AKFUSA - Key Persons
Aleem Remtula brings over 15 years of experience in impact investing with socially-responsible, venture capital and private equity funds in the U.S. and Europe. He is currently a Managing Director at Developing World Markets, a U.S.-based impact investment manager that has disbursed over $1.3 billion across 50 emerging and frontier market countries.
Aleem manages the firm's private equity investments across South and Central Asia, the Caucasus, and East and South Africa and is a board member of four financial institutions serving low-income entrepreneurs and SMEs in India and Georgia. Aleem has held positions at J.P. Morgan, UBS, Bridges Ventures, and the New York City Investment Fund. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance from Princeton University and a Master's of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Projects and Advocacy Officer
Ali Aljundi currently works as a Syria Projects and Advocacy Officer at Oxfam America, where he contributes to the organization's advocacy work about the ongoing Syrian humanitarian crisis and networking with Syrian diaspora organizations in the United States. Ali has participated in many panel discussions and events about the crisis including at Harvard University, MIT, UMass Boston, Tufts University, Microsoft, and more.
Before leaving Syria in 2012, Ali was a Senior Career Development Coordinator at United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA). Ali previously worked as a Marketing Development Officer at the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria on rural development and women empowerment from 2005 to 2010. Ali also contributed to founding a local NGO called Salamieh Friends Association (SFA) in his hometown of Salamieh and served as the Development Coordinator from 2006 to 2012. His volunteer-based work at SFA focused on enhancing the alternative eco-tourism sector and empowering local marginalized communities. Ali has also worked in the private sector, specifically in Syria's textile industry for over ten years.
Ali holds a Master's Degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Damascus University.
Altaf Virani is the Donor Services Officer for AKF USA.
He maintains donor records in the CRM, conducts reporting to institutions, and provides support to donors and other departments within AKF USA.
He has a Master's degree in Business Administration. Prior to working with the Foundation, he worked as a Network Administrator for a medical college in Richmond, VA, and as a project manager with the National Council for USA.
Job Titles:
- the Programs and Partnerships Manager
Anisa is the Programs and Partnerships Manager. She also supports Agriculture and Food Security; and Education. In this role, she manages a portfolio of grants to ensure compliance and technical quality, as well as coordinates resource mobilization efforts with AKF units.
Prior to joining AKF, Anisa worked with the Aga Khan Development Network in Afghanistan, Canada, Tajikistan, and Pakistan in the areas of economic development, humanitarian assistance, and access to finance.
Anisa holds a Master's degree in Environment and Development, with a focus on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction from King's College London, as well as a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Farida brings over 25 years of community engagement and small business experience to the National Committee.
Since 1998, she has acted as President of All Color Badge & Awards, a growing promotional products and printing company based in Dallas, Texas. All Color serves customers nationwide, including companies like Mary Kay Cosmetics and the National Cheerleaders Association.
Farida has held several leadership positions in the Ismaili community. She has served with AKF USA for 13 years as the first female Central Region Chair and as Vice Chair representing Volunteers. For over a decade with Troop 758, Farida served in various leadership roles including Committee Chairperson for the Boy Scouts.
Job Titles:
- National Leader of AKF USA 's Planned
Farrukh Valliani serves as the National Leader of AKF USA's Planned and Legacy Giving Program since December 2019. He has been engaged in the telecommunication industry for over 20 years. He started his career with Ericsson Systems as a Systems Architect. Currently, he is responsible for Commercial Strategies and Solution Management for Nokia North America. He has authored patents in the area of mobile networks and has worked on projects in Germany and Mexico.
In the Ismaili community, Farrukh served as President of the Ismaili Councils for Central US and Northern Texas for over six years. He also served as a member of the National Council for the US for four years where he focused on improving quality of lives in the community.
Farrukh holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of North Texas. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Dr. Farida Valliani, a physician, and their two daughters, Shireen and Alisha.
Gustavo is the Human Resources Officer for AKF USA.
He is responsible for the administration of HR operations and initiatives including employment, training and development, compensation, safety, and security, as well as development and implementation of HR policies and procedures.
During over 10 years of experience in Human Resources, Gustavo has worked for companies in different fields such as retail, manufacturing, security, and HR consulting. He is committed to promoting an organizational culture founded in the values of the AKDN and to support delivering HR strategies, programs and initiatives that support and promote an inclusive, engaging, and inspiring place to work and develop.
Gustavo holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from the Universidad del Valle de Mexico, in Mexico City, and a HR Professional Certification by the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) since 2013.
Job Titles:
- Regional Director of Planned
Ibrahim is the Regional Director of Planned and Legacy Giving.
