Nadine Niba, CPA, MBA, is a Governance, Risk and Compliance executive, board leader, bestselling author and speaker whose work explores a defining question of modern leadership: how do people and organizations thrive across differences?
Her work brings together more than a decade of experience in governance, enterprise risk, technology risk, internal audit, and organizational leadership with a deep focus on cultural intelligence, human behaviour, and the changing world of work. Throughout her career, including experience with global professional services firms EY, PwC, and KPMG, Nadine has worked with executives, boards, and audit committees navigating risk, transformation, and increasingly complex organizational environments.
She is the author of Quarterback: An Immigrant’s Guide to Corporate North America, a #1 Amazon Canada bestseller for 99+ days born from her own experience navigating corporate North America as an immigrant professional. Quarterback examines what it takes to understand the unwritten rules of the workplace, build influence, adapt without losing authenticity, and take greater ownership of one's career.
Her second book, Leading Across Borders: The Cultural Intelligence Blueprint for Modern Leaders, is the structural counterpart to Quarterback. If Quarterback asks how individuals can successfully navigate organizations, Leading Across Borders asks how organizations can become better at leading the people within them.
Drawing on cultural intelligence, leadership research, real-world scenarios, and the experiences of professionals across different backgrounds, Leading Across Borders examines how leaders can build trust and performance across national, cultural, generational, and organizational differences. It also explores an increasingly important leadership challenge: as artificial intelligence transforms what organizations can automate, the distinctly human capabilities of judgment, trust, adaptability, and cultural intelligence become even more consequential.
Together, the two books reflect Nadine's broader philosophy: individuals have a responsibility to learn how to navigate the environments they enter, and leaders have an equal responsibility to build environments in which different people can succeed.
Nadine's professional leadership and community impact have been recognized through honours including the CPA Alberta Early Achievement Award, Deloitte Norman Wildgoose Award, Calgary Black Chambers Professional Excellence Award, Immigrant Champions of Canada Inclusive Leadership Award, and SAIT Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Her work and perspectives have been featured in CPA Dividends, Calgary Herald, Canadian Immigrant Magazine, Business in Calgary, Avenue Magazine, The NOD Magazine, CPA Capitalize, and SAIT LINK, as well as on digital platforms including Yahoo and MSN.
Beyond her executive career, Nadine serves in board and community leadership roles and is invited to speak at corporate, professional, and leadership forums in Canada and internationally on cultural intelligence, governance, risk, leadership, executive presence, and the human advantage in an AI-enabled world.
At the centre of Nadine's work is a belief that has shaped both her career and her writing: technical expertise may get you into the room, but understanding people, culture, risk, and influence determines what you accomplish once you are there.
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