NAUREEN MERAJ

Naureen Meraj, a leader in Gamification and Digital Engagement initiatives, is known for her innovative work at NTT DATA, Inc., a subsidiary of the 6th largest IT services company in the world.

As a former senior global director for the Digital Experience practice, she created the Gamification practice in an effort to improve learning, collaboration, sales, customer loyalty and employee productivity across NTT Data's blue-chip client base through the use of game mechanics and immersive game-like experiences.

Her team's pioneering work in gamification has been recognized by InformationWeek as one of the 500 best innovations for 2012 and 2013. Naureen, along with her team, has also received the 2014 Chief Learning Officer ‘Learning in Practice Award’ for Achievement in Business Impact, and ‘2014 Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology Award’ for Best Advance in Social Learning Technology. Naureen advises corporate leaders around the world on using gamification to improve their business, and her insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes. In addition, Naureen also developed and led the employee engagement practice, which helped maximize the benefits of an engaged workforce, both for NTT Data and its clients. Most recently, the Worcester Business Journal honored Naureen as one of the 2015 Outstanding Women in Business.

Naureen has over 10 years of experience working with students and adults to maximize their professional and personal development potential, often using games as a catalyst for positive behavior reinforcement. She has spoken at leading conferences across the globe, such as Gartner and The Gamification Summit, on both gamification and employee engagement.

Outside of work, Naureen is passionate about using innovation to improve K-12 education. She has been deeply involved in various educational initiatives across several Boston institutions. In 2013, she founded iGame, the first organization to focus on increasing innovation and adoption of educational games in public schools. In 2015, iGame evolved into Teach the World, a nonprofit that teaches reading, writing and math to children in the developing world using games on low-cost tablets.

In 2016, she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Worcester Ecotarium, one of the nation’s most innovative institutions dedicated to the study of science and nature. Naureen was also elected as a corporator overseeing the philanthropic work of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.

Naureen graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from University of Washington and a M.Ed. from University of Massachusetts, Boston School of Education and Human Development.