Board Members - South Asian Chamber of Commerce

BOARD MEMBERS

Meet our Board Members, made up of recognized leaders across many areas of expertise. They represent the broad diversity of our membership and contribute significant amounts of time, talent, and energy to further the mission of our organization.

President

Sohail Hassan

Sohail is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at MarketSpace Capital, a private equity real estate firm located in Houston, Texas where he directs strategic development and growth of the MarketSpace Capital Fund.

Before joining MarketSpace Capital, Sohail acquired and successfully exited several business ventures related to engineering and technology. His most recent achievements include success as an entrepreneur in the emerging renewable energy sector having founded and sold two startups related to this space. Prior to this, Sohail was Director of U.S. Operations for the Apex Group of Companies, a global consortium of companies with a focus on providing services to the public sector. Additionally, through his work in political fundraising for the Obama for America Campaign at the national headquarters in Chicago, Illinois during the 2008 Presidential campaign, he gained extensive experience in developing systems and processes to properly manage mid to large size organizations. Throughout his career, Sohail has a proven track record in disrupting various industries using data and technology and seeks to apply these same principles to the commercial real estate sector.

Sohail has a B.A. Degree from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree from the George Washington University in Washington D.C. as well as a Certificate in Real Estate Management from Cornell University. Sohail also sits on the board of various non-profit organizations including Emgage USA and currently serves as the President of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce(SACC) in Houston, Texas.

Vice President

Hamza Ali

Mr. Hamza Ali is CEO of GraySpear Capital an asset management company focusing primarily on commercial real estate. With 10 years of international real estate investment experience acquired through hard work, perseverance and a natural talent for finding and creating excellent investments, Mr. Ali took great risks in moving to Houston but this risk, like many others, proved to reap excellent returns on both a personal and financial level.

Mr. Ali and his trusted team develop and manage a variety of spaces mainly multi-family and light industrial real estate. GraySpear Capital’s collective expertise in development in the industry has helped the company complete and lease projects in record time guaranteeing excellent returns for investors.

Mr. Ali’s hard work, discipline, passion, consistency and integrity guarantee that every project he invests in creates value for his clients.

Secretary

Khuram Virani

Khuram Virani is a UH Alumni with a background in Broadcast Journalism and Advertising. Khuram decided to go the marketing route when he joined the Energy Industry with Tara Energy in 2007. He then made his way into the Ad Agency world and also headed to Silicon Valley to establish an e-commerce marketplace as the Head of Marketing. Khuram eventually made his way back into Energy in 2012 to lead and develop sales & marketing channels in markets throughout North America for Just Energy.

Treasurer

Sumit Dalwadi

Sumit Dalwadi is the President of Dalwadi Hospitality Management, a hotel management company and JD Engineering & Construction Corporation, a commercial construction company primarily focused in hospitality. Sumit is also a real estate broker and practices in the commercial space. He earned his BS in Computer Science and later earned his MBA in 2015.Sumit is a Brand Ambassador for charity: water and currently serves on numerous committees with the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston. He has also served on a number of groups and committees with the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and IHG Owners Association. Sumit is a native Texan and has lived in Houston since 1993. He is a car enthusiast and enjoys traveling with friends and family. More information for Sumit can be found at www.dalwadi.com.

Outreach

Faizan Bodhani

A strategic marketer with over 12 years of experience across various industries, Faizan Bodhani is the Vice President of Client Partnership at Ansira – a national, data-driven, digital agency. Over his career Faizan has developed a reputation for being a results-driven leader and has delivered positive returns for countless brands like Shell, AT&T, DirectTV, Bridgestone, Direct Energy, Michaels and Daikin. A graduate from the University of Houston, Faizan is passionate about exploring new places/cultures with his family, movies and (sometimes-unfortunate) Houston sports teams.

