Dr. Aqeel Tirmizi is a Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at Antioch University’s Graduate School of Leadership and Change. His teaching and research focus on responsible leadership, humanistic management and wellbeing, social innovation, and cross-cultural leadership. Previously, Aqeel held a professorship with the School for International Training (SIT), where he taught advanced graduate courses focusing on leadership and change, organization development, NGO management, and social entrepreneurship. His leadership practice included chairing/directing SIT’s graduate programs in management and co-directing the Ford Foundation’s IFP Leadership for Social Justice Initiative. Prior to that, Aqeel held a faculty position with the Suleman Dawood School of Business at LUMS, where he taught in their MBA program. In addition, he directed and facilitated a series of executive programs for the Rausing Executive Center, focusing on leadership development, team building, and general management.
Aqeel’s consulting and training areas include facilitation, strategic planning, leadership development, management of change, and organization development. His consulting assignments have included work with transnational and national organizations across multiple sectors. Examples of these engagements include ChildFund International, Microsoft Corporation, Siegel Family Endowment, CARE USA, Eisenhower Fellows Program, Women for Women International, Oxfam America, Canadian International Development Agency, Heifer International, Ford Foundation, BRAC, State Bank of Pakistan, Descon Engineering, and Aga Khan Rural Support Program. His advisory work for Ford the Foundation International Fellowship Program included assignments with Birmingham University, British Council, and the Institute of Social Studies.
In 2013, Aqeel was selected in the CSC Leaders program for his contributions to the profession. The program recognizes and brings together leaders from multiple sectors through collaboration between HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (Commonwealth Study Conferences) and Common Purpose – United Kingdom. Aqeel’s current work focuses on integrating research wisdom to meaningfully inform leadership and organizational practices and contribute to improving human condition.
- PhD in Management
Focus: Organizational Behavior and Leadership
State University of New York – Binghamton, New York, USA
Selected Publications
Tirmizi, S. A., Williams, K., & Tirmizi, S. N. (2023). More Human, Not Less: Global Relevance of Values-Based Leadership. Humanistic Management Journal, 1-16.
Tirmizi, S. A. (2023). Developing Courageous Leadership. Ivy Business Journal, March/April Issue
Tirmizi, S. A., & Tirmizi, S. N. (2020). Is Servant Leadership Universally Relevant? A Study Across Cultures and Sectors. International Leadership Journal, 12(3), 38–63.
Tirmizi, S. A., Williams, K., & Tirmizi, S. N. (2019). Leading Responsibly: Relevance of the Major Leadership Theories in the Caribbean Context. Journal of Leadership, Accountability, and Ethics, 16(4).
Tirmizi, S. A. (2018). A Framework for Responsible Leadership Practice. In, Jamison, D., Church, A. & Vogelsang, J. (Eds.) Enacting Values Based Change. Palgrave Publications.
Tirmizi, S. A. & Vogelsang, J. (Eds.) (2017). Leading & Managing in the Social Sector. The Netherlands: Springer Publications
Halverson, C. & Tirmizi, S. A. (Eds.) (2008). Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice. The Netherlands: Springer Publications.
Tirmizi, S. A. (2002). The 6-L framework: A Model for Leadership Research and Development. Leadership and Organizational Development Journal.
Selected Presentations
Tirmizi, S. A. (2021). Honoring Human Dignity and Wellbeing: Towards a “Unified” Theory of Humanistic Leadership. Presentation at the ILA Global Virtual Conference: Reimaging Leadership Together.
Tirmizi, S. A. & Ladkin, D. (2020). Integrating and Accessing Leadership Wisdom using the Aristotelian Concept of Phronesis. Presentation at the ILA Global Virtual Conference: Leading at the Edge
Tirmizi, S. A. (2019). Application of Leadership Theories Across Cultures and Work Contexts: A Four-Nation Study. Paper presented at the ILA Global Conference – Leadership: Courage Required, Ottawa, Canada
Tirmizi, S. A. (2019). Globally Responsible Leadership: The Courageous Case of Angela Merkel. Paper presented the ILA Global Conference – Leadership: Courage Required, Ottawa, Canada
Tirmizi, S. A. (2018). Leading Responsibly: Relevance of the Major Leadership Theories in the Caribbean Context. Paper presented the ILA Regional Conference: Exploring the Dilemmas of Leadership in Latin America, Lima, Peru
Tirmizi, S. A. (2017). Innovations in Small and Medium Size Enterprise Financing and Operations: A Case Story from the Middle East. Invited Presentation at the 2017 Oxford Business Fights Conference, Oxford. U. K.
Tirmizi, S. A. & Hellstrom, T. (2014). Leading Happiness – How B Corporations are Paving the Way: Evidence from Three Organizations. Paper presented at the Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference, Boston, USA
Tirmizi, S. A. (2014). Advancing Leadership for the Social Sector: Responding to Organizational and Sectoral Demands. Workshop delivered at the InterAction Forum, Washington D.C., USA
Tirmizi, S. A. (2012). Linking Theory and Research: A Framework for Social Entrepreneurship Education. Paper a presented at the Annual Academy of Management, Boston, USA
- International Leadership Association
- International Humanistic Management Association
- Leadership Learning Community