Dr. Sulman Ahmed

Dr. Sulman Ahmed is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of DECA Dental. He is the trailblazer shaping and motivating DECA Dental’s growth, strategy, and culture. In 2008, Dr. Ahmed opened his first dental office and vowed to create a truly patient-centered model. His passionate belief in putting patients first is the fundamental backbone of DECA Dental’s core values and patient care delivery model. He continues to be a prime visionary to provide adequate training for doctors, quality materials for patients, offering weekend hours, and an early adopter of a multi-specialist model within a single practice.

His natural ability for scouting talent and cultivating strong leaders has allowed him to architect a first-class organization of leaders from the top down. With Dr. Ahmed’s leadership, DECA Dental has become a vanguard as one of the industry’s fastest-growing and well-respected organizations. In just over a decade, DECA has been awarded several honors, recognitions, and awards. Most notably is Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 fastest growing companies in the nation, several years in a row. The Dallas Business Journal also recognized DECA Dental as one of the top 100 companies in the region and the 21st fastest-growing company in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

In his personal career, Dr. Ahmed has achieved many honors and awards, including being named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year (2017) and Glassdoor’s Top CEOs list (2021) with a 98% approval rating. He is also an in-demand speaker for leadership, entrepreneurial, and motivational conferences across the country.

As it goes with most doctors, his compassionate heart is just as dedicated to the community as he is to patients. Over time, Dr. Ahmed has built long-standing partnerships with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as well as becoming the exclusive provider of free dental services to thousands of kids with the Kidd’s Kids Organization and Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities.

Dr. Ahmed earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston and currently serves on their Board of Advisors. Additionally, he serves on the Executive Committee at ADSO (American Dental Support Organization).