Nawal Noor
Founder & CEO
Nawal Noor is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, developer, and general contractor based in Minneapolis. Her experience spans two decades in strategy & development, corporate finance, and mergers & acquisitions — and she has built Noor Companies into the largest woman-owned general contracting & development firm of its kind in the nation.
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Biography
Nawal Noor is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, developer and general contractor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her experience includes two decades in the fields of strategy and development, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and marketing and strategic product innovation, including 9+ years at Ecolab.
Nawal earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, later receiving her Master of Business Administration degree at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.
She founded Noor Companies with the intention of pushing the construction and development industry forward — building it into the largest woman-owned general contracting & development firm of its kind in the nation, with $3B+ in team experience and $500M+ in completed work.
Nawal approaches every project as a social enterprise — prioritizing subcontractors of color, workforce development, and community impact alongside financial returns. Her work has been recognized by EY, Finance & Commerce, AIA Minneapolis, LISC Twin Cities, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Credentials
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Science in Finance, University of St. Thomas
Graduate
MBA, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Prior Experience
Ecolab (9+ years, Finance Leadership, M&A, Audit, and Marketing and Strategic Product Innovation)
Founded
Noor Companies, 2015
Recognition
EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 Finalist
Recognition
Finance & Commerce Power 30 Developer, 2022
Career Journey
Strategy, Finance & M&A
Nawal spent two decades in strategy & development, corporate finance, and mergers & acquisitions at companies including Ecolab and Aeon — building the financial and operational expertise that would define her development approach.
University of St. Thomas & Kellogg MBA
Nawal earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then earned her MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.
Founded Noor Companies
With a vision to push the construction and development industry forward, Nawal founded Noor Companies — building it into the largest woman-owned general contracting & development firm of its kind in the nation.
First Major Awards
Finance & Commerce named the Estes Funeral Chapel a Top Project of 2018. AIA Minneapolis awarded the Hosmer Library renovation its Historic Preservation Award. LISC Twin Cities recognized Nawal with its Emerging Leader Award.
National Recognition
Named a Women in Construction finalist and a Finance & Commerce Power 30 Developer in 2023 and 2024 — one of the most influential real estate leaders in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
Named a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and a Women in Business honoree — capping 10 years of delivering award-winning development and construction projects across the Twin Cities.
"How can we work together to cultivate a healthier, more equitable and sustainable world?"
— Nawal Noor, Founder & CEO