ASHITI BANTHIA

Experience & Activities

Currently, she is heading Bahrain operations, and is also an Sr. Engagement Manager and a Consultant at EmPact Consulting (Empact). At Empact, she has worked on numerous multisector (including F&B, Education, Fisheries, Real Estate, Healthcare, Cybersecurity, Insurance, etc.) projects across the GCC region. She has conducted the Impact Assessment Study of the flagship SME Financing Scheme of Tamkeen, the SME Development Authority of Bahrain. Ashiti also managed the enhancement of Tamkeen’s Strategic Grant Support (FDI) Scheme, including redesigning the model and scheme parameters; and developed revenue generation strategy for Export Bahrain. In the education sector, she has facilitated in developing the strategic direction for Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy, part of Dubai SME, and for Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. She also facilitated in developing a white paper on SME Policy Framework for Dubai SME and managed the project on State of Dubai SMEs Report for DED Dubai and Credit Conditions Assessment for the UAE Central Bank.

She’s also spearheaded in developing a Future Regulations Framework for a Dubai government entity. Aside from this, she has developed policies and procedures and consulted on feasibility studies and business plans for numerous projects.

Before joining Empact Consulting, and prior to her MBA, she was the founder and director of her own successful startup, providing end to end specialized overseas education consulting services. She was responsible for strategic decision making, identifying business opportunities and building relationships with key partners. Under her leadership, the business experienced a revenue growth of more than 54%. Aside from her startup, she was also an Assistant Professor, the youngest in her University, teaching Business Economics. Ashiti has also conducted various workshops and seminars for fellow educators and 200+ students.

In the recent past, she was an external consultant for a Singapore based crowdfunding platform, wherein she strategized and proposed a model for universal secondary market exchange for crowdfunding investments to create liquidity for investors, leveraging cloud and blockchain technology.

She is creative in her approach and possesses strong interpersonal, problem solving and analytical skills, and is adept at managing multi-cultural and cross-functional teams. Aside from professional experience, she is an active volunteer at NGOs, was a Delegate in an International Conference on UN Goals and Women Empowerment, amongst others. She’s passionate about disruptive ideas and new business models.

She holds an MBA from S.P. Jain School of Global Management (Singapore, Sydney, Dubai), specializing in Global Finance; Masters of Arts in Economics; Bachelor in Commerce (Honors) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, India; and is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Holder from USA.