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.