Entering the social sector in 2004, Arshad Merchant founded Boost Social Sector Consulting in 2015 to help nonprofits, philanthropies, membership organizations, and other socially-minded ventures address critical business challenges and achieve greater impact.
Blessed with excellent educational opportunities and over 25 years of client service experience, Arshad brings substantial expertise on strategy (including strategic planning, business planning, and mergers/collaborations), program improvement (including design, codification, and evaluation), and organizational development (including board enhancement, culture improvement, and talent development). He has worked with clients from across the social sector, including in arts, culture, and museums; civil rights and social justice; community development and urban spaces; education and early child development; environment, sustainability, and conservation; health and human services; higher education and college access; philanthropy and philanthropic services; and youth development.
Arshad’s pragmatic skillset draws from a strong professional foundation that includes over 11 years at a New England-based consultancy Wellspring Consulting, two-plus years at Tetra Pak (where Arshad mastered process improvement through working directly with MIT Professor Michael Hammer), and over four years at the Boston Consulting Group. Arshad received his MBA with Honors from the University of Virginia’s Darden School, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with dual Bachelors’ degrees in Finance from The Wharton School and in Computer Science and Engineering from the Moore School. Arshad is a Licensed Consultant of the Standards for Excellence© Institute based out of Maryland Nonprofits.
Additionally, Arshad has also volunteered for over 20 years with His Highness Prince Aga Khan’s community institutions in various capacities. He recently served as Chairman of the National Grants and Review Board and currently is working to design the community’s first international programmatic institution. Arshad also serves as President of the Wyngate Elementary School Education Foundation. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and three boys, and enjoys board games and cooking his favorite family recipes!