Leaders

Nariman Shoukry: Elevating Audit Leadership through Expertise & Vision

Nariman Shoukry
Senior Director – Audit & Assurance, BDO Kuwait
Kuwait

Women leaders today are redefining what professional excellence and leadership look like across industries. Their journeys often reflect a combination of resilience, adaptability, technical expertise, and the ability to create meaningful value beyond conventional measures of success.

In fields such as Audit and Assurance, where integrity, precision, and sound judgment are fundamental, women leaders are increasingly shaping organizations through a balance of professional rigor and people-centric leadership. Nariman Shoukry, Senior Director at BDO Kuwait, represents this evolution, building her career around accountability, continuous learning, and purpose-driven contribution.

Nariman Shoukry’s journey into Audit and Assurance began with an appreciation for the discipline’s unique ability to combine accountability with a deeper understanding of how businesses operate. She was drawn to a profession where attention to the details was essential, while also requiring professionals to step back and examine the larger picture - how financial decisions, controls, risks, and business strategy intersect. Her early career quickly demonstrated that audit extended far beyond reviewing numbers.

It demanded professional skepticism, sound judgment, discipline, and the confidence to ask the right questions. Working across different business lines and with diverse Managements, Shareholders further strengthened her understanding that technical expertise alone could not deliver meaningful outcomes. Communication, relationships, and the ability to understand different perspectives were equally important.

These formative experiences shaped Shoukry’s ambitions and work ethic. They taught her to take ownership, maintain thoroughness under pressure, and continuously seek opportunities for improvement.

Over time, her motivation evolved from simply completing assignments to creating tangible value - understanding underlying issues, identifying risks, and helping business owners and stakeholders make better-informed decisions.

This philosophy has become central to her professional identity. Integrity, continuous learning, and reliability remain the principles underpinning her approach to leadership. For Shoukry, trust is among the most valuable assets a professional can build, particularly within financial services.

It is earned through consistent judgment, high standards, accountability, and the commitment to deliver on every responsibility. Her journey reflects how professional excellence, when combined with resilience and purpose, can evolve into influential leadership.

Nariman Shoukry, leads with integrity, resilience, and professionalism, her legacy is measured by the impact she leaves behind

Your journey spans KPMG Egypt and BDO Kuwait, with steadily increasing leadership responsibilities. Which transitions and milestones most significantly shaped your professional growth and the leader you have become?

My career has been shaped by a series of transitions that progressively expanded my responsibilities and perspective. More than a decade at KPMG Egypt gave me a strong foundation in auditing, risk assessment, financial reporting and professional discipline. Progressing from Junior Auditor to Assistant Manager and completing my CPA and ESAA were important milestones.

Moving to BDO Kuwait introduced a new challenge of adapting to another country, with different laws and regulations. My progression from Assistant Manager through Senior Manager, Associate Director and Director to Senior Director required me to move beyond technical execution toward leadership, client relationships, strategic thinking and developing people.

Audit and assurance is a constantly evolving profession. What deliberate steps did you take to strengthen your expertise, build credibility and prepare yourself for increasingly senior responsibilities?

Continuous learning has been a constant throughout my career. In audit and assurance, technical knowledge cannot remain static because standards evolve, regulations change, technology transforms our work and client expectations develop. Obtaining professional qualifications such as the CPA and ESAA helped establish my technical foundation, but I also deliberately sought exposure to different industries, complex engagements and challenging accounting matters requiring professional judgment.

As I progressed, I focused increasingly on communication, stakeholder management, delegation and leadership. I learned that technical expertise establishes credibility, but clear communication, professional judgment and the ability to bring people together are what enable effective leadership at senior levels.

How would you describe the leadership philosophy you have developed through experience, and what have you learned about balancing accountability, empowerment and empathy?

I would describe my leadership style as a combination of accountability, collaboration and empathy. Earlier in my career, I focused strongly on technical quality, deadlines and getting work done perfect. With experience, I realized that sustainable performance comes from people understanding not only what is expected of them, but why their contribution matters. Today, I place greater emphasis on trust, communication and empowerment.

