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IPN Networking Mixer : Euless, TX on Saturday, April 6th 2019

We are pleased to present an interactive session with IPN professional’s Nilufar Ramji and Shanil Issa. Nilufar and Shanil will share their personal experiences, successes and failures to provide insight on how to build your path to success in both Private and Public corporate companies!

Topics include (but are not limited to):
1. How to work your way into large Fortune 500 companies
2. Becoming a leader in your industry
3. How to understand and handle company culture, leadership/management

WHEN: Saturday, April 6th, 2019 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
WHERE: Dave & Buster’s 2525 Rio Grande Boulevard | Euless, TX 76039
REGISTRATION FEES: $15 + TAX
REGISTER: Here!

If you are mentor looking for mentee or mentee looking for a mentor this would be a great opportunity for you to connect. Connect with IPN team and if you are available to help with future events or projects let us know.

The event is a limited gathering with all friends & colleagues welcome to join! Refreshments will be provided.

Speakers:
Nilufar Ramji is the Communication Strategist for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. She has nearly a decade of experience in public affairs and communications. Prior to joining NASA, her background includes work with the Ismaili Council for the USA, Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Aga Khan Foundation East Africa, as well as the Canadian federal government. In her spare time she served as the President and VP, Education of her local Toastmasters chapter and was the Compliance Manager for the Jubilee Arts International Arts Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

Shanil Issa was born in Chicago, IL but shortly afterwards moved to Miami, FL with his family when he was young. He attended Florida State University and received his B.S. in Marketing and Business Management. Upon graduation, Shanil began his career at Amazon as an Operations Manager working in Richmond, Virginia. At the time, he was one of the company’s youngest leaders and was responsible for leading a team of 80-100 Amazon associates, identifying and leading process initiatives with lean tools, and exceeding customer expectations during high-demand peak seasons.

Learn, Connect and Socialize with fellow IPN professionals!

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Spotlight

Farzana Nayani

IPN Spotlight: Farzana Nayani (Professional Education Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion Trainer at Farzana Nayani, Consulting & Training)

Farzana Nayani is a recognized Diversity and Inclusion specialist, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant. She has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and public agencies to help cultivate inclusion, belonging, and employee
engagement. Her extensive work with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) has created a platform for programming and advocacy from the White House to Silicon Valley.
An expert on global community relations, her work has been engaged by institutions like the Smithsonian and the East-West Center. She is the mother of two young children and was an athlete at the Jubilee Games in Dubai.

What skills have helped you in your career?
Playing competitive sports from an early age has taught me that both winning and failing are equally a part of growth and development. The key is how you pick yourself up from a loss and get back in the game. This choice to continually face challenge is fundamental to having resilience, grit, and ultimate success. The other part of this formula is to aim for mastery and continued effort and dedication can lead you there.
Growing up in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith family with Filipino and Pakistani parents has offered me the understanding that there are different perspectives in the world, and we can honor all of them with respect and care. This truth has helped me reach and teach across different groups, modeling empathy and appreciation, in order to help people, find unity and cultivate community in and amongst the differences.

What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I am involved in a coaching program and also coach and mentor others. I learn so much from talking with people from all backgrounds, ages, experiences – as everyone has a unique point of view. Reading books on the latest thought leadership related to my line of work keeps me current on impactful issues and approaches. I find attending conferences extremely inspiring and a way to connect with others who are interested in making a difference in a similar way. Lastly, I do a lot of reflection through dialogue and writing and that helps me crystallize all of these sources of information into deep learning that I can share with others.

What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
That I don’t have to follow a career path that others have done or that we think standard educational tracks or implicit cultural or gender norms will lead to. Instead, I can chart my own. That has been extremely empowering and rewarding.
No one has ever told me “no”, but the absence of visible leaders in my career with my identity may have made me think that it is not possible. I am here and openly telling young women of color and anyone else who feels limited, that *they* can choose the course of their own future, and actions toward that path can start NOW.

What is next for you in your career?
I am working on a book and am also going to publish videos and e-learning courses to help my message reach wider audiences. Please connect with me on social media and stay tuned for more!

Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion initiatives
• Organizational Change for deep impact
• Inclusive Communications Strategy
• Understanding Identity & Cultivating Belonging

Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Farzana Nayani

Please provide your preferred email address so interested professionals can network with you:
[email protected]

Region:
Western Region- Los Angeles

If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.

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Event

IPN : Webinar on Saturday, March 16 2019 – Space, the Next Frontier

Why Space? It’s a trillion Dollar Industry!

Once upon a time, humans only dreamt of the stars, but in today’s world we aspire and work towards a future where we can visit and one day live among them! The space industry has been growing and investment firms such as Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley predict the industry will be a TRILLION dollar industry in the next 30 years!

