Origin
Our name, Nisa, was inspired by the meaning of the name in multiple languages: woman
NISA’s vision is that women all over the world will have the confidence to showcase their abilities through achievement, reach their full potential, and fulfill their dreams.
Our mission is to empower and uplift women at all levels to fully develop their natural abilities by mentoring and equipping them with the tools to accelerate their path to leadership across all spheres of society.
NISA aims to empower young women in under-resourced and underserved environments to join more experienced professional women through mentorship programs, job and life skills training across the globe.
NISA aims to connect several generations of women through mentorship and provide them with the opportunity to champion their aspirations and learn from high impact career women across the globe.
NISA aims to inspire women to enter higher career positions, build the skills, knowledge and professional network needed to compete in various industries and support them at all stages of their careers, whether that be entering, transitioning, or upgrading by providing them with valuable thought leadership, resources, skills and competencies training.
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Co-founder and President of ASAD Global Connect Consulting, Dr. Chehrazade Aboukinane has an extensive background in engineering practice, senior management, teaching, research in the public and private sectors. She is a professional engineer with more than 20 years of experience in consulting practice, Project Management, Information Technology, and Sciences and Engineering. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Systems Engineering, Executive MBA from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Prior to coming to British Columbia, she worked as an engineering consultant at Parsons Corporation in Austin, Texas. She then joined academia as a Program Director at El Akhawayn University and A&V Institute in Morocco where she directed major research projects and served for four years as an executive director at CIC Canada, in Edmonton, Alberta. She currently serves as the Vice President of Compliance, Program Development and Partnerships at Acsenda School of Management, Vancouver, BC and a visiting professor at Simon Fraser University, Beedie School of Business.
Dr. Patricia Plackett’s extensive background spans several decades of executive management and leadership, as well as research and teaching positions at many of the world’s most prestigious organizations. Specifically, she is the Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation’s Suzuki Elders Council and a Board Member for the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve initiative in Howe Sound, BC. Dr. Plackett holds PhDs in business strategy from Copenhagen Business School and in anthropology from the University of Toronto. Other highlights include her role as Project Manager of an EU-Asia Link Project for two years and Researcher/Analyst with two research think tanks in Copenhagen for three years. In 2012, she was nominated for The Economist’s ‘Business Professor of the Year’ award for her teaching at Copenhagen Business School. Dr. Plackett currently teaches business ethics in two MBA programs at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business and serves as an educational consultant to several post-secondary institutions across Canada and internationally.
Natella Isazada is an International Keynote and TEDx Speaker, a published author; Quality, Risk, Health and Safety Management expert, Business Process Improvement Practitioner and Educator. She has nearly two decades of professional experience helping corporations in the U.S., Canada and Azerbaijan to manage risk, improve their business communications, and upkeep the quality of their products, excellence of their management systems, health and safety of the employees. A long-standing member-leader of American Society for Quality, has served on the ASQ Vancouver Section Leadership Commitee in various roles from Certifications, Programs, Membership, Voice of Customer to becoming the Section Chair in 2020. Natella is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Certified Quality Auditor, and IRCA-trained ISO:9000 Lead Auditor.
Member of the board of directors at Nisa, Naila Ramazanova started her professional journey as a Russian teacher after receiving her bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Azerbaijan. Naila always had an enormous interest in child development. After coming to Canada, she completed her studies in Montessori education and received a Montessori Directress Diploma. Naila acquired her early childhood educator certificate and is currently an elementary school teacher in ”Drevo” Russian School. Naila believes that each child is unique, and that active learning and student-centric pedagogy are key factors in improving student attitudes and performance in early childhood education. Naila also has a strong passion for social work and enjoys mentoring other women in the field of early childhood education and in creating a healthy work life balance for their families.
Member of the Board of Directors at Nisa, Dr. Aissatou is a pharmacist and female entrepreneur. She began her journey by completing her Doctorate Degree in pharmacie from Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar. As part of her current role as Pharmacy Manager, she is responsible for supplying pharmaceutical products for four regions in Africa: Morocco, Senegal, Gabon, and Mauritania. One of her main passions is to mentor women and motivate them to achieve their dream careers in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
Chairperson of the Board at Nisa, Sophia Rezvani is an educator who strongly believes in the power of education and mentorship to improve one’s life. She began her journey by completing her master’s in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario. While at the university she developed a passion for mentoring and gaining financial literacy. Her love of financial literacy led her to learn and educate others on investment and insurance strategies which resulted in becoming a licensed insurance and investment agent in British Columbia in 2012. She pursued her passion for mentoring by teaching various subjects in Vancouver and abroad. Her biggest accomplishment to date has been educating students and consulting clients on core mathematical and financial concepts to assist them in making an informed decisions. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing Reiki and staying active by all the outdoor adventures British Columbia presents.
Member of the Board of Directors at Nisa, Abi is an enthusiastic and passionate Digital Project Manager with over 10 years’ experience in advertising agencies working with specialized brands in the search engine optimization, automotive, airline, digital banking, and food industries. She completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, a Master’s in Business Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Management from Acsenda School of Management in Vancouver.
