Yasmin Jivraj is president of Acrodex, a 25-year-old information technology company with its headquarters in Edmonton and offices across the country.
As an Ismaili Muslim, Jivraj explains that philanthropy is a core value of her faith and cultural background. “We view Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith – one that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man, Allah’s noblest creation,” she says. “Giving has been a long-standing family and community tradition; we serve humanity by strengthening communities.”
For 14 years, Jivraj sat on the board of Aga Khan Foundation Canada, an international development agency with projects around the world. More recently, she has worked with the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for Edmonton, which focuses on local concerns. “One of the fundamental things that I find important is involvement in the community,” she says. “Because the community determines what its needs are.”
As a successful woman in the male-dominant IT industry, Jivraj also helps open doors for girls who may wish to follow a similar path. A decade ago she helped found Women in Technology, an annual one-day program aimed at junior high girls. “We bring in really, really interesting women who are successful in information technology and show these girls that they can take science in junior high and high school, and focus in careers in engineering and IT, because those jobs are for beautiful women. They’re not just for geeks!”
Initially, it wasn’t an easy sell. “We had to write to schools and beg them to send three or four Grade 9 girls from their school with one teacher,” she recalls. Today, the program has a waiting list.
Like Tina Naqvi-Rota, Jivraj says she will always find time to contribute to her charitable interests. In fact, she sees her full schedule as something of an asset. “Very often, when we look for volunteers, we look for people that are busy. Because they’re able to drive things forward.”
Earlier: Yasmin Jivraj appointed as a board member to Alberta Economic Development Authority
Yasmin Jivraj receives 2012 Alumni Recognition Awards, University of Alberta
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