People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

PPP 483 | The Future of PMOs, AI's Impact, and Leadership Lessons with Amireh Amirmazaheri

Nov 4, 2025

Amireh Amirmazaheri, CEO of PMO Solutions and a key figure in the PMO community, discusses her journey from wartime Iran to leading a consultancy in Australia. She highlights the evolution of PMOs into strategic partners and the importance of communicating effectively with executives. Amireh emphasizes AI's transformative role in project management, offering insights on ethical adoption and workforce preparation. Plus, she shares personal leadership lessons as a woman, including the value of resilience and creative problem-solving, even involving her child in project management skills.

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ANECDOTE

Teaching Sparked Her PMO Career

Amireh learned by teaching during her youth and early career, which shaped her enablement focus.
She taught colleagues basic tech skills while building a project control centre in Iran, which launched her PMO path.

ANECDOTE

Career Rebuilt After Discrimination

Amireh was forced out of a senior role in Iran because she was a young woman, which pushed her to migrate.
She then rebuilt her career in Australia starting as a relative unknown and leaning into training and consulting.

INSIGHT

Enablement Is The Oil Between Wheels

Amireh describes enablement as the 'oil between the wheels' that connects strategy and delivery.
Good PMOs work quietly to empower delivery teams and tune solutions to business maturity and culture.

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Summary

In this episode, Andy talks with Amireh Amirmazaheri, CEO of PMO Solutions and a leading voice in the global PMO community. From growing up in Iran during a time of war to building a respected consultancy in Australia, Amireh shares how resilience and curiosity shaped her approach to leadership and enabling project success. You'll hear how PMOs have evolved from administrative hubs to strategic influencers, what it means to truly "speak the language of executives," and how to recognize when a PMO is at risk of drifting into irrelevance. We also explore how AI is transforming the work of PMOs and what leaders can do to stay ahead of the curve. Plus, Amireh offers practical advice on leading as a woman in project management and applying PMO principles at home as a parent.

If you're looking for insights on elevating PMO impact, executive communication, and leading through change, this episode is for you!

Sound Bites

"Limitations aren't always bad. They push us into the creativity zone."
"Executives don't want red or amber. They want to know where the ship is heading."
"When PMOs chase BAU firefighting, they lose their strategic brain."
"If PMOs stay educated and ahead of the game, they can influence the AI journey."
"It's okay to cry. Then think, learn, and lead."
"Um, should I tell you that my little one has a kanban board?"

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:31 Start of Interview
01:42 Early Life in Iran and Resilience
12:56 Lessons About Enablement
15:02 How PMOs Have Changed
18:55 Speaking the Language of Executives
21:22 Failure Clues and PMO Drift
25:11 Sponsorship as a Risk Factor
26:08 Using AI and Its Near-Term Impact on PMOs
32:25 Leading as a Woman
37:44 Applying PM and PMO Ideas at Home
40:22 PMO Global Alliance Overview
42:15 End of Interview
42:50 Andy Comments After the Interview
46:22 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Amireh and her work at PMOSol.com, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

Episode 436 with Laura Barnard, about the IMPACT Engine
Episode 429 with Bill Dow, about PMO insights
Episode 187 with Peter Taylor, Bill Dow, and others, about the State of PMOs

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Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Ways of Working

Topics: PMOs, Executive Communication, Leadership, AI in Projects, Change Management, Strategic Thinking, Women in Leadership, Organizational Influence, Resilience, Stakeholder Engagement, Career Growth, Continuous Improvement

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Brooklyn Nights by Tim Kulig License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tuesday by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license