I believe leaders should set clear expectations and standards while giving people space to take responsibility under appropriate guidance. I also recognize that individuals need different forms of support. Ultimately, people perform best when leaders believe in their capabilities while holding them accountable.

As a CPA working in a highly regulated environment, how have you adapted to evolving regulations and accounting standards, and what has this taught you about professional judgment?

Adaptability is essential in audit and assurance because the regulatory environment is constantly evolving. I consider staying current not simply a professional requirement, but a responsibility to clients, stakeholders and the profession. I keep myself updated through continuous technical learning, professional discussions, training and practical application.

It is important to understand not only what a new regulation or accounting standard state, but also how it affects financial reporting, controls, business operations and decision-making. Developments such as integrating AI in our field work, demonstrate how quickly the profession can evolve. I have learned that technical knowledge must always be combined with professional judgment, because applying the international standards and regulations appropriately requires understanding the facts, circumstances and business context.

How have you learned to balance professional ambition with relationships, personal priorities and the values you expect from yourself as your responsibilities have grown?

I view balance as an ongoing process rather than a perfect formula. A demanding career requires commitment, but I have learned that long-term success cannot be measured only through professional achievements. Relationships, personal priorities, wellbeing and the values we maintain along the way are equally important. There will always be periods when one area requires greater attention, so I believe it is important to make those choices consciously.

I also believe ambition becomes more sustainable when it is aligned with purpose. My goal has never been simply to reach the next post; it has been to continue learning, create meaningful value and make a positive impact through my work and relationships.

As a woman who has progressed into senior leadership, what have you learned about confidence, visibility and self-advocacy, and what would you tell women considering their next leadership step?

My advice to women is to learn to distinguish between their mood and their performance. We all experience difficult days, moments of stress and changes in our emotions, but our professional commitments and responsibilities should not be defined by how we feel on a particular day.

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that confidence is not the absence of doubt; it is the willingness to move forward despite uncertainty and trust the capabilities developed through experience. For women aspiring to senior leadership, visibility and self-advocacy are important.

Doing excellent work is fundamental, but it is equally important to communicate your aspirations, make your contributions visible and take ownership of opportunities. I encourage women not to wait until they feel completely ready. Leadership development often happens when we accept responsibilities that stretch us. Assess the challenges, make an action plan and move forward.

After years of professional experience, which principles have become non-negotiable for you, and how has your definition of success evolved as your leadership journey has progressed?

Integrity, professionalism, accountability and respect have become non-negotiable principles for me. Technical excellence is extremely important in our profession, but technical ability without integrity has no sustainable value. Trust takes years to build and can be lost quickly, so I believe leaders must be consistent in their decisions and transparent in their communication.

I also believe everyone deserves respect, regardless of position or experience, because valuable lessons can come from colleagues at every stage of their careers. My definition of success has evolved from focusing primarily on career progression to valuing professional excellence, meaningful relationships, developing people and contributing something that extends beyond my individual role.

Looking ahead, what areas of professional growth do you want to pursue, and how do you hope your leadership will influence the future of audit and assurance and the professionals who follow?

I want to continue broadening my impact by developing my expertise aiming to have significant permanent impact in audit and assurance while staying ahead of developments in standards, regulations, technology and financial information. At the leadership level, I want to continue building strong teams and developing professionals who can become leaders themselves.

I am particularly interested in understanding how artificial intelligence can transform audit and assurance by improving analysis, identifying risks, automating repetitive processes and enabling professionals to focus more on critical, complicated matters and professional judgment. Ultimately, I want my career to contribute meaningfully to clients, colleagues and the profession, while inspiring women in the field to pursue their ambitions with resilience and confidence.

Nariman Shoukry, Senior Director – Audit & Assurance, BDO Kuwait

Nariman Shoukry is Senior Director – Audit & Assurance at BDO Kuwait, with nearly two decades of experience spanning audit, assurance, financial reporting and advisory. A CPA (USA) and ESAA professional, she began her career with KPMG Egypt then progressing through increasingly senior leadership roles at BDO Kuwait. Her expertise, commitment to continuous learning and people-focused leadership reflect a career built on integrity, resilience and professional excellence.

« Previous Next »