Request more info
Find speakers by:
Request more info

Zahra Al-Harazi

Award-Winning Entrepreneur | Purpose-Driven Leadership Expert

Zahra Al-Harazi
Four Traits that Make Up Who We Are
Al-Harazi Thumb 1
Shaping Your Story
Al-Harazi Thumb 2
Navigating Being an Outsider
Virtual: Braving the Wilderness
Unbranded Me: TEDxCanmore
Zahra
Al-Harazi Thumb 1
Al-Harazi Thumb 2
Zahra Al-Harazi
Four Traits that Make Up Who We Are
Al-Harazi Thumb 1
Shaping Your Story
Al-Harazi Thumb 2
Navigating Being an Outsider
Virtual: Braving the Wilderness
Unbranded Me: TEDxCanmore

Zahra Al-Harazi is a globally recognized authority on leadership skill development and purpose-driven growth — equipping individuals and organizations with the human capabilities required to thrive in today’s high-stakes, high-change world. With a career forged through resilience, innovation, and a deep understanding of human potential, Al-Harazi dives into the core pillars of modern leadership — self-mastery, cognitive clarity, relational intelligence, and cultural agility — helping audiences build those skills with intention and turn them into their signature leadership presence.

A survivor of two civil wars, Al-Harazi immigrated to Canada in 1996 with no higher education, no network, and three children to raise. Within a few years, she founded Foundry Communications, building it into one of Canada’s top creative firms. Today, Al-Harazi is the co-founder of Skillit — a next-generation learning platform designed to bridge the global skills gap through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. She is also currently working on an AI-powered learning platform that helps build foundational skills. It combines microlearning, behavioural feedback, and real-world challenges to accelerate leadership capacity.

A sought-after consultant, Al-Harazi has coached thousands of leaders, working directly with organizations to embed leadership development into their culture, strategy, and workforce design. Her expertise includes navigating organizational change, multi-generational workforce development, leadership mindset design, employee engagement, stakeholder evolution, and values-based transformation.

Al-Harazi’s work is informed by lived experience and real-world leadership, making her uniquely effective at helping leaders cultivate the skills and cultures required to thrive in complex, shifting environments, guiding them to master emotional regulation, decision-making under pressure, change leadership, communication clarity, and cross-cultural fluency. Her bestselling book, What It Takes, offers a practical guide to building the mindset, resilience, and skill agility required to lead with intention and clarity.

A dynamic speaker and facilitator, Al-Harazi has inspired audiences in over 20 countries with her no-nonsense approach to unlocking human potential. Her sessions blend strategic insight with real-world experience — equipping leaders at every level with the skills, mindset, and motivation to lead with intention, clarity, and courage in uncertain times. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, scaling startups, and professional associations.

Al-Harazi has been recognized as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women (WXN), one of Chatelaine’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and one of RBC’s Top 25 Immigrants to Canada. She is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a former Canadian Ambassador to UNICEF.

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

  • What It Takes to Be Heard: A Journey of Voice, Courage, and Unexpected Joy

    Zahra Al-Harazi is now known as a bold entrepreneur, an outspoken advocate for human potential, and a globally recognized speaker. Her voice carries weight — in boardrooms, on international stages, and in the lives of those she moves. But that voice wasn’t always loud, or confident, or even welcome.

    Born in a country where girls were taught to stay silent, Al-Harazi learned early how to shrink herself to survive. Her goal wasn’t to be heard — it was to go unnoticed. When she immigrated to Canada in 1996, she arrived with no higher education, no connections, and no blueprint of what to do next. A young mother of three, she felt overwhelmed, invisible, and completely unsure of her place in the world. But slowly — and sometimes clumsily with missteps and persistence and more than a few moments of unexpected humour — she began to speak up. And in doing so, she discovered not just her voice, but her purpose.

    Told with warmth, honesty, and disarming wit, this deeply relatable keynote traces one woman’s journey from quiet observer to powerful communicator. It explores how courage is built moment by moment, how failure can become fuel, how to unlearn fear and the desire to quit, and how learning to speak with authenticity can change everything.

    This is a deeply human and profoundly uplifting talk — perfect for opening minds, recharging hearts, and reminding audiences what’s possible when we stop shrinking and start showing up. Whether opening a conference or closing a summit, this talk leaves audiences more connected, more courageous, and ready to lead with intention.

  • What It Takes Now: Leading with Strength, Clarity, and Human Skill

    In a world where change is constant, uncertainty is a given, and generative AI is reshaping every industry, leaders can no longer rely solely on experience or technical expertise. The new leadership advantage lies in a set of deeply human skills: cognitive clarity, emotional regulation, cultural agility, and the ability to lead change with both conviction and adaptability.

    In this energizing and actionable keynote, Zahra Al-Harazi draws from her leadership journey and lived expertise to unpack the five core durable skills every leader must master to stay relevant-and lead others with integrity and confidence. Attendees will learn:

    • How to sharpen decision-making under pressure using cognitive control.
    • Why emotional literacy is the gateway to better leadership communication.
    • How to model adaptability and unlearning in real-time.
    • What it takes to lead a multi-generational, cross-functional workforce with cultural fluency.
    • How to develop a personal practice of self-mastery that builds mental stamina.

