Nadia Verjee — CEO

As Executive Director at Expo City Dubai, I lead global initiatives and urban diplomacy for one of the world’s most ambitious city legacy projects. My work spans engagement, programming, partnerships, and advisory, curating platforms where places don’t just convene, but collaborate. My focus is on building systems that feel human, and impact that lasts well beyond the stage. Alongside this, I serve as Managing Director of Fitted, a design and fit-out studio rooted in craft and commercial excellence. Born from the Expo 2020 Dubai experience of delivering over 100 pavilions, Fitted creates high-performance workspaces and exhibitions. We build with rhythm, care, and clarity, where every detail is deliberate. I’m a strategist by training, with a career shaped by policy development, global cooperation, and place-making. I thrive on building what doesn’t yet exist, translating vision into structures that can scale. I’m known for turning ambition into delivery, and for working across sectors and geographies to bring bold ideas to life with clarity and momentum. Over the past two decades, I’ve worked in international affairs, run seven major bids and campaigns (winning six), and focused on sustainable development and urban strategy across multilateral institutions, national governments, philanthropic networks, and cities on every continent. As Chief of Staff at Expo 2020 Dubai, I helped steer one of the world’s most complex global convenings through the COVID-19 crisis, ultimately welcoming 193 nations to a platform that lives on through Expo City Dubai. I began my career in Brussels and Washington, working with the European Parliament and the European Commission. I later helped secure Dubai’s successful bid for the World Expo and co-authored the first MoU between the EU and the Aga Khan Development Network, an early milestone in non-state diplomacy. In 2025, I’ve been honoured to speak at global forums across the UAE, Egypt, Turkey, Ethiopia, Kenya, Portugal, Spain, Japan, and India. Born and raised in London, of Kenyan and Indian heritage, I move through the world with a deep respect for context, culture, and nuance. I combine intellectual discipline, a collaborative mindset, and a practical optimism that has been shaped by building some of the most complex civic platforms of our time, with some of the best people I know around me. I believe the most enduring ideas are the ones you can sketch on a napkin or build with your own two hands. Well, I am a carpenter.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Urban Development and International Relations with a focus on strategic partnerships.

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Experience: 23 yrs