HomeAbout Us

About Us

𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 is a boutique, evidence-based consultancy helping organizations 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧, and 𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝 in an era of accelerating change.

We partner with organizations to 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚—𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, and 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

Our work integrates 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐈-𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐑 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬—bridging human potential with technological advancement across the MENAT region and Europe.

Operating through a focused partner-led model supported by an expert associate network and scalable diagnostic tools, we design 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜-𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬—not one-off interventions.

✅𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭.

✅𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

✅𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Our Vision

Elevating capability. Transforming culture. Driving performance.

Our Mission

To assess behavioural and leadership gaps, align people and systems to strategy and culture, and enable organizations to ascend toward sustainable leadership and performance excellence.
Years of Cumulative Experience
20 +
professionals influenced across regions and industries.
0 +
successful Interventions
70 +

Our Core Capability Framework

Our work is anchored in an evidence-based ASSESS → ALIGN → ASCEND framework.

  • ASSESS leadership, behavioural, and capability gaps using diagnostics and psychometrics
  • ALIGN people, leadership behaviour, learning initiatives, and systems to strategy and culture
  • ASCEND through targeted development and capability journeys that enable sustained performance and measurable impact

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

Our History

With Your Business More Than 30 Years

Vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus. Augue neque gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus. Massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Ornare quam viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio.

What makes us different

Ascend Higher Associates takes a diagnostic-led and insight-driven approach to leadership development. 

We design integrated journeys, not one-off training events,ensuring leadership growth is intentional, measurable, and aligned to business outcomes.

Our work is:

  • Tailored and diagnostic-led
  • Insight-driven and psychometrics-backed
  • Focused on mindset and behavior
  • Journey-based, not event-based
  • Impact-oriented, with ROI in focus

We move leadership development from “activity” to “impact”.

our Partners

Meet our founders

Dr. Owen Fernandes

Founder and Managing Partner

Dr. Owen Fernandes brings over 30 years of cross-continental experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, working at the intersection of leadership, psychology, strategy, and organizational performance.

With extensive corporate exposure across government entities, multinationals, family businesses, and high-growth organizations, Owen helps leaders move beyond intuition toward evidence-based decision-making and sustainable impact.

Grounded in academic rigor and applied science, his work integrates psychometrics, business psychology, leadership development, and organizational diagnostics. Through this approach, he supports organizations to assess behavioural and leadership gaps, align people and systems to strategy and culture, and enable sustained performance growth.

As Co-Founder of Ascend Higher Associates, Owen designs diagnostic-led, outcome-focused journeys that help leaders think clearly, decide confidently, and lead effectively in environments shaped by complexity, change, and AI adoption.

He is widely respected for his clarity of thinking, cultural intelligence, and calm authority, bringing both depth and practicality to leadership conversations that matter.

Vijai Pandey

Co-Founder | Leadership & Organizational Development Specialist

Vijai Pandey is a leadership and organizational development professional with over two decades of experience working across India, the Middle East, and international markets, supporting organizations through leadership growth, culture alignment, and change initiatives.

With strong exposure to corporate and institutional environments, Vijai brings a pragmatic, systems-oriented approach to leadership development—helping organizations translate intent into execution and strategy into everyday leadership behaviour.

His work is grounded in applied leadership science, coaching practice, and organizational development, with a strong focus on behavioural change, alignment, and sustained impact. Vijai works closely with leaders and teams to surface limiting patterns, align leadership behaviour with strategic priorities, and build the conditions for long-term performance and engagement.

As Co-Founder of Ascend Higher Associates, Vijai plays a central role in designing and facilitating diagnostic-led, journey-based interventions—supporting leaders to navigate complexity, lead with clarity, and build cultures that enable performance in times of change.

He is known for his thoughtful facilitation style, deep listening, and ability to create reflective yet results-oriented leadership conversations.

Our Associates

At Ascend Higher Associates, we collaborate with a carefully curated circle of domain experts who share our commitment to rigor, relevance, and real-world impact.

Our Associates are not vendors or adjunct facilitators.

They are seasoned practitioners, thinkers, and change partners — each bringing deep expertise in their respective fields, while remaining fully aligned with our Vision, Mission, and Core Philosophy.

Together, we operate as an integrated ecosystem—combining psychometrics, leadership science, organizational insight, and practical execution—to help individuals and organizations build capability that lasts.

Each Associate featured here contributes a distinct strength to the Ascend Higher journey, while collectively standing for one belief.

True growth is not delivered. It is co-created.

Dr. Abdelbasit Ayoub
Leadership Trainer and Executive Coach (English/Arabic)
Ivan Košalko
Executive Coach and Mentor (English/German)
Emile Zoghbi
Organizational Growth & Transformation Expert (English/Arabic)
Dr. Anju Chawla
Emotional Intelligence Coach & Facilitator
Sunitha Premdas
Coaching Working Women & People
Ramona Rodrigues
Leadership Presence & Lifestyle Transformation Consultant
Winnie Benjamin
Strategic Leadership Advisor for Family Enterprise Continuity
Amit Kukreja
Finance and ERP -FinTech Expert