    This isn’t just inspiration — it’s a leadership skills workout. Attendees walk away with tangible strategies, micro-habits, and reflective prompts they can apply immediately to elevate how they think, lead, and grow.

  • Lead Out Loud: How to Show Up, Stand Out, and Be Seen as a Leader

    In leadership, perception is often reality. Whether you’re in the boardroom, on stage, or on screen, how you’re seen influences how you’re heard — and how much impact you can have. Yet most leaders invest more in building their competence than in curating their presence. This keynote is about changing that.

    Zahra Al-Harazi challenges leaders to take full ownership of their leadership narrative-teaching the essential skills for projecting confidence, clarity, and credibility in a world of constant visibility. Drawing from her real-world experience working with executives and entrepreneurs, she shows leaders how to build a presence that reflects their true value and potential.

    Audiences will learn:

    • How to audit and refine how others perceive their leadership.
    • The science of credibility and what makes someone compelling.
    • Practical strategies for storytelling, visibility, and self-marketing that align with personal values and life purpose.
    • How to shift from imposter syndrome to intentional authority.
    • Why leadership presence isn’t about charisma, it’s about clarity, alignment, and skill.

    This session is for leaders ready to stop playing small, own their space, and lead with both substance and style. It’s not just about being seen — it’s about being seen as the leader you truly are.

  • The Power of Purpose: Leading a Life That Aligns with What Matters Most

    It’s easy to get caught in the momentum of doing — meeting deadlines, hitting metrics, chasing titles — without ever stopping to ask: Does this still matter to me? In a world that moves fast and rewards visible achievement, purpose can quietly slip into the background.

    In this deeply reflective and practical keynote, Zahra Al-Harazi invites leaders to pause long enough to reconnect with what they’re really building — and why it matters. Drawing from her own journey of rebuilding identity, career, and voice from the ground up, Al-Harazi explores how clarity of purpose isn’t just about passion — it’s about direction, discipline, and integrity in how we lead.

    Through storytelling, prompts, and lived wisdom, she helps audiences uncover the difference between success and fulfillment and what happens when the two don’t align.

    Audiences will learn:

    • How to recognize when you’re out of alignment — and what to do about it.
    • The role of purpose in leadership clarity, confidence, and decision-making.
    • What it means to lead with conviction, even when the path isn’t linear.
    • The questions that bring you back to what matters when you’re lost in the noise.
    • Why purpose isn’t a luxury — it’s your most renewable source of energy.

    This keynote is ideal for leaders who are at a crossroads, in transition, or simply ready to lead with more intention and less autopilot. It leaves audiences reconnected to their “why” and recharged to act on it.

Need assistance?

Related Content

More great information and resources.

Books

  • What it Takes by Zahra Al-Harazi
    What It Takes To Live and Lead With Purpose, Laughter, and Strength

    The trajectory of Zahra Al-harazi’s life defies expectations. In this electrifying book...

    → Read More

Articles

Client reviews

  • Home Trust

    Zahra’s presentation was VERY well received. We had many comments right after the session and they are still coming in. They thought that her message was very powerful, she was relatable and a wonderful keynote speaker. Thank you again for the great suggestion.

  • Sobeys Inc.

    It was a pleasure having Zahra speak and engage with our leadership team. Her storytelling capabilities are as extraordinary as the life experiences she has had. She was very authentic in her approach and kept the message clear and on point. I walked away with several great take-aways that will support the ongoing growth in my leadership journey.

  • JA Southern Alberta

    Zahra Al-Harazi’s magical personality shines through every word she speaks. The keynote she delivered for 350 young women at the JA Southern Alberta World of Choices Career Exploration event was warm, informative, and highly inspirational. Her insight into how people can harness their passion and overcome obstacles to become, and remain, successful is as refreshing as it is powerful. She is an amazing and engaging speaker. The audience becomes wrapped up in her message of perseverance and hope!

  • Providence Health Care Foundation

    Zahra was committed, gracious, cooperative, and very easy to work with. The Launch event in 2012 was the most well-attended event in WIPP’s history. We feel this is thanks, in no small part, to Zahra’s compelling personal and professional accomplishments… Zahra’s powerful story of determination, spirit, and will to follow her dreams to a path of exceptional success, was inspirational and compelling to our audience. Our WIPP donors are still talking about the impact she made. One of the guests attending commented, “Her message resonated with all of the women in the room.”

  • Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship

    Zahra’s keynote was nothing short of amazing. All of the advice that she shared with the audience was simple to understand, but by taking her advice and applying it to your day to day life, you knew that you can have a big impact on your path to success. Students and academic leaders in the crowd, were absolutely astounded by her story, one that received a standing ovation from every single individual in the crowd after her last words were said. With just over half of all the students involved in our program being females, Zahra served as an ideal role model for our female student leaders — as well as the males — one that they inspire to emulate. Through feedback from the audience afterwards, you could feel that everyone was energized, inspired, and motivated to overcome any obstacle, tackle any challenge, and achieve anything they put their mind to.

  • Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)

    Not only does Zahra have a compelling story, but she has a very humble and connective way of telling it. From the moment she started her speech, I could tell the audience was engaged, involved, and wanted to hear more. She injected humor when needed, remained serious when the story got intense, and wasn’t afraid to share everything with the group. Zahra has a real message to tell, and makes sure to include lessons learned and expressly focus on the take home value inherent to her experiences.

You might also like

Related speakers.