About
UPDATE:
On October 18, 2010 Naheed Nenshi was elected Mayor of the City of Calgary!
Bio:
Naheed Nenshi is a passionate Calgarian, an accomplished business professional, and a community leader with a solid track record of getting things done. He’s run a large nonprofit, he’s been a trusted advisor to corporate leaders in Canada and the US, and he literally wrote the book on Canadian cities.
Naheed spent many years at the international business consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., where he advised large telecommunications, banking, retail and oil and gas companies in corporate strategy. After leaving McKinsey, Naheed formed his own business, the Ascend Group, a consultancy that assists public, private, and nonprofit organizations to grow. In this role he designed major policy for the Alberta government, helped create a Canadian strategy for The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and worked with the United Nations to determine how global business can help the poorest people on the planet.
His real passion, though, is making cities, especially Calgary, work better. He’s the lead author of "Building Up: Making Canada’s Cities Engines of Growth and Magnets of Development" and has long been putting his ideas to work in Calgary.
He’s been the Chairman of the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, and has lent his expertise to nonprofits across the city, including the Calgary Foundation, the United Way, the Coral Springs Community Association, and Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids.
Naheed grew up in Calgary (born in Toronto, moved to Calgary at age one) and has lived and worked in cities around the world before coming back to make his home here.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with distinction) from the University of Calgary, where he was President of the Students’ Union, and a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.
Specialties: Lead author of "Building Up: Making Canada’s Cities Magnets for Talent and Engines of Development," Naheed Nenshi is considered one of the nation’s top thinkers on the future of cities.
He also served on the leadership team of imagineCalgary, where he was a primary author of Calgary’s 100-year vision.
Articles by Naheed
Activity
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36th mayor of Calgary, Alberta Naheed Naheed Nenshi joins us this week on #DiggingDeep. When asked for a book recommendation on the show, we’ve…
36th mayor of Calgary, Alberta Naheed Naheed Nenshi joins us this week on #DiggingDeep. When asked for a book recommendation on the show, we’ve…
Liked by Naheed Nenshi
Experience
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The Ascend Group
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Education
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Activities and Societies: President of the Students' Union: This role was a full-time, salaried, elected position as CEO of $4 million corporation with 40 full-time and up to 200 part-time employees; official representative of 22,000 students to government, university administration and media; Naheed was called “best President in recent memory” and “off-the-scale excellent” (and, most importantly, “really a nice guy”) by campus newspaper; eliminated chronic deficit through six-figure financial turnaround.
Ranked second in program on graduation; perfect score on Law School Admission Test (LSAT); University of Calgary Entrance Award (largest scholarship then given by University); Viscount Bennett Scholarship for highest high school average in Calgary; Governor General’s Bronze Medal.
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