Engagement Director

I graduated Northwestern with a degree in Economics. I interned in finance (hedge funds, investment banking, private equity), but ultimately decided I wanted to focus my time on organically growing companies, which is why I chose to join Accenture Strategy full-time. I have gotten to where I am with mentorship, so I am very passionate about passing along advice to those younger than me. NU, Economics, 2018.

Education: Economics Graduate, Northwestern University

Committee Director

Committee Director

President

Committee Director

Committee Director

Saad is the Vice President of North America at Wahed Invest, a halal digital investment firm that specializes in providing Sharia’h compliant investment products. Saad brings with him over 10 years of experience in the Private Wealth Management space, having worked in UK, Switzerland, Spain and USA. Currently, Saad is involved in managing client relations and product development at Wahed Invest, as well as hosting educational workshops across the country on financial products. During his spare time, Saad likes to entertain family and friends by preparing savory and sweet crepes from recipes he learnt while working as a pancake chef during his college days.

Education: BA, London School of Management

Committee Director

Hira is an Editor for FiscalNote, a software, data, and media company focusing on global legislative and regulatory tracking. Prior to joining FN, Hira worked on the eCommerce team at Luxottica Retail Group, where she helped grow the Target Optical online platform and customer experience. Hira joined Muppies to continue her philanthropic work, which she was actively involved with during undergrad. She hopes to bring the community closer together while making new friends.

Education: BA in Economics, Miami University.

Committee Director

Matthew is currently a Strategy & Operations Consultant at Slalom Consulting in Washington DC and has over 6-years of experience applying tactical implementation expertise in fast-paced, unstructured environments. Matthew is passionate about advising clients, across various industries, through major transformations by providing creative recommendations. Matthew graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School. After work, Matthew likes to surround himself with the outdoors as much as possible by either running, biking, hiking, paddle-boarding, or cafe hopping.

Education: BA, UNC Chapel Hill

Committee Director

Amal Baig holds a B.S Finance from Northeastern University and has over five years of experience consulting for large financial services institutions. Amal has helped many of her clients assess and develop their market risk strategies. Amal also has a strong background in business transformation and corporate strategy. As the next generation of Muslim leaders, we need an organization that can connect us and help grow talent. MUPPIES as an organization is not has the potential to do this, but is doing this today. I want to help shape this mission.

Education: BS Finance, Northeastern University

Committee Director

Siddiq has worked in Finance, Analytics, and Strategy in industries ranging from Office Supplies to Big Tech. Most recently, he joined the strategy team at Carmax. Siddiq is a big believer in mentorship, having seen the benefits of creating a mentorship program within a company and informally mentoring young graduates in the community. The community is invaluable. Feel free to reach out for a coffee chat or a game of pick-up basketball if you are in the area!

Education: BA, Economics/Middle East Studies, Northwestern University

Committee Director

Committee Director

Development Director

Committee Director

Sarah Kirmani is currently a Sales Operations Manager at a healthcare company, LivaNova in Houston, which manufactures Cardiac and Neurology medical devices across the United States. She currently has 10 years experience in Finance and Marketing, and supports the Neuromodulation franchise for the company. Prior to that, she was a Business Analyst at Comcast. Sarah has a background of working with different industries throughtout her career gaining expertise in the Finance and Marketing field. Even though Sarah grew up in Africa, for her, Houston is home.

Education: BA, Bauer College of Business- University of Houston

Committee Director

President

I graduated with an Economics major and an Entrepreneurship Minor from the University of Southern California. I am a relationship manager within the Asset Based Lending Group at PNC Bank. I also work as a business consultant for a telemedicine healthcare company. I chose to get involved with Muppies because I wanted to be part of an organization that was building a professional network for Muslims globally. This platform has helped many people I know get jobs, start careers, and network with like minded individuals within business. After going to the global conference in Toronto where I developed relationships with industry professionals I knew i wanted to be a part of this network.

Education: Graduate Economics (major) and Entrepreneurship (Minor), University of Southern California

Marketing Director

Raahima serves as a Communications and Marketing Manager at the Muslim Public Affairs Council where she creates and executes a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy. Her tenure at MPAC started in 2014, as a Communications and Government Intern and continued in 2016 when she joined the staff as the Development Coordinator. Her goal at MPAC is not only to communicate the impact of the organizations work but to help build a movement for American-Muslims to become more engaged in civic affairs. Raahima was born in Lahore, Pakistan and raised in Simi Valley, California. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego where she received her degree in International Studies with an emphasis on Political Science. During her time at UCSD, Raahima focused her research on South Asian history and political affairs. She also entered for Representative Scott Peters (CA-52) and for Student Promoted Access Center for Education and Service (SPACES), an on-campus center that served under-represented communities. In addition to her work at MPAC, Raahima serves as the Logistics Chair on the Executive Board of SoCal MIST, a non-profit organization that works to bring High School students from around Southern California together for an inter-disciplinary tournament. She also serves on the board of the Los Angeles chapter of Muslim Urban Professionals (Muppies).

