Stories of leadership and service: Insights from executives

Date: October 15, 2025
Type: Online

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Stories of leadership and service: Insights from executives

As part of Canadian Islamic History Month, APEX and the Muslim Federal Employees Network invites you to a learning event: Stories of Leadership and Service: Insights from Executives. In this session, Muslim executives will share their leadership journeys, what they’ve learned along the way, and how their identity has shaped their approach to inclusion, decision-making, and resilience in the federal public service. They will also speak about what it means to bring your whole self to work, and how to navigate leadership while balancing different aspects of identity. You’ll hear directly about the challenges and opportunities senior leaders face, and how personal experiences influence leadership styles and workplace culture. Come away with a better understanding of how authenticity and identity are not challenges to leadership, but key strengths that drive inclusive and effective outcomes. This session is a chance to learn from lived experience, connect with others, and reflect on what leadership looks like in practice.

Muslim Federal Employees Network (MFEN) logo

Event Details

Date & Time: October 15 2025, 13:00 to 14:30 EDT

Audience: All Public Service executives across Canada and internationally are invited to attend APEX’s learning events

Cost: Free

Language: This event will be bilingual where the speaker will alternate between English and French without repeating. Simultaneous interpretation will be available via Wordly, an AI-based interpreting service. Sign language interpretation will also be available for this session (ASL & QSL)

Platform: Participants will attend our virtual event via Teams webinar . A meeting link will be sent once you are registered.

Panelistes

Photo de Nancy Hamzawi.

Nancy Hamzawi
President, PHAC

Nancy Hamzawi was appointed President of the Public Health Agency of Canada in June 2025. Ms. Hamzawi joined the Public Health Agency of Canada in February 2023 as the Executive Vice-President after serving as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch. She has held executive roles in the public service in science and technology, international affairs, regulatory policy and programs, audit and evaluation. Nancy holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and biochemistry from the University of Ottawa.

Nassima Zobir Bouguerba
Director General, PSPC

Nassima is a seasoned executive and transformational leader with over 18 years of experience driving strategic change, communications, and organizational renewal within the Government of Canada. As Director General, she leads the delivery  and procurement of defense marine services under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), overseeing critical operations in support of Canada’s federal marine and Coast Guard fleets.

A passionate advocate for inclusion, equity, and diversity, Nassima brings a people-first approach to executive leadership.

In 2020, Nassima joined the Department of Justice Canada, where she founded the Change Management and Business Transformation Office,

helping modernize internal operations and culture. Since 2022, she has served as Senior Executive Director of Transformation, Strategy, and Communications at the Courts Administration Service (CAS), where she led national transformation initiatives, including horizontal collaboration and strategic alignment.

Nassima is widely respected for her expertise in organizational change, strategic partnerships, emerging risk management, and inclusive leadership. She holds a Master’s degree in Education, is a certified Social and Emotional Intelligence Practitioner.

Photo de Nassima Zobir Bouguerba
Photo d'Amira Elghawaby

Amira Elghawaby
Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

Amira Elghawaby, previously a journalist and human rights advocate, was appointed as Canada’s first ever Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in January 2023.

Since her appointment, Ms. Elghawaby has been providing strategic advice to the Government of Canada on legislation, policies, and programs impacting Canadian Muslim communities. She also worked closely with federal departments to address issues related to online hate, anti-racism, discrimination and community safety.

Additionally, Ms. Elghawaby has worked to raise public awareness on the challenges Islamophobia poses to Canada’s shared values, championing human rights, freedom of religion and inclusion on national and global platforms, including at the United Nations.

In spring 2025, her Office published The Canadian Guide to Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia, the first of its kind to be launched by a national government.

Prior to Ms. Elghawaby’s appointment, she was a contributing columnist at the Toronto Star and held roles in strategic communications and human rights at various national organizations, including at the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, at the National Council of Canadian Muslims, and in Canada’s labour movement.

Ms. Elghawaby is a founding board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and has served two terms as a Commissioner on the Public Policy Forum’s Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression. She currently sits on the National Security Transparency Advisory Group.In 2025, Ms. Elghawaby was awarded the King Charles Coronation Medal for her leadership.

Moderator

Leila Boussaïd
Director General, Statistics Canada

Leila Boussaid is the Director General of Processing & Operations at Statistics Canada. With more than two decades of executive leadership experience across the private and public sectors, Ms. Boussaid has held progressively senior roles, including Director General positions at Women and Gender Equality Canada and Statistics Canada. She has championed modernization initiatives, operational excellence, and evidence-based decision-making throughout her career. She began her professional journey in the telecommunications sector with Videotron Telecom and Bell Canada, where she gained a unique perspective on digital transformation and customer-centric service delivery. Ms. Boussaid holds a Master of Science in Management from HEC Montréal and McGill University, as well as a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University. She is recognized for her strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, having served as Champion for Visible Minorities at Statistics Canada and as Accessibility Champion and Gender-Based Analysis Champion at Women and Gender Equality Canada.

Photo Leila Boussaid

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