Board Member

Maliha Mian

Maliha founded Got Boobs in 2016 while undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy treatment. Throughout 2017, she developed a social media networking platform which provides a comprehensive solution to the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies a breast cancer diagnosis. The Got Boobs? platform is set to launch Summer 2018.
Maliha is also Managing Member of Mian & Associates Law Firm PLLC. She expanded her law practice in 2017 to provide legal counseling for companies and individuals in the following legal practice areas: immigration, business, procurement, and family matters. Prior to this, Maliha served as General Counsel & Director of EB-5 Regional Center for MEDITEX CAPITAL where she led the in-house legal department, managed litigation, and collaborated with litigators. Additionally, she has experience handling immigration matters from visas to family-based, employment-based petitions for lawful permanent resident status to naturalization. Maliha has a proven track record in helping small businesses secure government projects and has raised millions of dollars for local projects.

Board Member

Sami Khaleeq

Board Member

Mo Hossain

Mo is the founder and CEO of UMD Solutions established in 2015. UMD Solutions focuses on fostering and implementing innovations in the Industrial, and Oil & Gas sectors. UMD Solutions provide a one-stop shop for services and products as it is vertically integrated to serve their customer requirements. Mo is passionate about entrepreneurship which provides sustainability for the greater good of mankind. Prior to starting UMD Solutions, Mo worked in the Oil & Gas service industry for 10 years in business development, sales, and product management. Mo has a B.S. in Chemistry, and Health Education from the University of Houston, and currently attend Rice-Jones Graduate School of Business pursuing an MBA.

Board Member

Sangeeta Dua

Sangeeta Dua is a visionary business entrepreneur, educator, social worker, philanthropist, political activist and a TV talk show host. She is the founder-proprietor of TV Houston, an Internet TV channel catering to the Greater Houston metro area in the state of Texas. She hosts “Diversity Talk Show” on TV Houston, a popular talk show that builds bridges between various communities, and features a broad roster of decision makers from the corporate and political arena. Earlier, she produced and directed powerful documentaries under Dua TV USA, a media company she started in 2012, now serving a variety of business clients in media services and public affairs.

Board Member

Umar Qureshi

Umar Qureshi is the Chief Executive Officer of Senor Check Cashing, which has nearly 34 locations in and around the greater Houston area. Umar brings his knowledge of franchising and real estate to the board of the SACC and has been an active member since 2017.

Board Member

Mesum Ali

Mesum Ali is a General Partner at Elevation Capital, an early stage venture capital firm that uses a unique approach to fund companies. Unlike most firms that just write checks, Elevation provides both the capital and teams to help turn ideas into a business. Previously, Mesum started a Micro Finance firm in Saudi Arabia and graduated from the University of Houston with a Masters in Finance.

Board Member

Lalit Jallan

Lalit Jallan is a Sales Manager and a Financial Services Professional at MassMutual Greater Houston. He specializes in retirement and estate planning. To his business clients, he offers experience in business insurance, executive compensation and employee benefits. Lalit is actively involved in several Asian American organizations in Houston, including the South Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Asian American Hotel Association. He resides in Katy with his wife Jai and their son. Lalit attended the University of Houston Downtown.

Board Member

Pranav Bhavsar

Pranav Bhavsar is the owner of Secured Risk Insurance Group, an insurance brokerage that offers all lines of insurance needs. With over 10 years of experience, he has created a one shop agency catering to all needs for his clients. Pranav loves networking and helping others in any way possible and hopes to achieve more when deciding to join SACC. In 2011, he graduated with a B.A. degree in media production from the University of Houston and has a strong passion for sports and hopes to one day pursue his dream in sports broadcasting.

Board Member

Shabana Nathoo

Shabana Nathoo has helped clients achieve their financial planning and investment goals for over 16 years, previously working at Scottrade and Wells Fargo. She received her Bachelor of Business degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Houston in 2002 and currently holds the Series 65 license. Shabana is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) working with Family Law Attorneys and individuals going through the divorce process. She is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and currently a teaching assistant at Rice University through the (CFP®) program.
Prior to joining Navigo, Shabana was living as an expat and is uniquely in-tuned to the unique planning and investing needs of U.S. expatriates. She has also focused her passion on helping women with financial education and is particularly committed to facilitating their financial independence. Shabana lives in the Houston area with her husband and two sons.

