Kouhaila Hammer

Throughout a celebrated career of nearly 40 years, Kouhaila has never been satisfied with the status quo. An entrepreneur at heart, Ki is in constant search of new opportunities to drive the organization forward, approaching every business decision with a progressive vision complemented by pragmatism. Under her leadership, Ghafari has explored and conquered new frontiers, pioneering technology applications, developing new service lines, and entering burgeoning markets around the globe.

As President and CEO, Ki has successfully advanced a diversification strategy that not only helped Ghafari to weather the Great Recession but has also enabled the company to experience steady growth. Because of her foresight, Ghafari is serving new industries and global markets, and continually broadening her breadth of experience. She also seeks opportunities to expand her capabilities, allowing her to provide a more holistic service offering to clients. In 2001, she negotiated and acquired a manufacturing engineering business in only nine calendar days, a transaction that transformed Ghafari into a single-source provider of facility and process design services.

An accountant by background, Ki began her career in the audit division of a major public accounting firm, where she eventually advanced to the senior management level. After seven years, she joined Ghafari as Chief Financial Officer in 1986. She has served as President and CEO since 2000.

Ki holds a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Michigan State University. She recently served as president of the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), and sits on the boards of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan and the Rackham Foundation, as well as the Detroit Regional Chamber board and executive committee. She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum, and has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential women in Michigan by Crain’s Detroit Business three times (most recently in 2016). In 2019, she was inducted into ESD's College of Fellows.