Cheryl Obal (she/her)

Cheryl Obal is a Senior Consultant with Aperian, who brings over two decades of experience designing and delivering training for multinational corporations, academic institutions, and government organizations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America. Cheryl partners with global clients to develop talent strategies, cross-cultural competency, and learning ecosystems that drive business results.

She has worked extensively across Saudi Arabia, Italy, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., and beyond, and has held leadership roles in both corporate and academic settings. Most recently, she served as Talent Development Manager at ASFAR, a PIF-backed tourism investment company in Saudi Arabia, where she built a comprehensive training ecosystem from the ground up and led strategic learning initiatives to drive employee engagement and performance. She previously held consulting and learning development roles at KAUST, Microsoft, and Carrot Global, and has trained leaders from companies such as Hyundai, Samsung, eBay Korea, and SK.

Cheryl is a certified GlobeSmart^® Profile Trainer, Certified Talent Development Professional^®, and Certified Organizational Culture Consultant (COCC^®). She is the author of Culture Smart: Saudi Arabia (Kuperard Publishers, 2024), and regularly partners with global training firms including BBi Communication, Learnlight, and Cultural Awareness International. Cheryl delivers training in English and Italian and is currently based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Peace Operators from the University of Trieste, Italy, and a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from Point Park University, USA.