Mina Paul Recognized with IDEA Award

London, November 7, 2023 – Today at their annual AESC Global Conference in London, the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) honored Mina Paul, Associate at Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) with the AESC IDEA Award for her commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access.  

Karen Greenbaum, AESC President & CEO, commented: “Mina’s dedication and commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access globally and in the Middle East is evident in all that she does. She has shown strong leadership for the profession through the AESC Middle East Diversity Council leadership. I am proud to present her with this well-earned recognition for her ongoing commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access.” 

Based in Dubai, Mina is a leadership advisor to top clients in the region, identifying, assessing and developing senior executives across a wide range of sectors.  Leveraging her extensive experience, she serves as a trusted advisor to companies of various sizes and geographies, both regional and multinational institutions.  

Mina and the RRA team have been instrumental in ensuring their clients achieve both their business goals and diversity, equity and inclusion agendas in tandem. Mina also champions RRA’s DEI initiatives internally. 

“Mina has been an active member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practice for many years and serves as a role model both in her local community and in her local office to increase awareness of DEI principles and why they are important,” said Tina Shah Paikeday, Global Head, DEI Capability, United States of America, Russell Reynolds Associates. 

For instance, Mina is an instrumental member of the global team that continues to deliver inclusive leadership workshops in the Middle East region. This work led RRA to tailor their Inclusive Leadership competency model to the region. This successful work will be replicated in other markets including Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.   

Additionally, Mina:  

• Founded and now chairs the AESC Middle East DEI Council.  

• Runs diversity debates and discussions as well as unconscious bias training across Dubai. 

• Delivered inclusive leadership skill development courses to create cultures in which diverse talent thrives.  

• Engaged in the use of Equitable Search Practices© to deliver diverse slates by embedding practices in the searches she runs. 

• Is an Execute Committee member of the Women in Business Committee of the Capital Club, Dubai, DIFC. 

• Helped raise awareness of equality at the World Government Summit in Dubai. 

“Mina Paul demonstrates an exemplary commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access,” said Tina. “She has been instrumental in championing the DEI agenda in our markets, setting a standard for commitment and progress that benefits our entire industry.” 

Prior to joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Mina worked for another leading international search firm, held search and research director roles in Dubai, was part of the Human Resources team at Canal+ and worked with the French Ministry of Employment. 

Mina holds a bachelor’s degree in language interpretation and translation from Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg and two master’s degrees from the Sorbonne University in Paris, in European affairs, and business and international commerce.  

About the AESC IDEA Award  

The AESC IDEA Award was established in 2020 to support the goals of the AESC Diversity Pledge, signed by more than 100 CEOs of leading executive search and leadership consulting firms. The award recognizes initiatives within the executive search and leadership consulting profession that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and access. These initiatives must be of sufficient significance and external impact to be recognized as excellent by the profession.  

About the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants      

Since 1959, AESC has set the quality standard for the executive search and leadership consulting profession. AESC Members represent 16,000+ trusted professionals in 1,200+ offices, spanning 70+ countries. AESC Members are recognized experts providing consulting services in the areas of leaders, teams and culture to the world’s leading organizations. They leverage their access and expertise to place more than 100,000 executives each year in board of directors and C-level positions across industry sectors. Dedicated to strengthening leadership together, AESC and its members share a deep commitment to the highest quality standards in executive search and leadership consulting—for the benefit of clients and the profession. We Shape. Connect. Educate. Innovate. Learn more about us at aesc.org. For AESC’s career service connecting executive-level candidates to the world’s leading executive search firms, visit bluesteps.com.