Our CEO and Founder, Kiran Kachela, has been recognised in the Top 100 Influential People 2026, an award celebrating individuals whose leadership is shaping how organisations think about progress, performance and change.
The recognition highlights leaders who influence not through profile or position, but through substance, integrity and the ability to deliver meaningful outcomes in complex environments.
A voice for grounded leadership
This recognition reflects Kiran’s commitment to a form of leadership that is rooted in reality rather than rhetoric. Across her work, she has consistently challenged the idea that improvement can be achieved through quick fixes or surface level initiatives.
Instead, her focus has been on understanding what truly gets in the way of progress. Misaligned systems, overlooked people and well intentioned change that never quite translates into lasting impact.
Her perspective continues to resonate with leaders who are navigating pressure, complexity and competing demands, and who recognise that sustainable improvement requires courage, clarity and consistency.
Kiran’s impact and influence through Lessons Not Yet Learnt
Lessons Not Yet Learnt is Kiran’s most recent platform for influencing change. The podcast was created in response to decades spent inside complex transformation programmes, where the same costly mistakes were repeated despite good intentions.
Through open, honest conversations with leaders across sectors, the podcast surfaces the patterns organisations continue to overlook. It explores why change efforts fail, why systems quietly constrain capable people and why leaders are often expected to deliver transformation without the space to pause and reflect.
Rather than offering theory or ready made answers, Lessons Not Yet Learnt creates room for learning before mistakes become embedded. It reflects a belief that influence comes from asking better questions, naming uncomfortable truths and helping organisations learn sooner rather than later.
Redefining influence through integrity
At CI Projects, leadership is defined by how decisions are made, how people are treated and how learning is embedded over time. Kiran’s recognition mirrors these values and the belief that influence comes from honesty, thoughtful challenge and a willingness to engage with what is difficult.
Being named in the Top 100 Influential People 2026 acknowledges not just individual leadership, but an approach that prioritises long term value over short term wins.
With you, every step of the CI journey.