Education: Graduate in International Studies, University of California

Committee Director

My name is Elyas Andkhoy and I’m from Los Angeles. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2014 with a degree in Business Administration. I spent 2 years as an investment banking analyst at Bank of America and a year and a half at Brentwood Associates, a consumer / retail private equity firm. I’m currently a financial analyst in the M&A group at Radiology Partners, the largest radiology practice in the U.S. I chose to volunteer with Muppies because it’s a great way to network with like-minded, career driven Muslim professionals. Muppies helped me early on in my career and I want to use this as an opportunity to contribute and help in any way I can, whether it’s by offering advice or any sort of guidance. It’s also a great network to have in the Muslim community and an opportunity to make new friends.

Education: Business Administration, UC Berkeley.

Logistics Director

As the Logistics Coordinator for the Muppies Los Angeles team, I communicate with all relevant parties, including other board members, and coordinate events so that all runs smoothly. I work for the Public Works of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering as a Civil Engineering Associate.

Education: BS UC Irvine

President

Ahsan is an Associate at McKinsey & Co in the Strategy & Corporate Finance practice. Here, he focuses on projects in the private equity/asset management, automotive/industrial and consumer/retail/luxury goods spaces. Prior to joining McKinsey and before business school, Ahsan worked at AllianceBernstein in fixed income and asset allocation/global macro investing.

Education: BA, Grinnell College; MBA, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Committee Director

Marketing Director 

A native New Yorker, Sami is a Project Engineer at LTK Engineering Services of New York LLP and does engineering consulting for NYC Transit to modernize rail vehicles and infrastructure. Previously, he was the Project Engineer for the $2.2 billion-dollar Hudson-Bergen Light Rail project for Kinkisharyo International LLC. His experience is in light rail vehicle design, heavy rail vehicle overhauls, and managing various vehicle upgrade projects. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and a Project Management Professional (PMP). In his free time, he likes to ski, play tennis, and archer.

Education: BS, Columbia University

Events Director 

Huda is a Cognitive Consultant with the Watson Analytics team at IBM. Here she uses Machine Learning, Deep learning, and Cognitive Computing to create digital assets specific to enterprise use cases. Huda is driven by growth and has a passion for community building which lead to her involvement with Muppies NYC. As she grows professionally she wishes to use the Muppies platform to connect ideas across the diverse representation of industries. Huda completed her undergraduate degree in 2017 from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in Mathematics and Statistics.

Education: BA, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

Committee Director

Shaista Mallik is a Product Manager at Emerson Automation Solutions, focusing on new product development, strategic alliances and long term growth opportunities for Combustion products and systems. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University and is a professional member of AIChE, SWE, API and ABMA.

Education: BS in Chemical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Committee Director

Ihsan Erman Saracgil is a data scientist for a prominent FinTech startup, leading the firm’s data science and quantitative research practice. Previously he worked as a litigation consultant focusing on complex financial lawsuits. He holds PhD in Economics from University of Michigan and held dissertation internship at the Federal Reserve Board.

Education: PhD, University of Michigan; BS and MA, Bilkent University

Committee Director

Haroon is an analyst at Third Point, a hedge fund in New York. Previously, he worked at Viking Global Investors and Moelis & Company. Haroon graduated with a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 2014. As a NYC Committee Member, Haroon plans to organize events on careers in investing.

Education: BS in Commerce, University of Virginia

Committee Director

Zara Merchant is an Australian lawyer and has spent the last 5 years working for leading global investment banks in Risk Management, Compliance. She currently is an Associate at Goldman Sachs – NY, moving here end 2018. Zara’s passion lies in creating and supporting a platform for Muslim professionals, providing them an avenue for networking, ideas and thought leadership.

Education: Bachelors of Commerce (major in finance)/Bachelor of Laws at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia)

Engagement Director

Events Director

Committee Director

President

Mahrukh works in the Assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a multinational professional services network, where she works with clients primarily in the Technology, Information, Communication and Entertainment industries.  Prior to PwC, Mahrukh interned at the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association, where she spent three years assisting small- to medium-sized U.S. businesses expand to international markets using government funding to meet federal export initiatives.

Education: BA, Washington State University

Vice President

Azima Mansuri is currently a UX Designer at Microsoft with a background in data visualization, design research, interaction and visual design. She graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in Information Technology & Informatics, Public Health, and Psychology in 2015 and is currently pursuing a Masters in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington! I found Muppies three years ago through an event in NYC before moving to Seattle and it’s been an incredibly valuable asset that gave me an opportunity to meet so many new people and learn a new city. Last year, I joined the Seattle board to help connect other young professionals to resources, mentorship opportunities, and people!

