> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Noor Al-Henedy of ELMA on Building a Legacy and Creating Opportunities Instead of Waiting for Them - URL: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/women-who-lead/noor-al-henedy-of-elma-on-building-a-legacy-and-creating-opportunities-instead-of-waiting-for-them/ - Published: 2026-11-09T02:25:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-09T02:25:52.000Z - Author: Editorial team - Tags: Women Who Lead Noor Al-Henedy is the founder of [ELMA](https://elmayeg.ca/?ref=foundedbywomen.org), a business built around speaking, facilitation, training and strategic advisory work, and named after her two children, Elyas and Maryam. She launched it after nearly two decades across government, nonprofits and community leadership, where she built a career around connecting people and helping organizations understand the communities they serve. Noor was born a Palestinian refugee in a country where she had no citizenship rights and little hope of ever owning a business, and she immigrated to Canada as a teenager. As a single mother and a visibly Muslim woman, she wanted her children, and young girls from immigrant and minority backgrounds, to see that ambition and authenticity can go hand in hand. In this Q&A, Noor shares what led her to build a business of her own, what organizations most often miss when engaging diverse communities, and why she hopes the world will learn her name. ### Q: ELMA is named after your two children. What led you from nearly two decades in government and nonprofit work to building a business of your own? I was born a Palestinian refugee in a country where I had no citizenship rights and little hope of ever owning a business. My family had spent generations in the diaspora, surviving, rebuilding and creating opportunities wherever life took them. When I immigrated to Canada as a teenager, I had to learn a new language, navigate a new culture and begin planting roots in a place I would eventually call home. Like my parents and grandparents before me, I wanted to build something that would outlive me. As a single mother, that desire became even more personal. I wanted my children to see a woman who wasn't just working hard to provide for them, but who was willing to take risks, pursue her ambitions and build something of her own. ELMA is named after my two children, Elyas and Maryam, and represents that very belief: we don't always have to wait for opportunities; sometimes we have to create them. After nearly two decades working across government, nonprofits and community leadership, I had built a career around connecting people, navigating complex conversations and helping organizations understand the communities they serve. I realized it was time to take that experience and invest in something of my own. As a visibly Muslim woman, I also recognize the importance of representation. I want young girls, particularly those from immigrant and minority backgrounds, to know they can be ambitious, successful and authentically themselves without compromising who they are. ELMA is about creating a legacy and showing what's possible when we refuse to let our circumstances define our potential. ### Q: You bring strategic communications and cultural understanding together. What do organizations most often miss when engaging diverse communities, and how do you help them see it? I think we sometimes underestimate how much of our work comes down to human relationships. Strategies, communications plans and engagement frameworks are important, but none of them can replace the trust that comes from genuinely knowing people. I've always approached my work with the belief that relationships are something you invest in over time, not just when you need something. I've spent years building friendships and connections across communities, organizations and institutions. Those relationships have shaped how I see the world, challenged my own assumptions and taught me that listening is just as important as knowing what to say. It's also important to remember that communities aren't monolithic. Sharing a language, religion or cultural background doesn't mean sharing the same experiences, priorities or opinions. Even with the best intentions, we can miss important perspectives when we assume we already understand the people we're trying to reach. What I bring to my work is the ability to connect those different perspectives. Having worked across government, nonprofits and community leadership, I understand organizational priorities, but I also recognize the human realities behind them. Whether I'm developing a communications strategy, facilitating a difficult conversation or advising an organization, I try to create space for people to be heard, understood and respected. For me, the strongest outcomes come when professional expertise and genuine human connection work together. That's where trust is built, ideas are challenged and meaningful progress becomes possible. ### Q: What's next for ELMA? The world is going to know my name! (Laughs.) Or at least, that's the ambition! I've spent years building my reputation through my work in government, community leadership, public speaking and advocacy. ELMA is an opportunity to take everything I've learned, the relationships I've built, and the work I love doing, and bring it to a much bigger audience. I'm looking forward to growing ELMA beyond the communities and spaces where I'm already known, expanding my work in speaking, facilitation, training and strategic advisory services, and collaborating with people and organizations who aren't afraid to challenge conventional thinking. I don't necessarily have a perfectly mapped-out five-year plan, and I'm comfortable with that. Some of the best opportunities in my life have come from unexpected conversations, relationships and a willingness to say yes to something new. But beyond building a successful business, I want my work to mean something. I want to leave the world a little better than I found it, not just for my children and the grandchildren I hope to have one day, but for the generations that follow. If the conversations I lead and the opportunities I create can contribute to that, then I'll consider that a pretty meaningful legacy. And if the world happens to learn my name along the way, I certainly won't complain! > Are you a woman leader with an inspiring story? Founded by Women elevates the voices of women making an impact. > Breaking barriers or paving the way for others? We'd love to feature you. Get in touch! 👉 [hi@foundedbywomen.org](mailto:hi@foundedbywomen.org)