Safiya Ghori-Ahmad

Senior Managing Director, South Asia, McLarty Associates

Bio Current as of March 16, 2023

Safiya Ghori-Ahmad currently serves as the Senior Managing Director for South Asia at McLarty Associates, where she advises multinational corporations on market entry strategies across the subcontinent. Safiya also supports the firm’s global business development and client management efforts, in additional to being a member of the McLarty inbound team. 

Safiya has over 15 years of experience in the public and private sector, and previously served on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, advising the Chairman on South and Central Asia. She also served in the State Department, as an advisor on Pakistan and Afghanistan under Secretaries Clinton and Kerry. She began her State Department career in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, where she managed portfolios in Asia promoting good governance, transparency, and the rule of law. 

Safiya serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and is a founding member of Chief DC, a network of female executives. She also serves on the boards of Women in International Trade and the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 

Safiya frequently appears in the media and speaks on panels on issues related to the region, diversity and inclusion, and trade and has been featured at thinktanks and news outlets. Safiya is based in the Washington, DC and holds a JD/MA from the University of Arkansas.