About Zahraa

My mind is often puzzled with big questions and what I enjoy the most is consulting organizations and people to solve these complex inquiries. I am always pursuing opportunities that create a community-wide impact. I grew up in a country that seeks an economic shift from being oil-dependent to becoming sustainable through reviving the private sector. I was mesmerized by the notion of creating a collective ambition for the entire nation. I wondered how a change at that scale can be planned and implemented.

From then on, I embarked into avenues where I solve big questions that create results at scale. In my early twenties, I led an international organization with 300+ members. Some of my questions were: How can leadership be instilled in young people nation-wide? How can I lead an organization to sustainable growth? How can I influence a group of volunteers? What processes can I change to turn my program from an unproductive one to a high-growth one? Seeking answers enabled me to achieve a 500% annual growth in program participation. Looking back, I think it is crazy that I partnered with ambassadors and government officials at the age of 22!

Being curious opened doors for me to work with clients across the world. My ability to form the right questions meant that I can reach relevant solutions. My quality of inquiry was improved after taking an Executive Coaching course during my graduate degree at Vanderbilt University. My undergraduate degree in Architecture taught me to be analytical by designing with the user in mind while responding to the bigger context in which my projects live.    

Up to this point, I did not realize that what I was doing can be called consulting. I hate to be the cliché creative person who quotes Steve Jobs, but I love this quote. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” And when I look backwards, I know I was a consultant-in-training. I worked with clients ranging from VVIPs to startup founders in rural Mexico which prepared me to be a trusted advisor. I stretched myself through complex topics such as “what factors impact refugees economic sufficiency in the US?” and “how can Fortune 1000 companies make socially impactful yet financially rewarding expansions in developing countries?”. I travelled to clients 8000 miles away from my homeland where I navigated language and cultural barriers while still achieving results.

After winning prestigious awards and recognitions including the Fulbright scholarship, a Stanford University fellowship, an Oxford University global competition, the One Young World scholarship, and several Toastmasters speaking awards, I am proud of all the times I failed. And those are many! Without my failures I would not have achieved and more importantly, I would not have had as much thirst for learning. And learning breads growth. I look forward to creating community-wide impact, even global impact (why not?) by solving the world’s most pressing questions.