Dr. Hend Zaki has more than 15 years of work experience. She worked in government, regional and international organisations. She is experienced in issues of intersectionality, identity, belonging, and utilising mixed methods research to raise awareness and bring about change.
She has extensive experience in the inclusion, diversity, refugee, and migrant spaces. She is passionate about creating safe spaces to foster connections, knowledge sharing and a sense of belonging. She founded the Women of Colour in the Public Sector Network (WOCPSN) and Rahma Sisters. They are safe spaces for women with intersectional identities to connect, support one another and thrive together.
Her academic credentials include completing a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Auckland. Her PhD research focused on identity and belonging, specifically the identity of Muslims born/raised in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Australia. It builds on the findings of her Master’s dissertation on the identity of Muslims in the United States. Her PhD provides recommendations on how to better accommodate Muslims and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Dr Zaki recently founded the Hend Zaki Consulting to foster inclusive environments where everyone contributes, belongs and thrives.
Based on insights from Dr Zaki’s PhD research, experience in the inclusion and diversity space and lived experience, she developed programmes and workshops to support leaders and women from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Dr Zaki believes that as our workplaces, schools and universities become more diverse than ever, it is essential to foster inclusive environments where everyone can effectively contribute, belong and thrive.
Dr. Zaki is originally from Cairo, Egypt. She relocated to New Zealand in 2015 with her husband and daughters. Her whanau/family is her “why.” Everything she does is to create a better future for them and the younger generation. Previously, she has lived in the UK and the US.
How has having grown up and living in different countries influenced your perspective on life?
How has having grown up and living in different countries influenced your perspective on life?
I feel very blessed to have lived in four different countries. I am originally from Egypt. I spent part of my childhood in the UK, my undergraduate in the US and my 30s in New Zealand. I just recently turned 40.
Living in all these different countries has impacted my identity. Being Muslim is my number one identity, but my identity has also been shaped by the different places I lived in.
Some of the things I have learnt from living in different countries include:
- Respecting people’s differences, looking for similarities and opportunities for connections.
- Our diversity is our power. To be proud of ones identities because that is what makes a person unique.
- If you’re not invited to the party, you create your own party. I don’t have to wait for people to create opportunities for me. I could create my own opportunities and invite other sisters and allies to join.
- We all thrive in safe spaces, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to create safe and inclusive spaces.
- Find your tribe and support system
What were some of the ways of doing business in New Zealand that you had to get accustomed to being a founder with a multicultural background?
I am in the very early stages of my journey, so I am sure there is still a lot to learn and explore.
What impact are you looking to create with the work that you’re doing?
We all thrive in inclusive environments, and I believe we all have a role to play to create that environment where everyone contributes, belongs and thrives. Our workplaces, schools and universities are becoming more diverse than ever, but diversity does not mean that the place is inclusive.
My programmes and services are designed to equip leaders, staff members, and students with the essential knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive and contribute to creating more inclusive environments.
At the heart of my offerings are creating opportunities for meaningful connections and rahma (compassion). By being compassionate with oneself and others, we contribute to social cohesion, create more inclusive environments and ensure a better future for the next generation.
As female-founders, we have to find that balance between family, business and self. What are your top 3 non-negotiables when it comes to finding that balance?
I have been balancing multiple commitments for a while now. Even before starting my business I was balancing my PhD, work, family and the employee led networks I founded.
Finding balance is still a work in progress. For me the non-negotiable is Saturday is always family day, going for walks a few times a week, and putting my kids to bed (when I am not travelling).
Follow Dr Hend and HZ Consulting. Images courtesy of Tiimeless Images