More than a Professor: The Quiet Fire of Dr. Khyati Shetty

"Don’t fit the mould. Melt it. And make something magnificent." - Dr Khyati Shetty

In pursuit of our vision to weave stronger ties and foster deeper connections across our community in the USA and Canada—through heartfelt outreach, evolving technology, and tools that bring us closer—a thoughtful message from our current BANA President, Mr. Manjunatha Shetty, found its way to Dr. Khyati Shetty via LinkedIn. What began as a simple note became a meaningful spark, lighting the path for another inspiring chapter in our shared journey.

Her initial response was measured and polite—slightly hesitant, but gracious. To our delight, she agreed to a call with our team. Siri Naomi from the BANA team interviewed her at 10 am on a Monday Morning.

Even through a 10 a.m. Zoom screen, it was instantly clear: Dr. Shetty doesn’t just enter a space—she elevates it. Her presence is magnetic, the kind that makes you sit up a little straighter and smile without realizing it. Forty-five minutes with her felt far too short.

From the very start of the conversation, she flipped the script—asking thoughtful questions, and taking the time to understand the interviewer before diving into her own story. She listened with intention, never rushing, never self-promoting. She patiently heard the ramble about why we thought it was important to feature her story. She's not plugging anything. But she's an inspiration.

In just those 45 minutes, it became obvious why her students admire her. She's the kind of professor who uses PowerPoint as a visual companion, not a crutch. The kind who cares more about what her students take with them beyond the classroom than what they memorize for an exam. Her authenticity is disarming, and her brilliance, is undeniable.

She taught us more in that short window than we expected—not just about leadership, education, or entrepreneurship, but about what it means to embody success without ever losing your humility.

She was never meant to fit into a mould—she was meant to melt it down and forge something unapologetically her own.

Raised in Manipal, a hilltop university town on India’s western coast known for its academic excellence and the buzz of students from around the world, she grew up where tradition met global aspiration. In Manipal, conversations over filter coffee could just as easily be about cardiology as they were about coding. It wasn’t just where she was raised—it was where she first learned that ideas can be as powerful as identity.

Her father, Dr. Satish Shetty, served in the medical fraternity for over 30 years at Manipal Hospital. But beyond the white coats and stethoscopes, he built fuel stations, automobile ventures, and more—embodying that unshakable entrepreneurial instinct so common among Bunts. A quintessential Bunt entrepreneur: steadfast, spirited, and always building. From him came the unspoken lesson—you can serve and build at the same time.

Her mother, Bhawani Shetty, was raised in Ahmedabad, where her father—her grandfather—moved from Mangalore and opened a chain of Mysore Cafes across Gujarat. Long before South Indian food became globally trendy, he was proudly serving dosas to Gujaratis.

She comes from a lineage of pioneers—people who quietly pushed boundaries, one plate, one patient, one project at a time. Her childhood home was one where Sunday kori rotti was sacred, business plans were casually discussed over dinner, and family values were deeply rooted in Bunt heritage and pride.

Even as a child, while she soaked in stories of empowerment and cultural pride, she felt a dissonance. On the one hand were tales from great-grandaunts about a matrilineal society that revered women—where names, property, and legacy flowed through the maternal line. A culture that, on the surface, placed women at its center. Yet, she watched those same women shoulder invisible burdens. Education was celebrated—but often framed as a stepping stone to “finding the right Bunt boy,” not to building a life of one’s own. Wedding conversations, full of boasts about extravagant spending, left her wondering: What if that same pride was invested in a woman’s voice, not just her value?

That question lingered. It shaped her choices. It lit a fire that never went out. She didn’t want to rebel—she wanted to reimagine. Not just for herself, but for every girl who felt she was too ambitious to be considered “ideal.”

From Corporate Suits to Classroom Roots

Raised by a father who fiercely believed that education was the most powerful weapon she could wield, and a mother who stood by her as her loudest cheerleader and quietest strength, she went on to earn an MBA in Marketing, a Postgraduate Degree in Human Resource Management, and eventually, a Doctorate in Brand Personality Congruence.

Armed with these credentials, she began her career in corporate strategy, product development, and branding—working with Fortune 500 brands and navigating polished boardrooms across the globe. But somewhere amidst the metrics, the margins, and the meetings, she felt a shift. A pull. A quiet, insistent calling to move away from profit and toward purpose.

People called her crazy. She called it clarity.

Over the past 15+ years, she has worked in universities around the world and conducted more than 300 leadership and transformation workshops across five continents—coaching high-potential leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs. She previously served as Dean of Curtin University in Australia, part of a globally ranked top 250 university, and currently serves as Director of the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), Canada.

A Passion for Women’s Equity

While her career spans countries and sectors, one thread ties it all together: equity for women.

Her work as a leadership consultant with governments across Dubai, Nigeria, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Canada, the Maldives, and Mauritius has often focused on building inclusive, future-ready ecosystems. But the most meaningful chapter of her journey has been empowering over 300 Emirati women entrepreneurs—through government-backed programs in Dubai—to launch startups with real funding and scaling potential. She coached them in branding, leadership, and productivity.

This work wasn’t just practical—it became deeply personal.

She carried that passion into academia, where her research on women entrepreneurs gained global recognition. Her project, Women Entrepreneurs: The Effects of Work and Family on Life Satisfaction, supported by the Government of Dubai, was recognized by the Diana Project (2019) and led to multiple publications in ABDC-indexed journals. Another study, on social comparison among women entrepreneurs, won the Best High Growth Women’s Entrepreneurship Paper and the Lilian Dreyer Advocate Award at the ICSB Conference (2021). Most recently, her research on entrepreneurial opportunity recognition was named Best Project at the Academy of Management Conference in Boston, 2023.

These insights underscored a powerful truth: while the gender gap in business ownership is global, the performance gap is shaped deeply by culture. And where support systems flourish—women soar.

Recognition, Thought Leadership & Global Platforms

In 2023, she was appointed Country Chair – Canada (Higher Education) by the G100: Top 100 Global Women Leaders, an advisory body to UN Women—a moment that brought visibility to the stories she once only whispered.

She is also a proud TEDx speaker, and her thought leadership regularly appears in Forbes and CNBC, where she writes on inclusive leadership, brand authenticity, women’s entrepreneurship, and purpose-led growth.

She has been recognized with:

• GCC Education Leaders Award (2019, 2022)

• GCC Women Leaders Award (2019, 2020, 2022)

• Top 100 Global Training and Development Minds (2019, 2020)

• Global Training and Leadership Award (2021)

She holds certifications as:

• Certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC, CTI, USA)

• Psychometric Test Professional (CAMI, USA)

• NLP Practitioner (UK)

• Transactional Analysis (ITAA, USA)

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK)

She also serves as a Board Director for:

• Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

• Fraser Valley Indo-Canadian Business Association

• Higher Education Digest (UK)

• All Hands (Sydney), among other global organizations committed to equity and education.

The Legacy She’s Building

At its core, her journey has never been about titles. It’s about the thousands of women she has helped reclaim their voices, the students who leave her classroom thinking bigger, and the unshakable belief that leadership begins with authenticity—not authority.

Because when a woman finds her voice, she doesn’t just rewrite her own story—she rewrites the world around her.

To every woman who feels she’s “too much”—too bold, too different, too unapologetic—know this: you are not too much. You are just enough to create change.