Speaker profile

Maliha Nishat

Director of Interior Design for Global Design, Middle East & Africa
Marriott International

Maliha Nishat is Director of Interior Design for Global Design, Middle East & Africa at Marriott International since 2017 with a focus on all luxury, premium and select service brands. Within her role at Marriott International, Nishat influences independent design decisions throughout Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, and is responsible for creating memorable guest experiences in line with each of Marriott’s brands through her persistent and uncompromising drive for forward thinking design. Through her process of initiation and coordination of directed design, Maliha understands the complexity of high profile, mixed use developments from inception to completion. Within her role, Maliha is highly experienced in hospitality design with 21 years’ experience in the hospitality design sector. An influencer in the Middle East hospitality design market, Maliha’s experience prior to Marriott International is from large design houses such as DWP (design worldwide partnership) and HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates), with experience spanning multiple markets such as Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Innovation, creativity, and energy are the cornerstones of Maliha’s design thought process, injecting enthusiasm, passion and personality into every project. Working on new builds and conversions, she has a keen eye to transform environments. She hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design from the American University in Dubai. Maliha is also an award winning interior designer awarded Best Interior Designer of the Year Middle East and Africa and multiple award winning hotel, spa and F&B designs.