Dr. Zaheera Soomar

Helping leaders deliver meaningful impact responsibly through clear strategy and thoughtful guidance.

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ

My name is Zaheera Soomar

I am a South African and Canadian national, currently living in the Middle East, with over 20 years of experience dedicated to creating lasting, positive impact in the world.

My work centers on three core areas:

Public sector and international development advisory – I support governments and development organizations to sharpen strategy, strengthen decision-making, and improve delivery in order to maximize impact where it is most needed.
Faith, ethics, and purpose – I create awareness of our moral responsibility in this world, grounded in the teachings and values of Islam, and explore practical ways to integrate faith into both personal and professional life to live with greater purpose and meaning.
Muslim women’s empowerment – I support Muslim women in building confidence, strengthening self-advocacy, integrating faith into their lives, in order to thrive both personally and professionally.

Beyond my professional work, I am a wife and mother, a lifelong student and academic, a humanitarian and activist, an avid traveler, and a mountain climber. I have intentionally built a life that balances impact, presence, and alignment—on my own terms.

Lets make meaningful impact, together

Advisory

Driving meaningful and responsible transformation across the public sector and international development landscape. I work alongside governments, multilateral organizations, and NGOs to strengthen strategy, improve delivery, and build practices that lead to inclusive and equitable outcomes—particularly for rural, Indigenous, and marginalized communities.

Speaking

Aiming to inspire, challenge, and empower people to grow. For over a decade, I have spoken globally on justice and humanitarian action; women’s leadership and empowerment; sustainability and transformation; and faith-based practice. My work blends lived experience, academic insight, and professional practice to engage audiences with honesty, depth, and purpose.

Coaching

Supporting women to rise with confidence and clarity—on their own terms. Drawing on my experience building a senior career in global organizations, often as the only woman or person of color in the room, I mentor and coach women to strengthen self-advocacy, navigate complexity, and thrive professionally and personally while remaining grounded in their values, identity, and faith.

“My mission is to help create ethical and inclusive impact — for organisations, communities, families, and individuals. I just want the world to be a better place for all”

Organizations I have worked with

Testimonials

Ziggy Heuer

" I highly recommend and support Zaheera. She’s an incredible human being, and works with a vision to support and help all those that are under her direction. I'm grateful for the privilege of having met you. "

Ziggy Heuer
CEO Skylink

Nathalie Vereen

" Zaheera Soomar is a passionate and visionary development and business specialist. She has excellent business acumen; has the capability and grit to work with professionals, technicians, and academia within their diverse fields and geographic spaces. Zaheera is an extrovert and comes with humility, respect for others whilst not compliant with societal hierarchies of authority. Zaheera is a strategist, innovator and leader. Her capacity for complexity and diversity are excellent attributes for impact investing design and implementation. She is skilled in stakeholder liaison; focus on solutions for complex challenges in education and sustainable business; and surrounds herself with appropriate and fit-for-purpose expertise that will benefit the ultimate beneficiaries of any worthwhile investment - our youth and the communities that they should thrive in. She will continue to invest her energy, expertise and skills in creating tangible change for longevity. "

Nathalie Vereen
COO JET Education Services

George Cowell

" Zaheera is a fantastic colleague. Bags of energy, straight-talking and highly-supportive. Her experience across a number of industries and sectors brought a different perspective to our organisation and we are much stronger for it. Zaheera is able to get things done while supporting the development of others around her - admirable qualities that I aspire too. "

George Cowell
International Director, Rising Academies

Jenny Cargill

" Zaheera advised in the set-up of the Delivery Support Unit (DSU) in the Western Cape Government in 2015, and we have maintained a knowledge exchange ever since. She brings insightfulness and clarity to the complex challenges of improving delivery within the public sector. She is always frank about the problems and supportive in crafting solutions. As the head of the DSU, I found her advice and support invaluable, as she provided international expertise and local knowledge of the complexities of current day South Africa. She has a high level of commitment to improving the lives of people through her expertise in public sector delivery. "

Jenny Cargill
CEO – Strategy Execution Advisors, Former Head of Delivery Unit, WCG

George Kalebaila

" Leadership comes naturally to Zaheera. She has a way with people that is just exceptional. She is super organized and readily shares information with others. She is approachable and always available to help solve issues. She takes her responsibilities very seriously and is always focused on achieving her goals. Zaheera is someone any organization can count on to deliver at the highest level consistently. I have high regard for her personally and respect her professional work ethic. "

George Kalebaila
Executive, Huawei Technologies

Xavi Anglada

" Zaheera has successfully led the 2012 UCT GSB Consulting Conference, the first one in this space organized by University of Cape Town. The event gathered key management consulting players and a large audience of professionals, media, UCT Alumni, etc. to discuss key industry trends and hot topics. It gave a unique opportunity for UCT students and alumni to have one-to-one sessions with top recruiters in the consulting arena. Zaheera was instrumental in the concept design and delivery of the event. "

Xavi Anglada
Managing Director – Accenture

Maliha Ahmed

" I worked with Zaheera as a client. Zaheera’s unique and honed ability in implementing large-scale strategic priorities, and enabling our organization to measure and monitor progress on outcomes and Council priorities was a gamechanger. Zaheera was able to understand root causes and lead us in organization-wide change in a seamless manner. Zaheera left a lasting impact on our organization’s approach to strategy and led us in bringing our strategic plan and Council priorities to life. "

Maliha Ahmed
Canada Government – Region of Peel

Carlton Dallas

" Zaheera is an extremely accomplished financial and leadership professional who has shown a broad array of skills. Zaheera has excelled, due to her superior financial and accounting knowledge, in very disparate jobs requiring very strong analytical skills. Zaheera, owing to her proficiency in communication and leadership skills was able to assume leadership roles far above what was normal responsibility for her age. She was able to communicate clearly yet concisely with senior management, providing a solid logical base for her recommendations, even when those recommendations were different from conventional wisdom. She was practically always correct in her novel recommendations, primarily due to her very objective critical thinking skills. Zaheera was timely and solutions oriented and a team player in her work. "

Carlton Dallas
Former GM Chevron, Managing Director Dallas Trading

Lisa Strutz

" During my time working with Zaheera, I found her approach to be collaborative, innovative, and thorough; her ability to lead and manage a team with efficiency enabled the overall success of our project. Zaheera has a wealth of knowledge in project management and knows how to apply that knowledge in a practical and results-oriented way. "

Lisa Strutz
Founder and COO – Ethical Compass Consulting

Dr. Zaheera Soomar

25+

50+

5M+

30+

100+