Professor Sattar Bawany is the CEO of the Disruptive Leadership Institute (DLI) and the SAGE™ C-Suite Master Executive Coach of the Centre for Executive Education (CEE).
He has 35 years of international business management experience, including 25 years in executive coaching, group facilitation, and leadership development and training with global management consulting firms including Mercer HR Consulting, Hay Group (now part of Korn Ferry), AchieveForum (now part of Korn Ferry) and DBM Asia Pacific (now part of Adecco Group).
Prof Bawany is a member of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) Advisory Council, a global research community of business professionals whose professional insights and perspectives are sought by HBR to inform its publications and research across a wide range of business transformation, leadership, management, and organizational themes.
He is the creator of “SAGE™ – Strategic AI Guidance for Executives“, a revolutionary AI-powered executive thought partner that provides Board-ready briefing notes and executive recommendations on the leadership challenges facing client’s enterprise — reflecting his advisory principles and CEE’s proprietary frameworks.
CEO Weekly magazine in its October 2, 2023 Edition, named Prof Sattar Bawany alongside Dr Marshall Goldsmith and Tony Robbins as the top 15 exceptional executive coaches who have had a major influence in the field of leadership development and coaching.
He was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Best CEOs in Singapore” by CEO Insights Asia magazine in 2023. He was honored with the “2019 Executive of the Year for Human Resources Consulting” award during the 2019 Singapore Business Review (SBR) Management Excellence Awards.
In addition to his business and consulting career, Prof Bawany has over 25 years of concurrent academic experience as an Adjunct Professor at various leading universities globally. He currently serves as the Professor of Practice for Disruptive & Crisis Leadership with Universiti Malaya Wales (UM-Wales) and Professor of Practice with the School of Management of Asia e University (AeU) as well as a Professor of Practice in Disruptive Leadership and Digital Transformation with the European International University – Paris (EIU).
He has coached a range of leaders, from CEOs to senior vice presidents, and high potential managers who are impacted by the disruption at the workplace and business by developing their managerial leadership competencies to enable personal transformation and leadership effectiveness. The results as seen in his extensive client testimonials from CEOs and C-Suite leaders attested to the fact that his coaches can achieve positive change in key leadership behaviors and become more effective leaders as determined by their key stakeholders including the sponsors. He is also able to support the development of high-potential leaders (future leaders for the organization).
Prof Bawany’s passion for people and culture is about creating an environment where employees are valued and emotionally engaged in the business. He has successfully worked with an extensive number of public and private organizations regionally and internationally specializing in people and culture through transformational change, starting with the ‘end’ in mind! He is an experienced facilitator and has spent many years developing leadership capability through the delivery of structured talent management, leadership development programs including executive coaching.
He is especially skilled at helping executives work through leadership transition issues, whether individually or systemically. As a seasoned coach, he truly cares about others, listens with an open mind, and adds value in unexpected ways. His approach to executive coaching encourages new insights into the key capabilities and unique strengths needed to sustain practical behavioral change over time, resulting in the executive’s enhanced self-awareness, better decision making, and continuous performance improvement.
Prof Bawany is an accomplished author and has published an extensive series of articles and books on themes related to Talent Management, Leadership Transition and Executive Coaching . His book on “Transforming NextGen Leaders: Meeting the Leadership Challenges in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)” published in July 2019 by Business Expert Press (BEP) LLC, New York is available on Amazon. Prof Bawany’s second book is entitled “Leadership in Disruptive Times” (2020) also published by BEP examines the best practices approaches and tools in meeting the leadership challenges in a disruptive, VUCA and digital-driven workplace. His book “Leadership in Disruptive Times: Negotiating the New Balance” was published in 2023
Prof Bawany’s latest book ‘The Making of a C.R.I.S.I.S. Leader” was released in 2025. The book provides leaders with tools to navigate crises effectively and turn challenges into opportunities. It introduces the “C.R.I.S.I.S.” Leadership Model, which highlights essential skills for resilience and strategic decision-making during turbulent times.
His forthcoming book, “Leadership as SHAPER: The Future of Human–AI Organizations” is expected to be published in late Q4 2026. it introduces the SHAPER AI Leadership™ Model: Strategic Foresight, Harness Human–AI Collaboration, Architect Adaptive Organizations, Protect Trust and Ethical Governance, Execute Transformation, and Renew Leadership Capability Continuously.
Prof Bawany is currently accredited as a “Certified Master Executive Coach” (CMEC) by the International Professional Managers Association (IPMA UK). He is also a member of the Advisory Panel for the China-ASEAN Business Association (CABA) and the RHT G.R.A.C.E. Institute. He is a Fellow of the International Professional Managers Association (IPMA) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is also a Professional Member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). He is also a Practicing Member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the International Association of Coaching (IAC).






































































