Gita Sivanandan

Gita Sivanandan is an AI Strategy & Business Transformation Advisor and the founder of GBL International. She works with founders, senior leaders, and executive teams to help them scale intelligently—by aligning strategy, systems, leadership narratives, and data-driven decision-making.
Her work sits at the intersection of leadership development, procurement excellence, and AI-enabled transformation, supporting leaders as they navigate growth, complexity, and change with clarity and confidence.
With more than 20 years of experience across telecom, trading, security, retail, and professional services, Gita brings a rare combination of boardroom perspective and hands-on execution. She has designed and led global sourcing and supply chain solutions across 20+ countries, managed multi-billion-dollar spend portfolios, and delivered hundreds of millions in annual savings through advanced analytics, automation, and AI-powered decision support.
Previously, as Group Manager for Data and Digital Sourcing & SCM Solutions at MTN Group, Gita led a Centre of Excellence that implemented spend analytics, process mining, and robotics. This work delivered over 1,000 man-days in savings and 77% process efficiency improvements in a single year. Her scope included Oracle Cloud strategic procurement, inventory optimization, supplier performance management, and ESG-focused Scope 3 emissions analytics—enabling leaders to make faster, more confident, data-backed decisions.
Today, Gita partners with leaders as a thinking ally, coach, and execution partner. She helps them sharpen strategic thinking, build high-performing teams, integrate AI into everyday decisions, and communicate complex ideas through simple, compelling narratives.
She holds professional credentials including MCIPS, Professional Scrum Master, and advanced training in Business Analytics for Leaders and Strategy Execution from IMD. A continuous learner, Gita has also pursued advanced learning in data science, automation, and AI tools such as Power BI, Alteryx, and process mining platforms. This experience is distilled into practical frameworks that help SMEs adopt AI, strengthen leadership capability, and scale sustainably—particularly within the UAE market.

Coaching & Transformation

Leadership, Narrative, and Personal Growth

For many leaders, the transition from technical expert or corporate professional to visionary founder is not blocked by how to grow—but by who they need to become.
Gita’s coaching is designed for founders and senior executives who have mastered their craft and are ready to master the art of influence, storytelling, and high-performance leadership. The focus is on leveling up from being the primary operator to becoming a strategic leader who can inspire teams, align stakeholders, and scale with intention.

The Leadership Narrative

At the core of Gita’s coaching is the concept of the Leadership Narrative—the ability to articulate a vision so clearly that it motivates teams, attracts investors, and guides confident decision-making.

Coaching engagements typically focus on:

Why Work With Gita

Having spent two decades leading global digital transformations and multi-billion-dollar portfolios, Gita understands the real pressures leaders face. Her coaching is not theoretical. It is grounded in lived experience—balancing cost, risk, innovation, people, and performance in complex environments.
Her aim is simple: to help you build a business that is not only successful, but also aligned, resilient, and meaningful to lead.

Giving Back

Community Spotlight: The Young Readers Book Club

Beyond the boardroom, Gita leads a pro-bono Book Club for children aged 8–12. The initiative nurtures a love for reading, critical thinking, and curiosity—while instilling the values of consistency and a growth mindset from an early age. This is part of GBL International’s commitment to developing future leaders and contributing positively to the wider community.

Upcoming Book

Modern & Future-Fit Leadership

Gita’s coaching philosophy is grounded in the principles of her upcoming handbook, Modern and Future-Fit Leadership.

The book explores how leaders can successfully operate at the intersection of human intuition and artificial intelligence, without losing authenticity.

Key themes include:

Your Leadership Narrative

Crafting a clear and compelling story that inspires teams, attracts investors, and anchors your “why.”

Strategic Orchestration

Moving from daily operational pressure to long-term, high-impact leadership decisions.

Data-Driven Confidence

Leading effectively in an AI-driven world while maintaining trust, clarity, and human connection.

Together, the book and coaching frameworks offer leaders a practical, grounded path to becoming truly future-fit.