Ayshath Shihab 

Ayshath is an independent brand strategist with over two decades of experience in business development, brand strategy and transformation, for small to medium sized businesses and independent Owner-led brands. Prior to her consultancy work, she worked in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry of the Maldives and Singapore for over a decade.

Spontaneous and naturally adept at connecting with people, Ayshath excels in discovering talent, seeing the big picture and nurturing relationships that fosters tangible outcomes. She has led and worked with multi-cultural teams in Singapore and Maldives, as well as on various platforms in the East and West.

After graduating, Ayshath began her career at the Bank of Maldives Plc, as the Head of Marketing. There she worked with the Executive Management and the teams in the early stages of transformation of the Bank to position itself as a peoples’ Bank. One of her notable achievements during her tenure was the launch of the first CSR initiative of the Bank in collaboration with the Society for Health Education, namely Thalassemic Support Fund.

Her next endeavour was joining one of the most enterprising and upcoming tourism companies in the Maldives at the time; Sultans of the Seas as their CEO. Rising to the challenge, she spearheaded the restructuring of the business and led change-management to deliver the ownership’s vision. Her pivotal contribution was introducing private yacht charter experiences to the Maldives, creating a new dimension in the tourism offering. For over a decade Sultans of the Seas provided bespoke personalised experiences, allowing clients to explore the farthest reaches of the Maldives, driven by an unparalleled efforts of a dedicated team.

Currently, Ayshath works with a select portfolio of clients focusing on brand strategy and transformation and frequently travels for meetings, research and continuous learning.

Ayshath thrives on unearthing and exploring the less travelled path to deliver strategic and conceptual thought process. She believes in the power of sharing knowledge and continuous learning through recognising the unknowns. She does not shy away from sharing the hard truths and is decisive.

She is committed, intuitive and savvy with a cool head and great humour. A tea lover and an enthused traveller, and in her own words, ‘my time on the road learning about other cultures and people ignites my creativity and keeps me grounded’.