Sherina Ebrahim, Chair

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.

Zahid Rahimtoola, Vice Chair

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.

Ali Aljundi, Member

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.

Shaiza Damji, Member

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.

Farida Khemani, Member

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.

Mahmood Khimji, Member

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.

 

Aleem Remtula, Member

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.

Nageeb Sumar, Member

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.

Farrukh Valliani, Member

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.

The National Committee is governed by the Board of Directors.