Saleema Vellani is an expert in inclusive leadership and a recognized authority on the Future of Work. She has helped leaders around the world break through their plateaus and maximize their impact. Saleema has been a social entrepreneur since the age of 21, when she launched Brazil’s largest and top-rated Portuguese school to finance an orphanage and education programs. For over 12 years, she has led companies to the next stage of growth and innovation. Saleema has won numerous awards for her work in social innovation, including her most recent groundbreaking study on how to improve refugee livelihoods through climate-smart food systems technologies in the Middle East and Africa.

She holds degrees from McGill University and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Currently, Saleema is CEO at Innovazing, an education firm that helps leaders learn 21st-century leadership and communication skills. She is also Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University and an advisor to several purpose-driven organizations, such as Wonder Women Tech and the World Bank Group Youth-2-Youth Community. Saleema is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian and has lived in Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Italy, and the USA. She is proud of her multicultural upbringing as a Toronto native with East African and Indian roots.