Founder & CEO | Sterling & Rowe

Executive Search | Board & Leadership Advisory | UAE & GCC, Europe, CIS

Gulnar Hasanova is the Founder and CEO of Sterling & Rowe, a Dubai-based boutique executive search and leadership advisory firm serving boards, shareholders, family offices and business leaders across the UAE & GCC, CIS and select international markets.

With over 20 years of experience spanning executive search, corporate leadership, strategic HR management and entrepreneurship, Gulnar brings a distinctive combination of executive talent expertise and first-hand business leadership experience.

Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership positions within major diversified business groups, including executive responsibilities at Gilan Holding, one of Azerbaijan’s prominent conglomerates, with more than 17,000 employees across multiple industries. Her professional background also includes serving as Head of HR at EY Azerbaijan, strengthening her expertise in international professional services, talent strategy and organisational development.

Beyond human capital management, Gulnar has served in CEO-level leadership roles and successfully established and scaled an independent real estate advisory and investment business. Her entrepreneurial achievements earned international recognition through a prestigious Stevie Award for Business Woman of the Year.

This combination of corporate leadership, business ownership and executive recruitment provides Gulnar with a valuable perspective on leadership appointments — understanding not only how to identify exceptional executives, but also what it takes to lead organisations, manage stakeholder expectations and deliver sustainable business performance.

At Sterling & Rowe, Gulnar personally oversees senior executive and board-level mandates, advising clients on critical leadership appointments, succession planning and organisational effectiveness. Her approach combines research-led executive search, commercial judgment, cultural understanding and absolute discretion, with particular emphasis on long-term leadership alignment.

Her sector expertise spans family offices and private wealth, financial services, real estate, hospitality, luxury retail, technology and diversified investment groups.

Gulnar holds an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Human Resources Management and Employment Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Her professional philosophy is grounded in a simple principle: exceptional leadership appointments are not merely recruitment decisions — they are strategic investments in an organisation’s future.

For confidential executive search, board appointments or leadership advisory enquiries, Gulnar welcomes direct discussions with business owners, investors and senior decision-makers.