Areen Shahbari
Areen Shahbari is a global executive educator, strategist, and principal of Cactus Int. LLC, a consulting and training firm that partners with governments, Fortune 500 companies, and mission-driven organizations to develop leaders and executives who thrive in complexity and excel in driving strategic innovation and delivering performance at scale.
With two decades of experience in management, entrepreneurship, and organizational development, Shahbari serves as an expert in residence for the Harvard Division of Continuing Education Professional & Executive Development program Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders. She teaches leadership, strategy, innovation, decision-making, marketing, and negotiation at both Harvard University and Stanford University. Shahbari has delivered executive training to a wide range of firms, including Salesforce, USAA, MediaTek, and the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning, and has trained senior leaders from Apple, Nike, Netflix, Kaiser Permanente, and the Mayo Clinic.
Shahbari’s teaching equips leaders to understand the inner workings of businesses, craft and execute solid strategies, innovate strategically, and lead with impact. She helps them navigate complex challenges, from negotiation and conflict resolution to managing change and driving organizational transformation. By connecting the dots, revealing hidden biases and assumptions, and pushing leaders out of their comfort zones, Shahbari fosters a mindset of continuous growth and strategic thinking. Her approach combines behavioral science with a cross-disciplinary lens, empowering leaders to surface assumptions, challenge conventional thinking, and align diverse teams toward common goals. As a trusted thought partner to C-suite executives, she facilitates transformative conversations that unlock new paths to growth.
Her training style is immersive, highly experiential, and practical, combining case studies, real-world examples and discussions, simulations, role-plays, and interactive exercises to ensure deep engagement and actionable outcomes.
Leveraging her extensive media background as head of programming, producer, and television host, Shahbari excels at storytelling, facilitating dynamic conversations, commanding audiences — both online and in person — and leading high-impact dialogues across cultures and contexts. Her strong stage presence and ability to unify and focus diverse groups make her especially effective in driving alignment, achieving consensus, and fostering collaboration in high-stakes, complex environments.
A Fulbright Scholar and recipient of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Harvard Distinguished Teaching Performance Awards, Shahbari holds a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurship from Simmons University (Beta Gamma Sigma) and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and communication. She is a frequent international speaker and serves on the governance committee of the Hult $1M Prize. Her work spans North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Programs Areen Teaches
Business Strategy: Evaluating and Executing the Strategic Plan
Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders
Innovation and Strategy
Women in Leadership: Online Program for Emerging Leaders
Women Leaders: Advancing Together
