When you understand the screen industry the way Akhaji Zakiya does, financially, structurally, and strategically, you might expect the path to leadership to be straightforward. But for many mid-career Black professionals, expertise alone isn’t what determines advancement.
With more than 15 years of experience across broadcasting, festivals, and consulting, Akhaji found herself navigating a familiar gap: the distance between contributing at a high level and being positioned to lead. She wasn’t trying to prove her capability—she was ready to apply it differently.
What she needed wasn’t more experience. It was greater access to the rooms where decisions are made.
A Career Built on Strategy
Akhaji’s path into the industry began at the National Film Board through an internship program designed to create access. From there, she built a career spanning CBC, CTV, film festivals, non-profits, and consulting, developing expertise in research, business strategy, and financial analysis.
When she joined the Canada Media Fund (CMF) as a Research Analyst, it was initially a contract role tied to a specific evaluation project.
“I was excited to bring my consulting skills into one of the major players in the industry,” she says.
What began as a short-term opportunity evolved into a longer-term role within one of Canada’s most influential screen sector institutions. Yet even from inside the organization, advancement wasn’t automatic.
Navigating Familiar Barriers
Despite her experience, Akhaji continued to encounter barriers familiar to many Black women working in leadership-track roles.
“Limited opportunities, gatekeeping, slow progression—I’ve seen it across consulting, broadcasting, and within large institutions,” she says.
Rather than waiting for opportunities to appear, she focused on increasing her visibility, taking initiative, and positioning herself strategically. Still, there remained a gap between contributing at a high level and being recognized as a leader.
The Executive Pathways Accelerator presented an opportunity to fill that gap.
Turning Work Into Visibility
What shifted through the Accelerator was not Akhaji’s capability, it was how her work was seen and where it landed.
“Mentorship was the most valuable part for me,” she says. “I used it to develop new skills and seize opportunities I might not have pursued otherwise.”
Supported by mentorship and coaching, Akhaji began identifying opportunities to elevate her work beyond internal deliverables. An analytics project became a conference presentation. Independent research became a platform for industry engagement.
Two critical experiences proved particularly transformative.
“We anchor the program around three to five critical experiences that drive meaningful progression,” explains Arlene McCalla, BSO’s Executive Pathways Accelerator Coach. “These are deliberate, career-defining opportunities that participants might not otherwise access on their own.”
The first critical experience for Akhaji was an evaluation of a new CMF funding stream for distributors. She led the assessment, developed a comprehensive report, and presented findings that ultimately reached the CMF Board.
The second was a strategic analysis of the gaming and interactive digital media sector. Working alongside the CFO and data team, she helped produce research that is now informing leadership discussions.
These experiences went beyond day-to-day work assignments. They were opportunities to influence organizational thinking at the highest level.
Stepping into Strategic Influence
One of the most significant outcomes of the Accelerator was access.
A conversation with the CMF’s CFO evolved into an ongoing mentorship relationship that now includes regular discussions about strategy, board priorities, and organizational direction.
That level of exposure transformed how Akhaji engages within the organization.
She is no longer working adjacent to leadership. She is contributing directly to the conversations that shape decisions and influence the future of the industry.
The Leadership Gap Isn’t About Talent
For Akhaji, the lesson is clear.
The gap between talent and leadership is rarely about capability. More often, it’s about investment.
Programs like the Executive Pathways Accelerator provide what is often missing: structured mentorship, strategic exposure, and the support needed to move experienced professionals into positions of influence.
Organizations that fail to make those investments risk overlooking the very talent they need to remain competitive, innovative, and relevant.
Building Beyond the Role
Looking ahead, Akhaji’s ambitions extend beyond her current position.
It’s a vision rooted not only in leadership, but in impact.
What This Makes Clear
Akhaji’s story is not about discovering potential. It’s about unlocking it.
The expertise was already there.
The experience was already proven.
What changed was access, visibility, and intentional investment.
A Call to Employers
The talent you’re looking for may already be in your organization.
The question is whether you’re creating opportunities for that talent to grow, lead, and influence decision-making.
If you’re not actively investing in mentorship, leadership development, and advancement pathways for Black professionals, you’re limiting your own leadership pipeline.
The Executive Pathways Accelerator helps organizations move beyond intention and build the conditions for leadership to thrive.
Invest in your future leaders. Partner with us.
Connect with Natassia Morris, Business Manager for the BSO’s Research and Action Centre, at rac@bso-ben.ca to learn more about the Executive Pathways Accelerator.
The Black Screen Office Executive Pathways Accelerator is supported by:
