Farheen Khan,
Principal Consultant

Farheen Khan is a seasoned non-profit professional with more than 20 years of experience in the anti-violence and anti-poverty sectors on a local and national level. Farheen is an author, the Muslim Chaplain at Trent University, and has previously campaigned in the Federal election as an MP candidate in 2015, she has grown well-versed in communicating with media and government officials, as well as having a strong network of supporters who closely follow her work around the country.

Farheen also serves as the Principal Consultant and Lead for her company, FSK & Associates Inc., and the Chair of the South Asian Advisory Council for the United Way of Greater Toronto. Farheen is a gifted storyteller in addition to being an author, former television host (Azeeza Show), and continuous media advocate on issues of gender-based violence, Islamophobia, equity, and civil and human rights.

Farheen has experience in business marketing and has attended various executive-level leadership development programs including the CITY Leaders Program, Leaders for Change by the Maytree Foundation, Civic Actions, DiverseCity Fellows, Leading Social Justice Collective, and Agents of Change by the Centre for Social Innovation. She is also the founder of Canada's first and only Women's Mosque, which is now ranked fifth in the world and operates on a women-run, women-led paradigm. The mosque has also recently launched its Sisters in Power Program. In 2016, Farheen was awarded the J.S. Woodworth Award for Human Rights and Equity and is widely regarded as an advocate and ally for marginalized communities.

Farheen's primary focus has been on organizational capacity building, which includes strategic planning, resource development, operations, and system development, board governance, and brand management. Farheen has raised close to 40 million dollars for both local and international organizations and she continues to advocate for organizations run by and serving "marginalized communities" to gain mainstream acceptance and government financing.

Farheen has worked with numerous organizations over the years, including the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals, the IDRF, the United Way, East York Meals on Wheels, Imagine Canada, the Institute for Change Leaders, Interim Place, Meal Exchange, Metrac, the York Region Children's Aid Society, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and For Youth Initiative, SAVIS Halton, the Sexual Assault/ Rape Crisis Center of Peel, and b current Performing Arts and Women’s Shelters Canada.

Farheen loves to work with senior leaders that are committed to organizational growth and development. She enjoys offering executive coaching, as well as consulting services, while also still being able to offer change management support to organizations in hiring new leaders and transitioning with rapid organizational growth. Farheen’s motto is to “go deeper, not wider”. She’s always interested in finding young leaders who are prepared to go the distance and grow themselves and their organizations to new and greater heights.

Work regarding Violence Against Women

Over the last 20 years, Farheen has had a key role in organizing major events like Take Back the Night and helped develop Walks and Vigils, which are held exclusively for women who have experienced violence. She was instrumental in introducing the Danger Risk Assessment to the Region of Peel, as well as in the research and consultations surrounding the Sexual Violence Action Plan and the Campus Safety Projects relating to sexual violence and women's safety. Farheen took the lead in developing the Community Engagement Strategy for the South Asian Community and its Relationship to the United Way of Peel Region as well as the Regional Protocol to Support Women Survivors of Human Trafficking.

Farheen continues to play an active role in achieving sector-level changes at the local, regional, and national levels, primarily through engaging with organizations led and served by and for People of Color and Women. She is a leading proponent of establishing new and innovative techniques to meet the unique requirements of Canada's expanding and growing communities in the area of family violence, including religious abuse, honor-based violence, and gender-based violence. She continues to play a crucial role in assisting women fleeing severe domestic, intimate partner, religious, and honor-based violence across Canada.