Ibrahim brings 37 years of experience in the not-for-profit and the corporate sectors. Prior to joining AKF, he was Vice President and Senior Consultant at Global Philanthropic (Canada), a full-service international fundraising consultancy company. As a consultant, he has led several projects within the higher education, health care, arts and culture, social service, and international development sectors across Canada and in the United States.
He has also held senior positions at universities, teaching hospitals, and think tanks including the Aga Khan University, SickKids Foundation, University of Waterloo, and the Pembina Institute for Environmental Research and Education.
Ibrahim holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree, an MBA from McGill University, and a Master of Management Science degree from the University of Waterloo. He serves on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and previously served as Director on the British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA).
Jody Santoro is the Senior Officer for Communications and Content.
Following her studies at the University of New Hampshire and the Studio Art Centers International in Florence, the Connecticut native worked for 25 years in design, writing, and promotional campaigns.
Before joining AKF, Jody served as the Communication and Marketing Officer for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in Tampa, where she worked to elevate NAI's global brand and promote the remarkable discoveries of its Fellows.
In her life outside of work, Jody is a passionate advocate for individuals with disabilities. To create more safeguards for vulnerable populations, she participated in the national Partners in Policymaking program with a focus on independent living opportunities.
For fun, Jody leans into her artistic background, either creating in her home studio or attending cultural events and loves British mystery shows on PBS.
Karim Jafferali is the Regional Senior Manager, Financial Management.
He supervises the Donor and Internal Grants management teams for Aga Khan Foundation units in North America. Before joining AKF North America team in June 2014, Karim also worked with AKF Pakistan unit for around 23 years in various capacities including his last responsibility as head of the corporate finance team. During his association with AKF North America team, he also served AKF Egypt unit as Interim CFO for a period of 6 months in 2019.
Karim has done a Commonwealth Master of Business Administration, from Islamabad, Pakistan. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Karachi.
Karina Paredes is AKF's Senior Manager, Donor Services (North America).
Karina has a Bachelor degree in Economic and Entrepreneur Sciences from Private University of Piura (Lima, Peru) and is currently pursuing a CPA designation through Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.
Karina is a proactive, self-directed and positive professional with diverse experience in the non-profit and service sector, process development and implementation, project management, database analysis/reporting, team management and customer service.
Prior to joining the Donor Services team, Karina was AKFC's Resource Development Coordinator where she assisted with the planning and implementation of fundraising and donor cultivation activities.
Prior to joining the AKFC team, Karina was Lima Airport Partners' Protocol Officer where she was responsible for special events and the coordination of official visits of Heads of State and Government.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Khalil Shariff is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation USA.
Khalil Shariff has served as Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), a leading Canadian global development agency, since 2005. He was previously with the Toronto office of McKinsey & Company, an international management consultancy, where he advised governments, financial institutions, and health care providers on strategy, organization, and operational improvement. He has also served in a variety of research and policy capacities with the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He currently sits on the Boards of the Global Centre for Pluralism, the Rideau Hall Foundation, and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and served a term as an elected School Trustee in his hometown of Richmond, BC, in his youth. He holds a BA from the University of British Columbia and a JD from the Harvard Law School.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager
- Senior Manager, Human Resources ( North America )
Kristie Kelly is the Senior Manager, Human Resources (North America).
Kristie Kelly is the Senior Manager, Human Resources (North America) and leads HR processes and practices to empower employees and enable their success within AKFC and AKF USA. She is committed to promoting an organizational culture founded in the values of the AKDN and to delivering HR strategies, programs and initiatives that support and promote an inclusive, engaging and inspiring place to work and develop. Kristie has worked with international human rights and international development organizations for 22 years in public engagement, volunteer engagement and human resources roles. Kristie holds degrees in English Literature, Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Ottawa and a professional diploma in Human Resources Management from Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.
Leroy is the Donor Services Manager. Leroy maintains the donor database, handles reporting, and provides support to donors and the Resource Development department.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Leroy worked as an Associate within the Resource Development department at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Leroy holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Karachi.
Lionel is the Office Coordinator. He is the first in line when contact is made with the Aga Khan Foundation.
Lionel's previous positions include supervising a team of 20 individuals who were physically, developmentally, emotionally, or socioeconomically challenged at CW Resources, working as a Team Leader at the World Bank, and serving as an Executive Assistant at the Salvation Army Headquarters, where he had the opportunity to serve with Pentagon Disaster Relief.
Lionel holds a certificate of Web Designer and Developer from the George Mason University, Volgenau School of Engineering in Arlington, VA. He graduated in Fundamentals of Art from the Art Instructions Schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Principal of Highgate
- Member of the Young Presidents' Organization
Mahmood Khimji is a Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Highgate, a fully-integrated real estate investment and hospitality management company. Prior to founding Highgate in 1988, Mr. Khimji practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Mr. Khimji is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), the Real Estate Forum and a member of the Board of Directors of Sagicor Financial Corporation Limited and Playa Hotels & Resorts. He previously held board positions at MeriStar Hospitality Corporation, Interstate Hotels, and Morgans Hotel Group.
