Zahra Esmail

Zahra joined the Vantage Point team as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in December 2021. Zahra has worked in the non-profit sector for over 15 years with experience in international development, housing and homelessness, community development, microfinance, governance, fundraising, and leadership.

Zahra is an active volunteer in the community. She is Co-Chair of the Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society Board of Directors and is Chair of the Board Governance Committee of Cuso International. Zahra is also Chair of BC’s Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee, an independent committee that advises government on policy developments related to poverty reduction and prevention. She was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 in 2019, was nominated for a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2022, and received a King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Zahra gratefully resides on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples with her husband and school-age daughter.

She’s passionate about social justice and equity, and believes in the power of the non-profit/social purpose sector. She understands that our sector is well positioned to create positive change and needs better conditions to thrive.

Outside Vantage Point, Zahra loves hiking, yoga, swimming, and dancing. If she had to choose one word to describe herself, it would be curious because she asks a million questions, always wants to understand the “why” behind what we do (and what we don’t do), and is always game to try new things.

Ask Zahra about the best board games for kids, her upcoming travel plans, or her famous masala chai recipe!