Samiha Sharif (she/her) is the Senior Manager, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) responsible for advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility goals at Grand Challenges Canada.
Samiha Sharif (she/her) holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies from McGill University. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Samiha is a first-generation immigrant settler woman of colour in Toronto who believes that all her work must begin with listening, proceeding with kindness, and be rooted in community centred principles.
As an anti-oppressive social worker, Samiha has a diverse community background working with historically marginalized communities in many different settings: as a Manager, Equity Diversity, Inclusion, and as a Health Equity Consultant at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, as a Leadership and Equity Facilitator at the University of Toronto, as a Project Coordinator with Youth Fusion in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik and at John Abbott College amongst other roles.
As a Diversity and Inclusion consultant, Samiha has experience working with clients in the non-profit, tech, education, healthcare, and corporate sector creating, executing, and assessing training, programs, and policies to foster belonging, psychological safety, and accountability for employees and service users. Samiha is also a practicing psychotherapist and social worker at Wellnest, a private practice clinic providing services to the BIPOC community in Toronto using a cultural humility lens.