Nirmal Chhabria is a Professor of Practice and Academic Director at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in Dubai, where he teaches finance, entrepreneurship, and accounting in the Executive MBA program. His entrepreneurial journey began early, building his first startup at seventeen, which ignited a lifelong commitment to fostering innovation and supporting founders through every stage of their growth trajectory.

With over 23 years of C-suite and senior leadership experience across global organizations including HSBC, TATA, Rio Tinto, and Alvarez & Marsal, Nirmal brings rare depth as both practitioner and builder. He has been deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem for decades, having designed and delivered entrepreneurship programs for the Barclays and NatWest incubator and accelerator networks.

Throughout his career, he has advised numerous startups on capital raising strategies, scaling operations, and navigating successful exits, while coaching founders on stakeholder management, governance frameworks, and leadership transitions during critical growth phases.

As a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and strategic policy advisor to the UN Secretary-General, Nirmal bridges private sector innovation with public policy implementation. His advisory experience extends to institutional leadership, having previously served on the Executive Advisory Council of Cardiff Business School, the South Wales Chamber of Commerce, and the Confederation of British Industry, where he contributed strategic insights on business transformation, trade policy, and economic development.

His expertise spans business transformation, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and artificial intelligence-driven innovation, consistently aligning financial discipline with entrepreneurial vision to drive sustainable value creation across metals and mining, renewable energy, manufacturing, and supply chain sectors.

Nirmal holds an MBA from Cardiff University, a bachelor's degree in Business and Accounting, is a Chartered Institute of Management Accountants member, and earned his Executive MBA from London Business School, combining rigorous academic credentials with extensive real-world application.

Nirmal's teaching philosophy centers on demystifying complex business concepts through realworld case studies and hands-on frameworks. He prepares executives and emerging leaders to think like founders, make confident strategic decisions in uncertain environments, and leverage technology as a catalyst for transformation.

His approach reflects a fundamental belief that entrepreneurial mindset and tech fluency are no longer optional competencies but essential leadership capabilities for navigating the future of work.