Join us on Saturday, March 16th 2019 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm EDT with Tahir Merali to discover the future of the Space industry and how it may impact your industry!

Tahir is currently a Project Management Engineer with the Canadian Space Agency.
Adding to his incredible list of accomplishments within the Space industry, Tahir was formerly the Chief Commercial Officer for the Canadian Space Commerce Association (CSCA), as well as an astronaut instructor!
Tahir was recognized globally as a Top 35 under 35 of the space industry in 2018 and we look forward to hearing him speak and share his knowledge of this amazing growth industry with us!

Register here: Space, The Next Frontier

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Event

The Aga Khan Council for the Central United States & TEDxPlano TED Event : Plano, TX on Saturday, March 2nd 2019

The Aga Khan Council for the Central United States in collaboration with TedxPlano, presents a ‘TEDxPlano Salon’ event titled, Fourth Industrial Revolution ( What is it ? How to respond ? Impacts of IOT, AI, Robotics) by Vivek Bakshi, Senior Director, Infosys at Ismaili Jamatkhana, Plano.
The event will be moderated by Shannah Hayley, Director of Communications and Community Outreach for the City of Plano.

When: Saturday, March 2, 2019
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Ismaili Jamatkhana, Plano | 6704 Alma Drive, Plano, TX 75023
Click Here To Register!

We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society. Let’s come together to discuss this topic share ideas and connect with each other.

About the Speaker:
Vivek Bakshi is a Technology Leader with over 2 decades of experience in working in the Information Technology field. He works as a Senior Director at Infosys advising businesses on their transformational technology programs. He has helped many companies adopt new technologies such as Robotic Process Automation, Machine Learning and Big Data, Business Process Modeling tools, re-skilling workforce through digital and classroom led trainings, creating centers of excellence on automation and various other technology programs. Prior to working at Infosys, he was an entrepreneur and created an e-commerce business. Vivek is passionate about technology and a strong believer that we are still at the early stages of the transformation of all businesses. He lives in Plano along with his wife who is a teacher and their daughter and son. In his spare time he loves to read on varied topics such as Technology, History, Economics & Environment and volunteers for social causes in the area of education & environment.

About the Moderator:
Shannah Hayley’s pursuit of living life to the fullest has taken her all over the world with various communications-focused jobs, from teaching in Kenya to consulting in the United Kingdom. After moving to North Texas in 1999, she leveraged her background in communications into marketing and business development in the professional services marketplace before transitioning into the public sector. Shannah now serves as the Director of Communications and Community Outreach for the City of Plano, the 69th largest city in the United States. Her responsibilities include process management, strategic planning, communications and supervision of all aspects of the City’s communications, marketing and community outreach efforts.
Shannah also serves as the curator of TEDxPlano. She is an idea-lover on mission to bring people together, focused on sharing ideas with the potential to transform the Plano community and the North Texas region.
Shannah earned her B.S. in Communications Management (with honors) and her M.A. in Communications from Missouri State University. She earned her Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) designation in 2006 and was admitted to the Society for Marketing Professional Services College of Fellows in 2013.

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Event

IPN West Seminar : Santa Monica, CA on Saturday, March 9th 2019 – Women Leaders’ Seminar

IPN West – Women Leaders’ Seminar

IPN West is proud to present, Women Leaders’ Seminar, a half-day event featuring a panel and networking session focused on successful women across industries who will share their personal strategies, experiences, successes and failures to provide insights to those looking to advance their careers.

The seminar will span a series of topics that include:
– Career pathfinding in today’s fast paced environment;
– Starting a new business venture; and,
– Becoming a leader in industry.

There will also be ample opportunity to network, mingle and connect with fellow like-minded attendees who have similar shared experiences and backgrounds.

The event is open to all Ismaili professionals’ friends & colleagues!
Please register by Thursday, March 7th at: https://tinyurl.com/ipnwestwls

WHEN: Saturday, March 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PT
WHERE: Hulu Santa Monica | 2450 Broadway, Santa Monica, Voltron
REGISTRATION ENDS: Thursday, March 7th at 11:59 p.m. PT
TICKETS: $15 + Processing Fee

Panelist backgrounds as follows:

Nadia Allaudin [Panelist] – SVP, Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch
Nadia Allaudin is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in Century City. As of January 2019, The Allaudin/Brahos Group is entrusted with over $450 million in assets and liabilities. With more than 20 years of in-depth experience in the financial services industry, Nadia and her partner, Bill, focus on empowering women and the LBGTQI community to better understand their wealth management needs. Nadia also founded the annual Women, Wealth & Wisdom Conference in Los Angeles that brings together hundreds of professional women. Nadia plays an active role in the community through her involvement as a Board Member of Marymount High School and MADRE. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Finance and Business Communication from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

