NADENE

Nadene is an indigenous Ngātiwai musician and actor. She has developed a an exploratory sound with themes of duality, transformation and transcendence.

​Nadene’s training as a vocalist and viola player in jazz and classical music is evident in her compositions. Via South Pacific harmonies, a Maori chant, and a duet with her young daughter, her voice carries us through chamber pieces, a tango, mutated funk and free electro-acoustic improvisations. Reflective of her mixed heritage as a New Zealander growing up in Queensland, Australia; of her Maori and Irish descent, a splash of Portuguese on her father’s side.

​Ongoing collaborations include recordings and performances with multi-instrumentalist and composer David Ornette Cherry, the son of legendary jazz musician Don Cherry. David Ornette Cherry’s Organic Notes Band played the 43rd Annual Watts Towers Jazz Festival and has a new recording released soon on Spiritmuse Records in 2021. Nadene has collaborated with leading Canadian Indigenous Arts Company, Red Sky Performance to present a multi-disciplinary concert, Truth 2 Power, in Toronto. She has a creative performance trio with dancer Heidi Pendergast and harpist/vocalist Nailah Hunter, along with her electro-acoustic solo project.

An avid music educator, Nadene teaches string orchestras in under-served communities for the non-profit organization Education Through Music – Los Angeles. She was a teaching artist at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s signature ‘El Sistema’ program – YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) at HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles) in the Rampart District of Los Angeles, where she was the teacher of Anthony Gonzales who stars as Miguel in the 2017 Disney/Pixar movie, Coco. She incorporates mindfulness and her experience as a meditation teacher into her sound healing community work and classes.

​Nadene holds a Masters degree in contemporary cross-cultural improvisation.

“Rarely does a new voice of such originality and unusual approach appear.”

 – The Australian

DR. NAHLA KHADDAGE BOU-DIAB

As an expert in Managing Change, Transforming Culture, and Driving effective Strategy Formation, Talent Acquisition and Retention, and Process Design, Dr. Nahla Khaddage Bou-Diab has been recognized as a credible leader, earning 7 awards for leadership excellence since 2015. 

Nahla is considered an expert in building organizational resilience, she has earned her Doctorate Degree from University of Liverpool, for her research on ‘Spirituality in the Organization’, which was recognized as an important contribution to both scholarly and practitioner knowledge. She is the Head of Women Empowerment for the World Union of Arab Bankers, and in that capacity, Nahla broke new grounds by launching the first charter for Gender Diversity in the Arab World, the charter was approved and formalized by WUAB’s board of directors, and has been featured by OECD in their June 2020 publication. Nahla has been featured in the media on multiple occasions to share her expertise on organizations, gender diversity, and managing change. 

With over 37 years of experience in Senior Management in Canada and Lebanon, Nahla led the restructuring of several organizations in Canada including her contribution to the reorganization of the Central Bank of Canada. She moved to Lebanon in 1997 where she launched Management Consulting Services for Ernst & Young Lebanon. Nahla taught ‘Change Management’ in the Executive MBA program at American University of Beirut for 10 years, until 2017. In addition, Nahla also provided mentorship and contributed to the success of many start-up companies, as part of the Endeavor Entrepreneurs program. 

Nahla joined AM Bank s.a.l. in the year 2000 and is currently the Deputy General Manager-COO of the Bank. She is an active Mentor at Endeavor, and volunteers her time to support SME’s by helping young entrepreneurs to effectively drive their business. She also provided mentorship and contributed to the success of many start-up companies, as part of the Endeavor Entrepreneurs program.