Binod Shankar’s early employment history is a who’s-who of finance brands. He started with GFH Financial Group as an executive director, moved to S B Bilimoria & Company as a financial services consultant, and then PMG as a senior auditor. Since 2000, he has worked for Arthur Andersen & Co, Ernst & Young, Nakheel, and Meraas in a range of finance managerial roles.

In 2009, he took the leap from the corporate role to entrepreneurship, co-founding Genesis Institute, creating the leading CFA prep provider in the Middle East and Africa, before selling it to Kaplan Inc. in 2017.

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Podcast

In 2019, Binod launched The Real Finance Mentor podcast, providing deep dives into the careers of mid- and senior-level professionals. With over 50 episodes and 200,000 global views, it is a go-to for anyone looking to get practical advice from those who have been successful in their professional lives. Topics touched upon include recruitment, leadership, investing in yourself, learning, success, confidence, and how to stand out.

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Author

Binod is the bestselling author of Let’s Get Real: 42 Tips For the Stuck Manager (2023). It is a no-holds-barred guide to breaking free from career stagnation. It is packed with actionable insights and real-world career advice that cuts through noise and teaches readers how to succeed without compromising values. He looks at self-discovery, career management, successful transitions, people power, and practical insights.

Whilst the book can be read by anyone, it is most suited to mid-career professionals, aspiring leaders, wannabe entrepreneurs, and those considering a career change.

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Media

Binod’s insights an expertise have been frequently called upon for major media platforms such as CNBC, Gulf Business and Bloomberg, where he breaks down complex topics and offers practical advice on financial markets, career development, and leadership issues.

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Adventurer

But Binod is not all business. He is also a hardcore adventurer who has summited 13 mountains across three continents – including Elbrus and Kilimanjaro –, has cycled punishing routes like the 463km trail from Manali to Leh, and completely multiple marathons.

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Corporate

Whether you’re striving to elevate your leadership skills, sharpen your decision making, or take your career to the next level, Binod’s experience will help you rise to the occasion, guiding you through the complexities of leadership and help you grow with confidence and purpose.

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Coaching and Training

Binod provides a range of coaching and training sessions, blending practical wisdom with a no-nonsense approach that gets real results. His corporate training sessions focus on real-life examples, interactive learning, and conceptual clarity, all delivered with a dash of his natural humour.

With a focus on enhancing performance, improving decision-making, and fostering both personal and professional growth, executive coaching provides the expert guidance and support you need to navigate complex challenges and drive your career success. Experience the difference that personalised coaching can make in your leadership journey.

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Technical Training: Arm your leadership teams with the skills to succeed, sharpen their expertise, cut down on mistakes, and keep them one step ahead of industry changes.

Strategic Planning: This session covers the essentials for strategic planning for your business, including articulating the all-important vision and mission, and hands-on practice using proven planning tools.

Capital Budgeting For Managers: Capital allocation is central to management because of the high values involved. This course is designed to familiarise managers with all the concepts, jargon, and reliable techniques of project appraisal.

Finance For Non-Finance Managers: This course strips finance down to its basics, teaching you the essentials without turning it into rocket science.

Finance For Board Members: For board members who nod along in financial meets but secretly pray no-one asks questions, this course gives you the know-how to ask the tough questions and understand the jargon.

The Psychology of Investing: This course digs deep into the quirks of human behaviour that trip us up and how to avoid them, and looks at why people make the same bad investment decisions over and over again.

Behavioural Training: Turn your team into communication and leadership pros. This training goes beyond just doing the job; it’s about making sure everyone works together like a well-oiled machine, creating a workplace that is as positive as it is productive.

Building Winning Teams: In today’s competitive world, the capacity to build and lead effective teams is critical for success. This highly interactive session covers examples of legendary teams, an epic mountaineering case study, and a team-based competitive game followed by a debrief.