Zohray Talib [Panelist] – Associate Dean for Medical Education & Global Health at California University of Science and Medicine
Zohray Moolani Talib is Associate Dean for Medical Education and Global Health at the California University of Science and Medicine. She also holds academic appointments at the Aga Khan University in Kenya as well as Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. Dr. Talib’s work focuses on bringing best practice and innovation into medical education for underserved communities. She has worked with medical schools and training programs throughout Africa and the United States. Dr. Talib received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and her Doctor of Medicine from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the George Washington University Hospital. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Sarah Laiwala [Panelist] – Sr. Director for Post-Booking Experiences at Expedia
Sarah Laiwala is a lifelong learner, visionary, problem solver, volunteer and mother. She has a proven track record of building world-class teams and launching consumer-facing digital products that drive billions of dollars and impact millions of consumers worldwide. Currently, Sarah is a Sr. Director for post-booking experiences at Expedia. Most recently, she was at The Walt Disney Company, where she lead the PhotoPass P&L; rebooted the Innovation pipeline; and built the virtual assistant, app and website platforms for Parks & Resorts. Prior to that, Sarah was at Amazon growing the Amazon Shopping App for Android. She earned her M.S. Software Engineering and Development Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and also received the Dean’s Return on Education Award in 2010.

Aliya-Jasmine [Panelist] – TV Host & Producer at NBC News in Los Angeles
Aliya Jasmine is an award-winning reporter & television producer. You can currently catch her on NBC News in Los Angeles. She was previously at MTV News in Canada where she interviewed celebs including Tom Cruise, Kanye West and Adele. Many of her documentaries have aired on Discovery Channel where she has found herself on the ground in Haiti after the earthquake, or embedded in the heart of Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest. While working full time as a reporter, “AJ” is concurrently attending graduate school at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism, where she is a candidate for a Masters of Environmental Journalism with a specialization in wildlife reporting.

Naseem Sayani [Panelist] – Principal & Venture Architect Director at BCG Digital Ventures
Naseem is a Venture Architect Director at BCG Digital Ventures, a venture investment firm based in Manhattan Beach, CA. She is a seasoned business and digital strategist with 20+ years of experience in digital innovation, startups and corporate transformation. Prior to joining Digital Ventures, Naseem spent 2 years as CEO/ Founder of Digital Oxygen, an independent digital agency, 2 years as Group VP of Strategy for Huge Inc.’s West Coast offices and 7 years at Booz & Company, a premier management consulting firm. She has spoken at CES, Digital Hollywood, OMMA LA and Digital Entertainment World; and has been published by Campaign Magazine, Huge Ideas and AdAge on the topics of digital strategy, business innovation and how to fuse strategy & design to launch new businesses.

Shireen Jaffer [Moderator] – CEO & Co-founder at Edvo
Shireen began her career as a solo-founder of Skillify, where she scaled career-readiness programs across 220 schools and bootstrapped the company to profitability. She founded Skillify at the age of 19 during her time at the University of Southern California. Shireen is accomplished in workforce development, experiential learning and EdTech. She is now a co-founder and CEO at Edvo where her mission is to get 1 million people jobs by making it easy and delightful.

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Event

IPN & IHPA Networking Event : Orlando, FL on Saturday, February 16th 2019

Connect, Collaborate and Catalyze with Ismaili professionals from all across Florida. We invite professionals from Tampa, Ocala, Orlando, Miramar and Ft. Lauderdale to participate in an elite networking event with music, dinner, dance and networking activities.

Come together and build long term alliances on Saturday, February 16 in Orlando, FL. Get inspired by our remarkable speaker, Nabyl Charania who will talk about the latest in artificial intelligence, block chain and cryptocurrency.

All professionals, healthcare and allied health care workers plus college students are invited.

Cost: $35/person
Student Rate: $20
Register: Click Here

For questions email: [email protected]

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Event

IPN Networking Event : Atlanta, GA on Thursday, February 21st 2019 – Tour of Atlanta

TOUR OF ATLANTA | St. Regis
IPN continues unique networking event, Tour of Atlanta in 2019. Come join other professionals and entrepreneurs at exciting venues across Atlanta. Our first event of the year will be held on Thursday, February 21st at The St. Regis in Buckhead.
Come be a part of Tour of Atlanta and grow your network, resources and connections.
Be sure to RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/StRegis2019

★ Tour of Atlanta | New Years Edition ★
Join the Ismaili Professionals Network team for an evening of networking as we Tour the city of Atlanta! Back by popular demand, our featured New Year’s networking event will be held at The St. Regis, located in the heart of Buckhead!
Be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday, February 21st from 5-7pm!
Click here to RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/StRegis2019
#LetsConnect

In Case You Didn’t Know…
✓Midtown destination offers an “out-of-this-world experience”
✓ Connect with executives and trendsetters
✓ Learn from your fellow professionals

WHO: Professionals, Executives & Students
WHEN: Thursday, February 21st (5-7pm)
WHERE: The St. Regis 88 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 ·

Special Thank You to all of our sponsors for the Economic Forecasting Summit & Tour of Atlanta | New Year’s Edition.

