards.

Besides the corporate sector, Shireen works with bureaucrats and parliamentarians in the public sector; foreign delegates, expats of donor organizations and NGOs/CBOs in the social sector; vice chancellors, university/college faculty, heads of schools and teachers and with officers of the Pakistan Navy and Air Force.

Shireen is the founder of the School of Leadership and Amwaj and Trustee of the School of Leadership Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Hashoo School of Hospitality and Taskeen. After over two decades of investing herself in the L&D industry, she is privileged to continue to contribute to this vital segment of our national economy.

Shireen holds an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. She loves traveling and experiencing different cultures of the world.

At Carnelian, Fakiha is known for her undying hunger for new challenges and her optimistic attitude towards the future – traits that allow her to thrive in difficult situations. She constantly strives to reinvent herself, and in the process lends a fresh perspective to discussions and assignments.

Fakiha is gifted with the ability to simplify complex management tools into palatable concepts. She effectively engages audiences across various organizational tiers for programs on topics such as personal enrichment, teamwork and collaboration, conflict resolution and integrated thinking. She is also a seasoned sales trainer, drawing on her vast professional experience including that as Director Sales and Marketing at Karachi Marriott Hotel.

In addition to training workshops, Fakiha has facilitated fast-paced, power-packed conferences and team retreats for larger audiences. She has also had the opportunity to coordinate Train The Trainer for Millicom in Sri Lanka, a program designed to prepare internal trainers in Millicom subsidiaries across South Asia.

With accreditation from ICF (International Coach Federation) and EQ-i 2.0 (a psychometric tool), Fakiha is one of the few certified coaches and EQ-i 2.0 consultants in Pakistan. Her interest in coaching came from a desire to bring about sustainable change in people’s habits and from her own interest in self-directed approaches to personal development. As a coach, she makes regular appearances on media.

Hailing from Lahore, Fakiha is the embodiment of joy, energy and positivity.

Her keen observation skills, protective instinct and calming presence make Hina Qureshi a mentor for all her coworkers. Hina is a Senior Consultant at Carnelian and has earned herself a reputation of being a successful negotiator and a tenacious problem solver through her experience over the last ten years in the industry.

Hina has a highly polished ability to be unobtrusive which serves her well during assignments where her scalpel-like observation abilities spell the difference between excellence and mediocrity. This, coupled with the regality she exudes, inspires instant confidence and trust wherever she goes. She uses these abilities to understand interpersonal and cultural dynamics within teams and organizations. Poised and deceptively quiet, Hina has many layers to her personality; she often surprises people with her insightfulness and bluntness when she feels it is required.

Hina is known for her attention to detail and organizational capabilities – strengths that make her ideal for troubleshooting and streamlining systems. A natural conflict manager and born motivator, Hina is an inspiration both within and outside Carnelian.

Muhammad Ali has been part of the training and development industry since 2004. He studies high performance and engagement in organizations and grounds his interventions in current research and classical management practices. His versatile training delivery is instantly recognizable as he engages his audience on intellectual and emotional levels. He switches seamlessly between English, Urdu, Punjabi and Seraiki in his training sessions to deliver his message. He especially feels energized when training frontline floor or sales staff.

Ali thrives in all training environments: from big conferences to small workshops and from planning to team building interventions. Topics such as problem solving, decision making, creativity, leadership, personal effectiveness, and emotional and cultural intelligence (diversity and inclusion) are Ali’s forte.

In his OD consulting practice, he focuses on talent development, design and delivery of assessment centres, 360-degree assessments and engagement studies.

Ali is the uncrowned champion of trivia at Carnelian and can hold a vigorous discussion on many a mundane topic. He also takes pride in his music collection and gets mildly offended if the participants of his sessions don’t like his playlist. Ali reads on topics such as psychology, anthropology, spirituality, sports and politics. His training influences include Shawn Achor, Etsko Schuitema, Nadeem Chawhan and Shireen Naqvi.

Ali is married and has a set of twin boys. He feels his boys are one of his greatest teachers and have taught him how to be playful and patient. He believes nearly all effective or ineffective human interaction centres around deep listening and that’s why he practices to be a key-note listener (a term coined by Henry Mintzberg).

He is a graduate of the LUMS MBA program and currently resides in Multan.

Waleed is passionate about instilling confidence in his audience to fight against all odds. He focuses on making a strong connection and inspires all those he interacts with to achieve their most ambitious goals.

Waleed’s love for Sufism, quest for realism, and interest in research make him unique. He will question the strongest of beliefs and the dearest of values, and then dissect them one by one to show a different angle.

As a Facilitator, Waleed’s defining characteristics are his connection with the audience, innovative methodologies and infectious energy. He has led numerous training programs on team building, communication, hiring, supply chain management, interview tactics and coaching.

A born leader, Waleed is part of a number of international leadership programs, including the South East Asia Leadership Academy, FNF Freedom Gate and British Council Active Citizens. He is also a Mentor at the Start Up Hub at COMSATS.

Shakeel works as a team member in the Finance and Accounts department at Carnelian. He provides support in the various book-keeping and accounting tasks entrusted to him.

In his free time, he likes reading books, travelling and watching movies. His passion is to learn a new thing every single day to add greater value at Carnelian.

A passionate changemaker with over sixteen years of experience in learning, development, and governance reform, Zain brings both insight and execution to every project he leads. An engineer by education and a facilitator by heart, he has worked across Pakistan and abroad to design and deliver programs that inspire transformation and build capacity at scale.

Zain has led several landmark initiatives, including Together for Tolerance, Hamara Azm, and the Women’s Tolerance Cricket League, empowering thousands of youth to become ambassadors of inclusion and civic responsibility. His work spans collaborations with USAID, USIP, DAI, and corporate partners, where he has consistently driven innovation, engagement, and impact.

Known for his energy, empathy, and ability to connect with diverse audiences, Zain embodies purposeful leadership. His mantra is simple: lead with authenticity, and the impact will follow.

Naveed is Company Secretary at Carnelian and is also responsible for the Operations team. His nature of job involves managing projects, which requires him to deal with a variety of stakeholders to ensure that the deliverables are completed on time. His interpersonal skills and knowledge of local customs and traditions enable him to make things happen.

He has an amazing capacity for working under pressure, yet delivering quality in a customer-centric way. He welcomes creative challenges and with the support of his motivated team in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, he has successfully managed several event management assignments for clients, while fulfilling his other responsibilities.