Mr. Khimji also serves on the Boards of Aga Khan Museum and the Asia Society. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Visitors for Columbia Law School. He attended the University of British Columbia, holds a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of Houston, and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School.
Michael is the Senior Planned and Legacy Giving Officer.
In this role, he supports the growth of the Foundation's planned giving program, and he serves a resource for inquiries into program specifics.
Drawing upon experiences throughout the US and Canada, Michael cultivates a broad knowledge of non-profit fundraising, planned giving, and donor engagement. He has helped realize donor stewardship with the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and he has supported cultivation of the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine's professional membership base. Additionally, Michael's lifelong interest in music and the performing arts has drawn him to collaborate on fundraising initiatives with community-focused arts organizations like Dancemakers and Lakeshore Arts, located in Toronto.
Michael holds a Master of Arts Management degree from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where his studies centered around language, cultural studies, and music.
Munira Yasir is the Grant Finance Manager.
Munira is responsible for overall Grant Compliance and Management for the AKFUSA Grants' Portfolio. This includes accounting, donor financial reporting, budgeting, and annual financial & grants audit.
Munira has over a decade of core finance experience. She holds MBA (Finance) degree and is a fellow member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK (ACCA). Prior to joining AKF USA, she worked for Aga Khan University and Hospital (AKUH) in Pakistan, in the finance division for last 13 years.
Nageeb Sumar has over fifteen years of experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. He currently serves as Vice President, Philanthropic Strategies at Fidelity Charitable. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he oversaw the foundation's work on policy, systems, and innovation in philanthropy.
Nageeb previously worked on the Gates Foundation's government relations team, helping to partner with the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, and Korea. Nageeb has also worked as an associate at law firms in DC, focusing on international finance transactions, and at Oxfam America on microfinance and market access issues.
Nageeb holds a law degree from McGill Law School, a Master's degree in International Finance from Queen's University School of Business, and Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Urban & Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Saleem is the Senior Programs and Partnerships Officer for AKF USA.
Saleem is an international development practitioner with over 15 years of experience in M&E and project management supporting Civil Society and Governance, Agriculture and Food Security, and Economic Inclusion Programs. Before joining the AKFUSA team, he was the National Manager, Grants and M&E for Agriculture and Food Security Unit in AKF, Afghanistan. Saleem holds a Master's degree in International Development."
Salim Ferozali is the Regional Chief Financial Officer.
Salim Ferozali is the Regional Chief Financial Officer and leads the Operations teams, covering Finance, Information Technology, Administration, and Donor Services, for Aga Khan Foundation units in North America. He also serves as CFO for the Global Centre for Pluralism. Before taking on this role, Salim worked for various leadership roles with AKF units in East Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for over 20 years.
Salim is a Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA, CMA). He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Karachi and has received qualification for Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) from the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Sara Gallagher is the Business Development Manager.
She has over a decade of experience with startup nonprofit development in the United States and abroad. Sara works full time in business development space with a focus on public health and education in the Near East. In the past, Sara has assisted MENA embassies, the Department of Defense, and startup nonprofit agencies in enhancing their operations via business development, Board management, human resources, and program design. Her career highlights include: A Fulbright Scholarship in Telavi, Georgia where she supported students and professors wishing to enhance their education abroad and promoted higher education to children vulnerable to recruitment by ISIS, generating over $5M in new business for refugee public health initiatives in the MENA Region and Southern Europe, and setting up governance structures for rapidly growing nonprofits in the United States, Jordan, Greece, and Yemen. She holds a MS in Nonprofit Management from The New School in New York. Sara is based in Washington, DC where she lives with her cat.
Job Titles:
- Principal and Managing Director of 360 Degree Hotel Group
Shaiza Damji is a Principal and Managing Director of 360 Degree Hotel Group, headquartered outside of Seattle, Washington. She previously worked as an Associate Attorney at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York.
She serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Washington - Northwest Hospital and Medical Center and is Board Member Emeritus of the Institute of Flight. She is a former chairperson of the Washington Lodging Association and currently serves on Marriott's Franchisee Advisory Council. She has served as a Member of Communications and Publications for the Ismaili Council for the United States and as a Member for Scholarships for the Aga Khan Education Board for the USA. She was an International Development Management Fellow of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada for one year, placed with an NGO in Gujarat, India.
Shaiza holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Yale University and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. She lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband and two sons.
Since she can remember, Shamsah has been passionate about serving the communities within which she has lived and worked, guided by the philosophy - "Success in life is measured not only by what you have achieved, but also by what you help others achieve."