Education: BS, Rutgers University

Vice President

I am a Product Manager at Amazon, working with technology and science to prevent unsafe and counterfeit products from being shipped to customers. I graduated from University of California Davis in 2015 with degrees in Economics and Political Science. I am passionate about giving back to the Muslim community. Upon moving to Seattle 4 years ago, I was fortunate to receive a supportive professional network from the Muppies community. Being able to speak with individuals with a similar professional and cultural background as myself helped me pursue the career path I wanted. Now as a board member, I am passionate about providing new members opportunities to speak with more seasoned professionals.

Education: BA, Economics and Political Science, University of California Davis

Committee Director

Alishba is a Technical Product Manager at Microsoft in Cloud and Enterprise Group, specifically working on solving problems in big data and analytics space.

Education: BS, Computer Science, University of Maryland College Park

Co-President

UC Berkeley graduate in Computer Science. Tech industry professional. Involved in multiple organizations in leadership roles. Passionate about software engineering, business/product development, working with people. Enthusiastic about leadership, personal growth, and taking on new challenges. Looking to continue community involvement after college, want to grow my leadership skills and social impact.

Education: BA, UC Berkeley

Events Director

I completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Malaysia and then began working full-time at an early-stage, yCombinator-backed education tech startup called Cambly. As Operations Manager, I work on solving lots of different problems, from setting up our recruiting process to managing all of our international AP requests to establishing and improving our student support team. I chose to volunteer with Muppies because I wanted to be more involved in the Bay Area Muslim community. Right when I moved to the Bay in 2014, I attended a Muppies picnic and appreciated meeting different people and expanding what I knew of the professional world.

Education: BA in Spanish Language with Economics minor, Smith College

Co-President

Events Director

Events Director

Committee Director

Committee Director

Jibran is currently an investment professional working in the real estate investment analysis department at Walmart Canada, overseeing the portfolio of stores. 

Education: Honours Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting, McMaster University 

President

Committee Director

Ali Ladha is an investment professional who works in sell side-equity research covering Canadian media and telecom at BMO Capital Markets. 

Education: CPA, CA, CFA

Committee Director

Summaiya Shaikh is a marketing specialist for Xtalks, the leading provider of webinar production and news publication for the life industry. She manages market strategy, media campaigns and client support. 

When she’s not working or spending time with her family, Summaiya enjoys reading, travelling, and being involved with initiatives that empower and educate individuals.

Committee Director

Eiraj Sohail is currently an investment professional who works for a large canadian pension plan within the private equity group. Eiraj is one of the co-founders of Muppies Toronto.

Education: BA, Honours Economics and Finance, Wilfrid Laurier University

Committee Director

Tasawar runs a growth strategy and advisory platform, and also holds the responsibility of being the board advisor to Eminence Investments, an Abu Dhabi based family office and MI Ventures, a New York based private equity venture firm. Tasawar was formerly Founder and Managing Partner of Basirah, a boutique consulting firm, where he successfully executed third party business development, placement and consulting services. Prior to establishing Basirah, he set up the Middle East desk of CF Consulting, where he successfully worked with major financial institutions, family offices and sovereign wealth funds across the GCC. Tasawar established his career in London working as a highly technical derivatives consultant to quantitative analyst and financial engineers at leading hedge funds and financial institutions across United Kingdom and Europe.

Education: MEng, University of Bristol

Marketing Director

Farida is a Public Relations and Marketing professional. She started her career with Burj Al Arab in Dubai and from there moved into PR and Communications. She worked with multinational WPP agencies H+K Strategies and MSLGROUP where she consulted on a number of public and private sector clients. Afterwards, Farida was the PR and Social Media Specialist for Canon ME, managing the brand’s communications function across two geographical regions. Her love for philanthropy saw her elected twice as the Secretary General of an NGO in Dubai.

Education: The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, World Media Academy – EMDI Institute of Media and Communication

Vice President

I am a dynamic leader with 12+ years of experience in the clean energy and technology space, currently serving as the Managing Director in the MENA region for the clean energy consultancy, Energetics. I led the launch of Energetics’ first international office in Dubai in late 2015, and previously was based at the company headquarters in the Washington DC area. My background includes 12+ years of experience supporting the development of a variety of clean energy technologies, programs, and best practices. In the United States, I provided strategy, project management and technical analysis consulting support to mostly U.S. government clients. More recently in the MENA region, I have have led projects working with clients in the GCC. I am an engineer by training, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I am also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP).

Education: BS, University of California, Davis; MS, University of California, Santa Barbara

Co-President

Committee Director

Committee Director

Co-President