ABOUT

ZAKA'S MISSION

Zaka is a learning and community platform for immigrants to gain career advancement knowledge, mentorship and a network of top immigrant leaders to succeed in their careers.

THE LEADERS

MEET OUR TEAM

OUR FOUNDER

GREG MAURICE

Greg Maurice was born and raised in Haiti before moving to Brooklyn at the age of 13. Greg started his career working in digital media for ICR INC, a top 10 Investor Relations firm. He served as the Director of Marketing at eOne within the Black vertical for 5 years and launched their Black division. He continued the same path leading CSS Entertainment, Black Vertical, as the Senior Directory of Acquisitions, acquiring for Crackle, Redbox and Screen Media. Throughout his career, Greg has acquired over 350 titles that have generated over $100M and have been licensed to HBO, BET, Hulu, Showtime, Starz, Allblk and Amazon.

Although Greg has had a successful career, the challenges he experienced in creating his professional path through trial and error was met with challenges of unfair treatment, uncertainty in how to thrive in corporate America or advocate for his needs, a reality most first and second generation immigrants face. Greg’s vision for Zaka is to create the future leaders of the world by providing first and second generation immigrants with the blueprint for success through actionable content, education, and community.

Greg Maurice, Founder & CEO

Greg Maurice was born and raised in Haiti before moving to Brooklyn at the age of 13. His career began in digital media at ICR Inc., a top 10 Investor Relations firm. He then pivoted to entertainment where he served as the Director of Marketing at eOne, where he launched their Black film division. His passion for serving underrepresented talent eventually led him to CSS Entertainment where he currently heads up the Black vertical as Sr. Director of Acquisitions and acquires entertainment content that is licensed to HBO, BET, Hulu, Showtime, Starz, Allblk, Amazon, etc. Greg's passion for transforming the careers of immigrant professionals was birthed through his own challenges creating the "American Dream" in corporations that struggled to create environments where immigrants are set up for success. His mission is to help the immigrant community thrive in their professional and personal lives through the resources provided through Zaka.

Devika Brij, Co-Founder & COO

Devika Brij is a champion for creating empowered professionals by enabling them to embrace their position as the driver of their careers. She is a former sales leader who spent her career in tech across companies like Google and LinkedIn. As a second generation immigrant, Devika experienced several challenges that drove her to learn, adopt and create the blueprint for successful career acceleration in competitive, corporate environments. She has 12+ years of experience creating professional development frameworks that enable professionals of color to thrive in their careers and master effective self advocacy. As the CEO of Brij the Gap Consulting, she partners with clients including Reddit, Visa, Meta, Morgan Stanley, Pinterest and many others to develop BIPOC professionals globally. Her mission is to help every immigrant thrive in their careers through offering career advancement education and exclusive coaching to the Zaka community.

Paul Herman, Host of Zaka Presents: My Journey Podcast

Paul Herman, The Prince of Motivation, is a second generation immigrant who pursued a career in corporate America before pivoting to his true calling, entertainment and motivational speaking. His successful career as a dancer took him around the globe, performing for top artists. He is the Founder of Press Play Motivation where he offers motivational speaking, mentoring and coaching to inspire and promote diversity through music and dance. His mission is to share the stories and experiences of immigrant leaders to inspire, educate and motivate immigrant professionals, everywhere.