Shamsah Virani is the Director, Resource Development and Communications.
Shamsah is a seasoned Executive with over 25 years of Marketing, Sales and Communications experience, primarily in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. She worked for leading organizations, Merck, Roche and Otsuka, in London, Toronto and New York. Prior to joining the Foundation, Shamsah spent 7 years with the Aga Khan University Hospitals and Healthcare, in Karachi, to establish high functioning Marketing, Communications & Patient Access departments.
Shamsah has had a long-standing commitment to voluntary service with the Ismaili Jamati institutions in leadership roles for Youth & Sports, Women's Development, Social Welfare, Volunteer Management, Economic Planning, Rays of Light Exhibition and now with Global Encounters.
Sharmin is the Fundraising Data Analytics Officer.
She is responsible for analyzing fundraising data, as well as identifying opportunities for improvement in fundraising strategies.
Sharmin has a Master's degree in Mathematics from Nagpur University, India and is certified in Applied Data Science through MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). In addition to her math skills, Sharmin is well-versed in technical skills that enable her to work with a large amount of data efficiently and effectively. Her unique combination of academics, experience and technical skills allows her to excel in fundraising data analytics, helping the organization to achieve our fundraising goals and make a positive impact in the communities we serve.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the National Committee
- Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company
Sherina Ebrahim is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she works primarily with consumer goods and healthcare clients across a range of strategic and operational topics. She brings extensive experience in strategy, organization design, and transformation, as well as a multitude of commercial topics.
Sherina has also served extensively within the Ismaili community, including as a member of the National Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board.
Sherina received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Shirin is the Senior Officer for Resource Development and Business Partnerships.
She is an international business professional with over 20 years of experience in business development and project implementation-complemented by other skills in arts, biology, gemology, marketing, resource development, communications, organizational development, and research. Having worked in positions for global development (product and organizational design, new business, communications, start-up, and project implementation) she understands projects from start to finish. Before joining the AKDN family, she was the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Benzer Capital and she worked on investment portfolios for various high-value clients in the US. She serves as a board of director member at the United Nation Association Houston. Shirin holds a Master's degree in management with certifications from Harvard in Global Leadership and Creating Public Value.
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Regional Director, North
Steve Mason is the Regional Director, North America (Programs and Partnerships).
Steve Mason is the Regional Director, North America (Programs and Partnerships) for the Aga Khan Foundation. In this role, he is responsible for managing an international development and humanitarian program portfolio spanning 20 countries, developing and maintaining relationships with a variety of governmental and non-governmental partners, and providing intellectual and organizational leadership to the Foundation. Prior to taking on this role, Steve was the founding Regional CEO of Aga Khan Foundation (West Africa), based in Bamako, Mali. Steve previously worked for AKF as the Manager of External Relations in Afghanistan and as the Regional Programme Manager in East Africa. Prior to joining the Foundation, he was Executive Director of the United Nations Association in Canada. Steve has served on the Board of Directors of a number of non-profit organizations in Canada and internationally.
Steve has a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a B.Sc in Bio-Math from the University of New Brunswick. He lives in Ottawa with his wife, Julie, and his two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager
- Regional Senior Manager of Information Systems for Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Thant Aung also serves as Regional Senior Manager of Information Systems for Aga Khan Foundation Canada and Global Center for Pluralism since 2003. He was previously with National Research Council of Canada as Enterprise Network Administrator looking after various networked servers, security appliances and corporate databases. He has also served as Network Technician at JDS Uniphase, Ottawa, Canada. In his early career, he was IT administrator and Desktop Publishing Specialist in New Delhi, India. He holds degrees in Computer Science, diploma in Computer Programming, certificates in Enterprise Cisco Networking, Web Development, several Fundraising and Donation Management platforms and Print Media. He lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife and his daughter.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the National Committee
- Chief Financial Officer at a Family Office
Zahid Rahimtoola is Chief Financial Officer at a Family Office with operations and investments in the United States and Europe. Immediately prior to this role, Zahid was Chief Financial Officer at IPVALUE Management, an intellectual property licensing company overseeing worldwide financial operations for the company since 2004.
Zahid has worked at two business incubators, where he built and led the finance and administrative functions. Prior to moving into the private sector, Zahid was Senior Manager with Ernst & Young in New York, working with Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies, hedge funds, and other investment firms.
Zahid has been an avid volunteer from his early days in India and most recently served for six years as the Chairman of the Grants & Review Board (financial oversight body) of the Ismaili community in the United States. In his community of Palo Alto, California, Zahid has been treasurer in multiple local nonprofits that focus on early childhood education and youth development activities.
Zahid qualified as a Chartered Accountant having trained at Ernst & Young in London and received his Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Mumbai in India.