The coach behind some of India's biggest founders — on your stage.
Naina Sahni speaks on the things founders actually struggle with: clarity under pressure, the inner game of building a company, and seeing the whole system instead of the loudest symptom. Available for keynotes, offsites, panels and press. To invite her, write to connect@workwithnaina.com.
An operator and a coach — not a speaker who reads about leadership.
Naina Sahni spent over a decade inside Zomato — from content to Chief of Staff to the founder — and was embedded through the Grofers→Blinkit transformation. Today she coaches 12+ founders and CEOs at companies like CARS24, Zomato, Blinkit, Xpressbees and Animall. When she speaks about pressure, scale or the cost of unclear thinking, it's from the room — not the deck.
Her talks carry the same register as her coaching: sharp, direct, no MBA-speak, no empty transformation language. She uses a systems-thinking lens to make a complex idea land in one sentence an audience remembers — and to leave a leadership team with a better question than the one they walked in with.
What she speaks on.
Four themes she returns to — each shaped to your audience and the real tension in the room, not delivered off the shelf.
Clarity under pressure
Why the quality of a leader's thinking is the first thing to degrade under load — and the last thing anyone measures. How clarity you find in a calm moment evaporates exactly when the stakes rise, and what it takes to build conditions where it holds.
Systems thinking for leaders
Most founder problems aren't strategy problems — by the time they reach the deck, they're already downstream. How to read the structure underneath a recurring symptom, find the leverage point, and stop solving the same problem in three different places.
The inner game of company-building
The founder who solves every problem themselves is building a company that can't think without them. The interior shifts — attention, regulation, judgment — that decide whether scale strengthens a leader or quietly hollows them out.
Building learning organizations
Companies that keep learning outlast companies that only execute. How leaders create the loops, the safety and the structures that let an organization see itself clearly and improve faster than its problems compound.
Formats range from a conference keynote to an intimate founder fireside to a working session at a leadership offsite. For team-facing sessions, see ways to work.
Why the stage holds.
The authority behind the talk — earned in the room and in the work, not borrowed from a title.
TEDx speaker
Naina has spoken on the TEDx stage — the same discipline a strong talk demands: one idea, made unforgettable, in the time you're given.
Professor of Practice at NSBT
She teaches what she practices, bringing real founder work into the classroom rather than theory at a distance.
Master Practitioner — MIT Centre for Systems Awareness
Trained at the MIT Centre for Systems Awareness (Cohort 7). The systems-thinking lens underneath every talk is rigorous, not decorative.
PhD Scholar & author
A PhD Scholar at MGM University, where she developed the ARSL and GBLA constructs, and the author of three books — Flatland, CULTure at Zomato, and Systems of Grace. See the books.
Contemplative practitioner
A 200-hour Yoga Teacher and long-term Vipassana practitioner. The work on attention and regulation she speaks about is lived, not abstract.
"Naina is the longest-standing coach I've ever had, and the most demanding. Every leader I've sent to her comes back sharper."Vikram Chopra · Founder & CEO, CARS24
Putting her on your stage.
Naina takes a small number of speaking engagements, and chooses by fit rather than by the size of the stage. A founder gathering with a real question in the room often matters more than a large audience with none.
To invite her, write to connect@workwithnaina.com with the essentials: the event and audience, the format and date, and — most importantly — what you want the audience to walk away with. Each invitation is read personally.
A note for journalists and editors.
For interviews, commentary, or a feature on executive coaching, founder leadership, systems thinking or organizational learning, reach out to connect@workwithnaina.com. The media kit — including her full bio and approved headshots — is available on request.
To make the request fast to act on, mention the outlet, the angle, and your deadline. Press enquiries are reviewed personally. For background, start with about Naina and her books.
Speaking & press, answered.
Is Naina Sahni available to speak at events and conferences?
Yes. Naina is available for keynotes, leadership offsites, founder gatherings, panels and fireside conversations. She is a TEDx speaker and Professor of Practice at NSBT. To invite her, write to connect@workwithnaina.com with the event, audience and date.
What does Naina Sahni speak on?
Her core topics are clarity under pressure, systems thinking for leaders, the inner game of company-building, and building learning organizations. She speaks from two decades inside India's hyper-growth ecosystem and from coaching 12+ founders and CEOs — not from theory.
What are her speaking and platform credentials?
She is a TEDx speaker, Professor of Practice at NSBT, and a Master Practitioner trained at the MIT Centre for Systems Awareness (Cohort 7). She is a PhD Scholar at MGM University, a 200-hour Yoga Teacher and a long-term Vipassana practitioner, and the author of three books.
How does the press or media reach her?
Media can reach out to connect@workwithnaina.com for the media kit, bio and headshots. Mention the outlet, the angle and your deadline, and the request will be reviewed personally.
How do you book her for a keynote?
Email connect@workwithnaina.com with the event, audience size, format, date and what you want the audience to walk away with. Each invitation is reviewed personally; fit and the audience's real question matter more than the size of the stage.