Ali Nazari
Ali Nazari is the Executive Director of National Growth and Strategy for Buildings at CIMA+, bringing over 20 years of executive leadership and entrepreneurial experience in integrated design, sustainability, and advanced building energy simulation. He leads national strategic initiatives across all regions, driving growth, innovation, and market presence for CIMA+'s Buildings sector.
A recognized pioneer in high-performance buildings, Ali has led transformative projects such as Canada's first commercial Living Building Challenge development and Vancouver's first certified LEED Platinum office. His project experience spans commercial, institutional, healthcare, civic, and transportation sectors across Canada and the U.S.
Ali has a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams, introducing proprietary tools, and executing strategic plans that consistently exceed growth targets. He is highly skilled in developing data-driven business strategies, managing full P&L operations, and using KPIs to drive operational excellence and sustainable development.
Prior to joining CIMA+, Ali served as Vice President at Introba Canada, where he led the national business through significant transformation – boosting profitability, expanding the project backlog, and aligning six offices under a unified strategic direction. He also spearheaded the development of innovative energy modeling tools that enabled design teams to rapidly evaluate thousands of design options – streamlining early decision-making and optimizing building performance, carbon outcomes, and cost efficiency on hundreds of projects.
Earlier in his career, he launched and scaled a specialized consulting practice focused on integrated design and advanced analytics, which was acquired after three years – demonstrating his strategic vision and ability to create lasting value.
Ali has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the BC Chapter Leadership Board of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on sustainability and energy performance. Passionate about mentoring the next generation of professionals, he has served as an Adjunct Professor in UBC's Master of Engineering Leadership program since 2018.
He holds a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business Management from the University of British Columbia and has completed executive programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Columbia Business School, along with advanced leadership and communication training through Landmark.