Pial Khadilla

Pial works at the intersection of leadership, organisational transformation, and emerging technology governance. She is the Managing Director—ASEAN at the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank with headquarters in Hong Kong, where she has spent over a decade guiding executives and institutions navigate complexity with greater clarity and purpose.

In 2026, she was conferred the title of Senior Fellow by the AI for Developing Countries Forum (AIFOD) at the United Nations ESCAP Hall in Bangkok, one of the forum's highest honours, recognising her contributions to AI governance and ethical technology across Asia-Pacific. Her keynote, "AI: From Adoption to Stewardship," urged leaders to confront the harder questions behind AI: who benefits, who bears the risk, and who is accountable when systems fail. She also co-authored the Summit's synthesis report, 2026 and Beyond: Our Collective Path Forward.

At GIFT, Pial designs and leads executive programmes across Southeast Asia for organisations including AIA, Petronas, HSBC, CIMB, Maxis, Bank Negara Malaysia, BASF, Great Eastern, and Prudential. She has facilitated hundreds of leaders, from emerging managers to the C-suite, on self-awareness, intergenerational leadership, cultural intelligence, stakeholder management, and purpose-driven culture. She also led GIFT’s regional expansion, establishing its ASEAN office in Kuala Lumpur.

Her earlier career spans banking, e-commerce, coaching, and entrepreneurship. She began at Bank Negara Malaysia before founding a coaching practice focused on women in the public sector. As a performance coach, she integrates Ontology into her work, combining philosophical depth with practical strategy.

Pial is a regular speaker on leadership, AI governance, and societal development. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Bath, England.