June 26, 2025


A political refugee from Cuba who navigated his journey to higher education without many resources, Angel V. Gallinal truly enjoys dedicating time to paying it forward. Now, Gallinal is a successful professional with experience in leadership advising in consumer-focused businesses and in international business expansion. The support he received from others while navigating both his academic and professional careers inspired him to mentor others. As one of Aspire Institute’s inaugural mentors, Gallinal continues to share his experiences and insights with Aspire Leaders Program alumni. He empowers them with valuable knowledge and encouraging them to continue the cycle of generosity and giving back.

Paving His Way in a New Country

Born in Cuba, Gallinal and his family immigrated to the United States when he was five years old due to political repression and economic hardships following the Cuban Revolution. They settled in Dallas, Texas for four years before moving to Miami, Florida, where he has lived ever since. 

Gallinal’s background shaped a lot of the choices he made in his career. Without knowing much about other academic majors, he pursued one that would result in a practical and lucrative career.

“I consider myself in many ways a first-gen,” he said. “When I grew up — being a political refugee and not knowing a lot about anything — we didn’t have access to all this information, so we made a lot of choices that were a little bit blind in some ways, but they all turned out great. I don’t regret any of them.”

Gallinal went on to study Economics at Harvard College. After working for five years, he returned to Harvard to obtain his Master of Business Administration, where a friend that recommended him for a life-changing job opportunity. He also received advice to “pay it forward.”

“I’ve always been driven by that mentality,” he said. “Somebody helped me get to where I got to be. I was going to figure out a way to help other people.” 

Uncovering Leadership Potential

Egon Zehnder, a firm that provides advice on leadership to organizations around the world, was an excellent fit for him. Serving as a consultant, and later as a partner in the firm, Gallinal has worked for various organizations to get the best out of existing talent, mentor career-driven individuals, and bring out the leadership potential in every staff member. 

What he has valued most from this time was not only the connections he has made, but the impact he saw from those he advised. Watching them thrive in their new roles was an incredibly rewarding experience.

“It’s a different type of compensation that you get,” he said. “It’s an emotional compensation that you get from seeing these situations play out.” 

Gallinal’s work at Egon Zehnder was just the beginning of his mentorship journey. He felt a calling to support those whose situations mirrored his own while growing up.

“It takes a village. I put in my fair share of hard work and effort, but a lot of other people helped me along the way,” he said. “There were people that helped me get to better outcomes when I was growing up in school, [and] people that supported me financially through financial aid.” 

At 55, Gallinal pondered his next steps. He was looking to pivot from a traditional career journey and take on roles where he could provide social good and impact. Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, a unique academic program designed to unlock the potential of experienced leaders, provided him with this opportunity. In 2019, Gallinal temporarily moved to Boston and went back to school for one year with others who were at a similar place in life.

“The goal of being there is to challenge yourself to explore the ideas that you have – how you might evolve, how you might add things — and come out much better at the end of it,” he explained.

It was there, in a class taught by our very own co-founder Tarun Khanna, that he learned about the blossoming Aspire Leaders Program.

Becoming a Mentor

“Life is about giving back one way or the other,” Gallinal said. “If you have talents and you can use those talents to help other people, I think that’s what you’re called to do.”

Gallinal was eager to guide aspiring changemakers interested in bettering the world. In 2020, he volunteered to become an Aspire Mentor in the first iteration of this program and took four young leaders under his wing. The group was inquisitive and hungry for knowledge, ready to learn all that they could from him. 

“They were engaged and very interested in learning about me and trying to figure out how my experiences [could] help inform some of their own career and life decisions,” he said. 

In 2025, Gallinal returned as a mentor to speak with our Latin American alumni, sharing insights on four key indicators of individual leadership potential: curiosity, insight, engagement, and determination. His talk inspired thoughtful questions on leadership styles, imposter syndrome, and career growth, fostering deeper connections with our emerging leaders.

“People see us as being able to mentor young students and provide some sagely advice, [but] I think we learn from them as well,” he said. “The concept of reverse mentoring works just as effectively.”

Staying Involved

Looking ahead, Gallinal continues to work with Egon Zehnder as a part-time Senior Advisor and is also excited to have started a new role as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Miami’s Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. He looks forward to improving the school for students and faculty alike. 

As a final piece of advice, Gallinal encourages young leaders to pay it forward and share their knowledge as well, no matter where they are in life. 

“Don’t discount your own abilities; someone will benefit from the knowledge you have,” he said. “Be a good example, whatever you do.” 


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