Hi, I'm Salima.
Salima is an advocate for women and people of color in the workplace. She is a sought-after speaker, coach, and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership, and diversity.
About Salima
Salima is an advocate for women and people of color in the workplace. She is the Founder, CEO, and Head Coach of Unleash Forward. She is a sought-after speaker, coach, and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership, and diversity.
In 2023 alone, her keynote speaking reached an audience of over 10,000 globally. She was awarded Top 100 Speakers of 2023 by Women In Tech and was one of 44 recipients globally to receive the “Woman of Difference” award by The International Alliance for Women.
Salima does what she does to help leaders to ascend in their careers with more ease. The world needs more diverse perspectives at the leadership table. The more leaders that ascend to the leadership table for boards and corporations, the greater the impact on society, families and businesses.
Twenty plus years of industry experience as an executive, consultant, and ICF Professional Certified Coach have helped Salima drive accelerated performance and impact with leaders and teams from Google, Microsoft, HP, Meta (Facebook), Intuit, Samsung, Blackberry, CIBC, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Deloitte, Edelman, Rogers, Bristol Myers Squibb, Dig Insights, and many other companies across the globe.
Salima brings a spark of innovation and a wealth of experience to the world of executive coaching and DEI. Her journey includes impactful roles at giants like Microsoft and Deloitte, not to mention her dynamic leadership as Vice President Digital at Edelman and steering the ship at Sonic Boom Digital Marketing Agency. Salima has also shared her insights and expertise as a professor at George Brown College, enriching the minds of the next generation.
Salima has supported entrepreneurs and women in leadership through the following initiatives: investor and activator of SheEO, Girls on Boards Coach and certified facilitator for #IamRemarkable, a Google initiative.
Salima’s approach
Salima harnesses practical tools and strategies to help you thrive. She does this by bringing together:
Her experience in executive roles +
Leadership development frameworks +
Coaching tools and strategies +
Her research and experience as a person of color
Salima understands the challenges that people of color face because she’s been there. You get more than a coach, you also get a leadership whisperer.
Salima’s coaching style is both refreshing and empowering, blending strategic thinking with a robust executive presence and masterful communication skills. Salima has a knack for inspiring leaders to not just envision their goals but to voice them with confidence, influencing teams across the board to unite for a common purpose. She’s a wizard at managing stakeholder relationships, boosting accountability, and magnifying leadership qualities at every level of an organization.
What sets Salima apart is her personalized approach to coaching, specially designed for the fast-paced, ever-evolving tech sector. She's on a mission to unlock the potential within each leader, encouraging innovative thinking and decisive action that leads to real, tangible results. With Salima's guidance, leaders don’t just climb the ladder—they transform the very landscape of their fields, driving accelerated growth and leaving a lasting impact.
Testimonials