- May 7, 2021
EPISODE #
Finding yourself and starting over at age 40, with Binod Shankar
About this episode
Binod Shankar is many things–from a former entrepreneur & now a mentor to a podcaster & speaker to a cyclist & mountaineer, and a dear friend. He was also my CFA Level I coach. After leaving the corporate life, he went on to co-found the Genesis Training Institude in 2009 which eventually got acquired by Kaplan Inc. in 2017. Today he mentors young finance enthusiasts via his podcast, The Real Finance Mentor, and is a writer, speaker and regular guest on CNBC Arabia.
Binod opens up about his journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship and some key life lessons along the way, his take on executive coaching and how fitness can help shape your mindset. If you’re someone on a path to self-discovery, this episode is for you.
listen to the episode
guest profile
Binod Shankar
Binod Shankar started his long career in an industrial bank in India where he did loan and project appraisals of Small and Medium Enterprises. He then spent six years executing audit, financial due diligence, financial feasibility and valuation assignments with KPMG, Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young in Oman and Dubai.
In 2003 Binod joined Nakheel, the high-profile property developer of the Palm Islands and many other iconic projects in Dubai, as Manager-Financial Analysis. He got a double promotion, rising rapidly to become the Finance Director of its largest project, helping along the way to raise the world’s largest Islamic Bond in 2006. His last corporate position was as Executive Director-Finance at Gulf Finance House in Bahrain, a leading regional fund house.
In 2009, Binod quit a successful corporate career to co-found Genesis Institute, a financial training company. In 2017 he and his co-founders sold Genesis to Kaplan Inc, a US based global training & publishing company with annual revenue of USD 2 billion and 15,000 employees around the world.
He is now a keen financial analyst and appears frequently on CNBC Arabia as an expert on financial markets where he covers mainly US and European markets with a focus on equities, a platform speaker, podcast host and has also written quite a few articles on finance and travel in The National and Gulf News.
Binod is also an endurance athlete and is a long-distance runner, high altitude trekker, mountaineer and long distance/high altitude cyclist. He has summitted twelve mountains around the world including Jebel Toubkal , the highest mountain in North Africa (4,167m), Gokyo Ri in Nepal (5,400m), Mt Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe ( 5,642m), Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa (5,895m), Stok Kangri in India (6,153 m) and Mera Peak, the highest trekking peak in Nepal ( 6,476 m).
Binod is an avid cyclist and he has cycled from Manali to Leh, a 550km ten-day adventure through remote regions and five high mountain passes ranging from Rohtang La (3,978m) to Khardung la (5,359m). He has also cycled from Pune to Goa, another 500 + km gig, over five days in 2014.
You can visit Binod's website to listen to his podcast