Forerunners

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About
 Forerunners

Forerunners are individuals who believe in a higher purpose and the power of wisdom and sincerity to address humanity’s challenges. They are institution builders, business leaders, government officials, entrepreneurs, and innovators who drive change and challenge the status quo. Forerunners recognize the interconnectedness of humanity and strive to apply timeless principles to modern contexts.

Forerunners' mission is to...

Our mission is to build the leaders that transform society by fostering purpose-driven entrepreneurship and aligning work with core values to drive innovation and positive impact

Forerunners' aims to...

Forerunners leads the global movement of leaders and entrepreneurs who, driven by a higher purpose, transform industries, uplift communities, and build a just, connected, and flourishing world.

From Isolation
to Elevation

From Isolation to Elevation

Founders, entrepreneurs, and professionals

operate in an environment that is defined through money, power, fame, and pedigree. This can lead to professionals that have a sense of purpose in their personal lives, to feel uniquely unfulfilled in their professional environment. They try to derive purpose through loose organic networks that connect haphazardly, limiting our collective impact and scale on business success and societal challenges.

Why can’t we take that scale derived from our value systems, and apply it to our careers, our institutions, and our communities? That is the mission of Forerunners.

What’s In the Name?

Forerunners (for-run-ners) is a term derived from the arabic term, sa-bi-qoon, and reflects the early adopters, visionaries, and trailblazers that help lay the path for transformation.

As an entity, Forerunners is a community that invites executives, entrepreneurs, and founders who are aspiring to doing their work from a higher level of consciousness translate those values into existing and new ventures, and facilitate connection and collaboration to scale.

We see Forerunners as…

Truth-Seekers

that do not presume that we have the answers, but instead search for answers from faith, experience, and collaboration.

Unifiers

that do not presume that we have the answers, but instead search for answers from faith, experience, and collaboration.

Initiators

that desire to do good just because it is good, not because of an expectation of material gain.

Builders

who are not content with just talk, but are willing to back it up with action to build ventures that transform society for good

Scalers

that want to maximize their impact the impact of their ventures to serve as many people as possible.

Meet the Team

Awais Sheikh

Omar Altalib

Ahmad Ashkar

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Ibrahim Moiz

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Sam Garbia

Awais Sheikh

Omar Altalib

Ahmad Ashkar

Ibrahim Moiz

Sam Garbia

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Awais Sheikh

Awais Sheikh is a seasoned management consultant and the founder of his own independent consulting company. A strategic advisor with a proven track record, he has led modernization efforts for prominent public, private, and nonprofit organizations, including numerous Federal agencies. His expertise lies in establishing trusted relationships with senior leaders and guiding diverse teams to execute transformative strategies.

Awais’ distinguished career includes serving as the Head of Strategic Planning and Execution Management for Amazon Web Services’ largest Public Sector sales organization, where he advised executives on multi-billion dollar revenue targets. Additionally, he held the position of Capability Development Lead for MITRE’s Business Innovation Capability, driving innovation through design thinking and lean startup methodologies.

Deeply rooted in the Northern Virginia Muslim community, Awais has been an active member of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), serving in various leadership roles. He has also contributed his time and expertise to the ADAMS Compassionate Healthcare Clinic and currently serves as the Chairman of Al Fatih Academy.

Passionate about empowering his community, Awais frequently volunteers his management and leadership skills to local Muslim organizations. As a co-founder of Forerunners, he continues to leverage his professional accomplishments and community credibility to foster positive change.

Omar Altalib​

Omar Azhar Altalib is a dynamic leader and the co-founder of Forerunners, a community focused on building leaders who align their professional work with higher values and purpose. After serving as Director of Growth, Partnerships, and Strategy at Amazon Web Services, Omar left Amazon to dedicate himself to helping people and organizations discover their unique strengths and purpose. With over 25 years of leadership experience, he has built, led, and grown high-achieving sales teams and organizations with billions of dollars of revenue through a value based methodology and culture. He also had P&L responsibilities serving industries across the public sector, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. He is deeply passionate about eradicating hate, serving as the executive producer of the award-winning documentary 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, which amplifies voices speaking against injustice. Through Forerunners, Omar is committed to creating environments where individuals and organizations lead with purpose, contributing meaningfully to society. He draws daily inspiration from his wife of 19 years and their two incredibly kind and loving children, who uplift him in his journey.

Ahmad Ashkar​

Ahmad Ashkar is a celebrated and decorated entrepreneur, honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by both Esquire and GQ Magazine, and named one of the top 100 most influential Arabs by Arabian Business. He has founded multiple ventures, including Falafel Inc., a social enterprise empowering refugees through food. Beyond his business success, Ahmad has trained and graduated over 100,000 students in entrepreneurship through his work at Hult, equipping youth in emerging markets with the soft skills to create the change they want to see in the world. His innovative approach to blending profitability with social impact has made him a trailblazer in sustainable business and an inspiration for future entrepreneurs.

Ibrahim Moiz

Mr. Moiz is a partner with NOVA Business Law Group. He graduated from Howard University School of Law in 2007. While in law school, Mr. Moiz was the vice president and co-captain of the Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court team. During law school, Mr. Moiz was an Oliver Hill Fellow for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the employment discrimination project.

Immediately following his graduation from law school, Mr. Moiz served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas J. Love of the District Court of Maryland in Prince George’s County. Before joining NOVA BLG, Mr. Moiz worked in Richmond as the Legislative Assistant to Delegate David Poisson (D-32) for the 2009 General Assembly session.

Mr. Moiz serves as Outside General Counsel to domestic and international based information technology, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and FinTech companies. Mr. Moiz heads the firm’s corporate transactional and commercial and residential real estate practice groups.

Sam Garbia

Mr. Garbia is a founding member of NOVA BLG, LLP and GarbiaPlocki, LLP. Mr. Garbia directs the firm’s Corporate Counsel section, serves as lead counsel to the firm’s corporate clients in litigation, consults with and advises corporate clients on litigation matters and methods to avoid litigation. Acting outside general counsel for a wide range of companies. He regularly advises clients regarding appropriate business structures, in particular by advising them regarding the benefits and potential difficulties associated with forming corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and other commercial entities.

Mr. Garbia serves as General Counsel and the Chief Legal Officer for various corporate clients. He is responsible for leading corporate strategic growth and tactical legal initiatives. Mr. Garbia provides oversight and assists in the government contracting proposal and negotiating process and is responsible for compliance with all applicable government regulations, including Federal Acquisition Regulations and other federal contracting rules. He serves as the key lawyer/legal advisor on all major business transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. Additionally, Mr. Garbia judges the merits of major court cases filed against or on behalf of his clients. He supervise litigation and bid protests, and develops policies to assure the organization’s compliance with the small business administration’s 8(a) program and GSA Schedule.

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