Excellence In Customer Service: Customer expectations have evolved massively over the years, hence the performance doesn’t always meet the promise. Bino looks at the what, and the why of some examples of great service and industry specific client expectations. He uncovers the social behaviour types of the participants to drive discussion, deliver insight, and achieve higher customer satisfaction.

Train The Trainer: Training shouldn’t be like watching paint dry. Binod shows you how to engage a room, keep people awake, and get the message across.

Presenting For Impact: Communication is key for leaders, and even the best ideas can full flat if you can’t present them fluently. Binod looks at how to master the art of creating and delivering compelling presentations.

Building a Personal Brand: Every manager has two options – stay as a faceless commodity or build a brand. This session teaches you how to build a powerful personal brand that makes people notice and remember you.

Unleashing Confidence: This course delivers real, practical tools that will help build the kind of confidence that lasts and impacts.

Survival Simulation: Think you know teamwork? Try surviving in the world. Set in an unfamiliar location, this simulation takes participants outside of their organisational roles to a situation where only their problem solving skills will help them to survive.

Culture Mastery: This workshop is a hands-on series for managers, combining diagnostics, real-world case studies, and practical toolkits to assess, shape, and sustain a high-performance organisational culture.

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Speaking

Binod is not a motivational speaker. In fact, he intensely dislikes being called one! Because unlike the average ‘motivational’ talk that leaves you on a high but with very little of substance, Binod’s talks are packed with brutal honesty, real-world insights and actionable advice (with a dash of adventure). Expect a keynote talk that doesn’t just inspire but pushes your audience to think, act, and transform.

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Speaking Topics

– Understanding Organisational Culture

– Navigating Organisational Politics

– Finance For Non-Finance Managers

– Applied Behavioural Finance

– How to Build a Business Brand

– Impact of Leadership Styles

– Customer Service Excellence

– How to Build a Personal Brand

– The Future of Work

– Developing Mental Toughness

– How to Discover Your Values

– The Power of Anger

– How Women Can Win

– How To Be a Leader In Finance

– Lessons From Extreme Adventures

– Leveraging LinkedIn

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Keynote Talks

How To Get Unstuck: Values are your GPS, your foundational principles that influence every decision you make. It turns out that it’s usually when you go through hell that you find out what your values are. The good news is, you don’t have to go through that. Binod presents this thought-provoking session with some actionable insights.

How Women Can Win: Women in business, finance, and politics still face massive challenges. Binod dives deep into the internal and external factors holding women back, and with brutal honesty, he offers insights and practical steps to winning at work and life.

The Power of Anger: Anger isn’t all bad; in fact when it is channelled correctly, it can be a game changer. Binod shares how moments of burning anger pushed him from failure to success, providing that there’s a superhero in each of us.

Coaching Future Leaders: Too often people are promoted to leadership roles they are not ready for. Binod explains why this happens, where traditional approaches fail, and offers proven strategies to help young leaders thrive.

High Exposure: Lessons In Risk Management From the Mountains: In mountaineering, one wrong move can be deadly. Binod shares gripping stories from his own high-altitude adventures, translating those lessons into actionable insights for managing risk in the business world.

The Transformation From CA to Leader: Many chartered accountants struggle to evolve into leadership roles. Binod outlines the key stills and mindset skills required to lead effectively, drawing upon his own transformation from chartered accountant to CEO.

Personal Branding: How to Transform Your Career: Your personal brand is the key to visibility and career success. Binod has built both professional and personal brands, and he walks you through the practical steps of crafting a powerful personal brand.

The Future of Work: With artificial intelligence encroaching on more human roles, is it game over for humanity? Binod explore the skills that will rise in demand and how leaders can stay relevant in an AI-driven world.

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Why Book Binod?

– Gain clarity on your core behaviours, values, skills, and potential

– Understand your strengths and areas for growth

– Dive deep into your career aspirations

– Help you set meaningful goals and prioritise them effectively

– Equip yourself with tools to break through fears, biases, and limitations

– He delivers engaging talk that captivate your audience

– He shares insights that resonate deeply with audiences

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