Board Member

Cindy Davies

I have been in the banking industry for 23 years. I became a Banking Center Manager for Wells Fargo Bank in 1995 before joining BBVA Compass Team in 2006. I started my career with BBVA Compass as a Branch Retail Executive where I led and grew the deposit base and loan production. In 2011, I became a Regional Business Segment Specialist, where I effectively supported the business production for 162 branches and 43 business bankers and relationship managers in South and East Texas. In 2016, I joined Mercantil Bank as a Commercial Lending Officer where I effectively grew and managed commercial clients within my portfolio. In 2019, I joined Allegiance Bank as Senior Vice President where I continue serving small business clients, commercial clients and real estate investors in the Houston Market with their banking needs.

Board Member

Karen De Amat’s

Karen De Amat’s professional career began on the cusp of the Social Media emergence. As a working professional in marketing, she built a social media presence and developed her personal brand on social media. Karen’s solo-preneur to entrepreneur journey as the CEO of Social Behavior started in 2014 with a grassroots-like approach of serving a handful of customers in a home-based office. Satisfied customers and high demand yielded the opportunity for growth in a developing marketing category. The name, Social Behavior, is a fusion of Social Media and Consumer Behavior.

In the last five years, the agency has grown immensely and continues to exceed customers expectations with a turn-key social media solution. Karen’s career as a marketing professional arrives from her experience with Luxury, Hospitality, and Wine & Spirits. Beyond that Karen has over 7 years of corporate Oil & Gas Industry experience. She also received a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Houston-Downtown. In her minimal spare time, Karen donates to and supports various local charities and is involved with local community initiatives to help the Houston community continuously prosper.

Board Member

Sana Ali

Sana Ali is a mom of 2 and the CEO and founder of Gray Spear Lodging, a luxury, Houston based corporate housing company. She also enjoys creating marketing and PR campaigns for Gray Spear Capital as their Chief Strategy Officer. In her free time, Sana works passionately on interfaith relationships as the Houston event planner for the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom.

Board Member

Mona Khan

Mona Khan, as most know her, is the wife and business partner to her successful husband, and a proud mother of a 16 year old son.

She was raised mainly in the San Francisco area where she studied Business & Accounting. Following her education, she worked in the acquisitions department of two leading IT companies, namely Cisco Systems and Advent Software.

In addition to being a successful business owner, Mona is very involved in the local community. She is a philanthropist who dedicates time to multiple causes. She has been on the board of DIL (Developments in Literacy) for the past four years and continues to work hard to promote female education and empowerment. She was also court appointed special advocate for Children’s Advocate, where she volunteered to provide critical advocacy for child victims of life-threatening abuse, neglect or abandonment. When Mona is not working and spending her time helping others, she enjoys traveling with her family, and spending time with her loved ones.

Reshmy Mohanan

Reshmy Mohanan is a Rice University alumnus with a background in engineering and oil & gas. She currently works as a project manager with an international engineering, procurement & construction company, Worley Parsons. Ms. Mohanan also sits on the board for Society of Petroleum Engineer’s Gulf Coast Section Group. Ms. Mohanan has lived in UAE and India prior to moving to the United States to pursue a master’s degree. She is an avid traveler and passionate about exploring new countries and cultures.

Board Member

Shama Jafri

Shama

Shama Jafri is a graduate from the University of Windsor, Canada with a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate communications. Through her love of children and a desire to help working families, she has built a successful business model out of faith, hard work and determination. Mrs. Jaffri is the owner of two privately owned childcare centers, a bakery and most recently a banquet hall located in Katy, Texas. Her biggest drivers in life are her three beautiful children and a supportive husband who encourages her to take risks