Strategic Thinking Course

Graduate Story: Narmeen Samad

From Microsoft to Mastering Her Own Future

After over a decade at Microsoft, Narmeen Samad knew she had more to give the world than what fit neatly inside a corporate role. With 15+ years of experience spanning global enterprises, small/medium businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures, she’s the rare blend of strategic thinker, technical problem-solver, and creative curator.

Her career arc has been anything but linear — and that’s exactly her strength. She’s built coffee stands, advised non-profits, earned her MBA, and become certified in everything from image consulting to human-centered design to earning her PMP. Fluent in Urdu and equally fluent in an array of technology platforms, Narmeen moves seamlessly between human connection and technical precision. Her approachable, endearing personality makes her not only a trusted advisor but also someone you genuinely enjoy working with.

The Pivot Point: Finding Clarity and Confidence

When she joined our Futurist-in-50-Days, Strategic Thinking, and Permissionless Consultant programs, Narmeen wasn’t starting from scratch — she was refining her aim. She wanted clarity on her consulting direction, confidence in her positioning, and a toolkit to bring her vision to life.

The training gave me a framework and walked me through it step-by-step, including figuring out what my offerings would be.

The programs helped her crystallize the services she most wanted to deliver, articulate her value proposition, and map out the operational backbone of her consulting business.

Building Samad Consulting: Precision Meets Heart

Today, Narmeen is the founder of Samad Consulting, helping leaders build their PMO capabilities, streamline operations, embrace change, and automate workflows with precision and heart. Drawing on her deep PMO leadership experience, she knows how to navigate complex, high-stakes projects while keeping teams aligned and momentum strong.

She’s equally at home mapping a business process in Smartsheet as she is coaching an executive on personal branding. Her clients get more than deliverables — they get transformation.

Advice for Those Standing on the Edge of Change

For anyone considering their own leap into consulting, Narmeen’s advise? Get started. Action is better than perfection.

When you’re starting out, you have a lot of ideas in your head and you want to go everywhere. These programs streamlined my thoughts and gave me a process. So I’d say start and things will come to you. I would recommend taking all three courses – and it didn’t matter the order
— Narmeen Samad

You can watch my full interview with Narmeen above, where we unpack her leap from corporate to consulting, the unique value she brings to clients, and her advice for anyone on the edge of their own next chapter.

Goodluck in your next Chapter, Narmeen! Looking forward to continuing our work together!

About the Author

Lindsay Angelo is the founder of Futurist-in-50 Days, helping individuals elevate their leadership skills by mastering strategic foresight. She's also a practicing and award-winning Strategist, Futurist, MBA and TEDx speaker. She launched her consultancy six years ago with the goal of helping purpose-driven brands drive growth and impact. Since then, she's more than tripled her prior earnings while advising entrepreneurs, think tanks, celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies while creating a nomadic lifestyle rooted in travel, family, and community. Named a Woman to Watch and Global Innovation Leader, Lindsay has delivered over 100+ keynotes and is the creator of a signature blueprint for driving brand growth and impact.

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