Binod Shankar

Binod Shankar is the CEO of Elevation FZE and Co-founder of Genesis Institute, a leading CFA training provider across the Middle East and Africa, which he sold to education giant Kaplan Inc. As a keynote speaker and executive coach, his entrepreneurial vision, ability to build high-performing teams, and understanding of the significance of wellbeing in leadership demonstrate him as a compelling voice in the mental health space. Binod blends an extraordinary career in finance with deep insights into leadership, resilience, and personal development.

A Chartered Accountant, Binod began his career in industrial banking for SME project appraisal, reporting to the CEO as Deputy Manager. He later joined a Big Four firm, excelling in his work and earning two promotions in a year, securing the role of Audit Supervisor. Binod cleared all levels of the CFA programme, bestowing him the title of CFA Charterholder. He initially served as Finance Director for one of the MENASA region’s largest property developers, later advancing to Executive Director, where he managed a $10 billion real estate portfolio.

After Genesis Institute’s purchase in 2017, Binod earned his ILM Level 7 Coaching and Mentoring qualification, further underscoring his commitment to personal and professional development. He later joined the Board of CFA Emirates Society in 2019 and was appointed to the Advisory Board of Heriot-Watt University in 2022. These high-stakes roles shaped his understanding of the intense pressures faced by professionals and the critical importance of mental resilience in navigating them. He recognises the importance of emotional and physical health after losing a close friend to a sudden heart attack, enlightening him to the need for leaders to prioritse health over success. Binod believes that leaders cannot be wholly successful if they are not taking care of themselves mentally and physically, noting that taking care of the self is just as vital as taking care of a team.

As a regular guest on CNBC and Bloomberg with over 230 live interviews, Binod is also an articulate thought leader whose talks discuss Applied Behavioural Finance, The Power of Anger, and Lessons from Extreme Adventures. His other speaker topics, such as Developing Mental Toughness, Understanding Organisational Culture, and The Power of Anger, offer practical tools for fostering emotional and physical well-being in intense environments, highlighting the value in saying ‘no’ to what drains an individual and saying ‘yes’ to what revitalises them. Author of ‘Let’s Get Real: 42 Tips for the Stuck Manager’, Binod further demonstrates his passion for mental health by helping professionals overcome burnout, self-doubt, and stagnation. He advocates for healthy habits such as consistent exercise, proper sleep, or simply saying ‘no’ to certain things. He also hosts ‘The Real Finance Mentor’ podcast, where he uses his honest, no-nonsense approach to discuss relatable issues and their solutions, using his varied background to demonstrate both his financial prowess and mental perseverance, inspiring others to foster his pro-active mindset.