For more details email: [email protected] or 678.358.0770
#LetsConnect

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Event

IPN : Webinar on Saturday, February 16th 2019 – Gender Bias In The Workplace

Gender bias is a concept that has recently gained some notoriety, but for a term bandied about so freely, do we truly understand what it is? How to identify it? Is it only women who face this?
Do men experience it as well?

This webinar aims to define gender bias, how it impacts both men and women and what you can do to change the narrative for you and/or your peers!

Join us on Saturday, February 16th 9am PST/12pm EST with Ahmad Noordin, HR Director at Ulta Beauty, to learn the answers to these questions and more!

Click Here To Register!

Let us learn how to change the narrative for ourselves and our peers!

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Event

IPN & AICC Networking Event : Sugarland, TX on Friday, February 22nd 2019

The Aga Khan Economic Planning Board for Southwestern United States and The American Ismaili Chamber of Commerce present-
U.S. Economy: Economic Challenges & Opportunities 

Come be a part of an interactive session on global economic and trade disruptions led by Ali Velshi, a renowned Media Expert and an Economist from CNBC and Amin Maredia, Former CEO of Sprouts Farmers.

Join us for this interactive session with an Emmy nominated journalist and a Fortune 500 CEO to hear their insights on current economic environment and engage in a discussion on economic disruptions, challenges, and opportunities in 2019 and beyond.

WHEN: Friday, February 22, 2019 at 11:45am
WHERE: Ismaili Jamatkhana & Center, Sugarland, TX
REGISTER: Click Here

About the presenters:
Ali Velshi
– Multiple Emmy-nominated journalist and author
– MSNBC Anchor of Live with Velshi & Ruhle and NBC News
– Previously CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent

Amin Maredia
– Former CEO of Sprouts Farmers Market, a Fortune 100 company
– Led company growth from $600 million to $5 billion in sales
– Background in private equity-backed growth and turnaround and early stage companies

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Event

IPN West Networking Event : Greater Seattle Area, WA on Saturday, February 23rd 2019

Embracing change- A Networking Event & Fireside Chat

Rethinking opportunity and change are relevant themes in today’s day and age. Disruption is constant and challenges conventional thinking. Companies are increasingly adopting longer-term, socially responsible views to drive customer loyalty. Taken at the aggregate, successfully adapting to external and internal factors is critical to shaping winning business strategies.

IPN West invites you to join top industry leaders in a discussion on how they have embraced change and leaned into the future, accelerating the successes of their organization and careers. Experiences shared will provide attendees with perspectives on how to welcome and drive change at a personal and company-wide level.

WHEN: Saturday, 23rd February 1 pm- 4 pm
WHERE: Kinects Tower | 1823 Minor Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Tickets: $15 processing fee
Register Today!

Key areas covered will include:
– Reframing business strategies and adapting to exogenous factors in order to succeed
– Encouraging communication and preparing talent for organizational change; and
– Amassing leadership and other stakeholder buy-in to successfully drive change

The event is open to all friends & colleagues!
Light food & refreshments will be served.

Speaker backgrounds as follows:

Sal Dhanani
Sal Dhanani serves as President & Co-Founder at Telenav, a publicly traded company that is a leading provider of connected car and location-based services. He has 16 years of product, technology, marketing & leadership experience in consumer mobile & automotive apps and cloud services. Sal has built & led various teams to become #1 or #2 in their industry while creating multiple, multi-million dollar businesses that address real customer needs.

Peter Godman
Peter Godman has led startups and engineering organizations in data storage technology for twenty years. Most recently, as CEO, Peter founded and led Qumulo, a leading hybrid cloud file storage company, raising nearly a quarter billion dollars and building a team of hundreds of people along the way.

Zain Gulamali (Moderator)
Zain Gulamali manages the Amazon Alexa Fund, Amazon’s $200MM venture capital fund investing in artificial intelligence, voice technology, robotics and IoT across consumer, enterprise, healthcare and other sectors. He was also responsible for establishing the Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars. Zain is part of the broader Corporate Development team at Amazon. Prior to Amazon, he worked in mobile gaming (Pocket Gems), private equity (Warburg Pincus and Monitor Clipper Partners) and investment banking (Goldman Sachs).