Institute Wide

Ranya Nehmeh

Global HR Strategist & Future of Work Thought Leader

Faculty Profile

Ranya Nehmeh is a senior HR strategist, author, and speaker with over 20 years of international experience across leading organisations, including the European Central Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development. She specialises in leadership, people strategy, talent management, the future of work, and organisational transformation. She is the CEO and Founder of ELEVAR, an HR advisory and executive training practice based in Vienna, Austria.

She is the co-author of In Praise of the Office (Wharton School Press, 2025) and a contributor to leading publications, including Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal. Ranya is also an adjunct professor, teaching postgraduate courses on HR, leadership, and the future of work.

Her work focuses on helping organisations navigate change while building more human, effective, and sustainable workplaces.

Experience

Apr 2026 - Present
CEO and Founder
ELEVAR HR Advisory & Executive Training
Jan 2026 - Present
Co-Lead Ambassador of Transform Vienna Chapter
Transform
Jun 2025 - Present
HR Strategist | Executive Trainer | Speaker | Author
Ranya Nehmeh
May 2025 - Present
Co-author of In Praise of the Office
Wharton School Press
May 2024 - Present
Contributor
Harvard Business Review
Sep 2023 - Present
Adjunct Professor
FHWien der WKW
Mar 2023 - May 2025
Senior HR Solutions Expert, Talent Management Division, HR
European Central Bank
Jan 2021 - Dec 2022
Head, HR Policies & Development
The OPEC Fund for International Development
Jan 2018 - Jan 2021
Senior Human Resources Officer
The OPEC Fund for International Development
Oct 2008 - Jan 2018
Human Resources Officer
The OPEC Fund for International Development
Mar 2005 - Oct 2008
Executive Assistant to the Director-General
The OPEC Fund for International Development
2003 - 2004
Human Resources Specialist
Three
2002 - 2003
Business Relations Manager
Three
2002 - 2002
Account Executive
Bite Communications
Jan 1999 - Jul 1999
Associate Auditor
PwC
Jul 1998 - Dec 1998
Intern (Personnel Department)
UNRWA

Education

2000 - 2001
MSc, Industrial Relations & Human Resource Management
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
2008 - 2012
Doctorate of Business Administration
SMC University
1996 - 2000
Bachelors, Business Studies with Human Resource Management
Westminster Business School
1983 - 1996
International Baccalaureate and Austrian Matura
Vienna International School