OPEN Emerging Leaders Retreat
Get ready for a weekend of personal growth, connection, and fun at the OPEN Houston 2026 Emerging Leaders Retreat!
Each year, we host an Emerging Leaders' Retreat for early career professionals to learn about leadership and get inspiration from life stories of others. The retreat includes a panel discussion followed by a social activity and networking event with Houston leaders.
The retreat is part of the OPEN Emerging Leaders program, which bridges the gap between high-performing talent and top-tier career opportunities and startup resources. This event will feature experienced panel speakers from various backgrounds such as finance, consulting, technology, entrepreneurship, and other areas to share wisdom gained from their tenure. Those who are college students, early career professionals, and graduate school candidates will benefit most from the insight, mentors, and professional network building. You will also have the opportunity to network with attendees with similar goals and career paths.
Each pass includes speaker talks, networking, lunch and access to Topgolf training bays. Lifetime membership for Topgolf is also included for new Topgolf attendees.
Agenda:
Registration and pre-event networking
Professional programs (speakers and panel discussions)
Lunch
Social programs (additional networking and Topgolf)
Our previous speakers have included:
Director of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston
General Manager of the Houston Dynamos
Managing Director at RED Labs
CFO of MD Anderson Cancer Center
Partners at consulting firms including McKinsey and BCG
Partners at law firms
Startup founders
Our 2026 confirmed speakers include:
Zain Maredia is the Head of Growth & Strategy at Aga's Restaurant & Catering, a leading Indian-Pakistani restaurant in southwest Houston. Prior to this role, Zain served as an immigration lawyer, helping people of all backgrounds navigate the U.S.'s complicated immigration system. A graduate of Columbia Law School, Zain brings a strategic, ambitious approach to leading the expansion of his family business. Sixteen years after taking over the restaurant, Zain, his family, and their team will open a second location in Katy, Texas this month. Zain's dream is to take Aga's nationwide--without franchising--and represent our community at the highest level in the mainstream market, maintaining the same authenticity, consistency, and exceptional hospitality.
Salma Taher is a native Houstonian with 15+ years of experience in healthcare and currently works in Medical Finance Management at Houston Methodist. She holds a degree in Healthcare Management and is deeply passionate about community outreach and service. With more than 20 years of experience leading volunteer initiatives for refugees and nonprofit organizations, Salma currently serves as a volunteer organizer with Amannah Refugee Services. She also serves as Lead of the Young Professionals Group for the Egyptian American Society and as Vice Chair of Arab American Heritage at Houston Methodist.
Faruk Bhagani is a technology sales and business development leader with over 25 years of experience across global technology and enterprise sales. He is driven over $250M in revenue for global Fortune 200 companies. Through Menasa BD, he helps connect North America with Pakistan's premium tech talent, building trusted partnerships between offshore technology firms and enterprise buyers. Faruk is a graduate of the University of Oxford Said Business School and the University of Houston.
Faiza Haseeb is a high-impact healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience leading operational transformation, strategic growth, and enterprise integration across complex, multi-state healthcare organizations. She brings a proven track record of aligning clinical and operational priorities to deliver measurable results—driving over $20M in financial impact across multiple systems and platforms. In her current role as Vice President of Central Operations at Alpine Physician Partners, Faiza rebuilt the integration infrastructure, supporting the onboarding of 8 clinics in under 10 months, and launched a centralized Patient Access Center that scaled from 34 to 62 FTEs and a $2M budget in just three months. She holds a Master’s in Health Services Administration from George Washington University and has completed executive education at MIT Sloan and Harvard Law School. Faiza is passionate about building scalable systems, empowering clinical teams, and creating joyful, high-performing healthcare environments.
Aamir has been with Deloitte for over 4.5 years, specializing in SAP solutions and business transformation initiatives. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance as well as an MBA, combining technical expertise with a strong business background. Outside of work, Aamir is actively involved in organizations including MAX (Muslims Achieving Excellence), OPEN Houston, the Houston Rodeo committee, and several business-focused professional groups. In his free time, he is an avid traveler who enjoys exploring new cultures and experiences.
Mustafa is an operator, advisor and investor focused on scaling software businesses through the use of product-led growth (PLG), AI and organic/inorganic strategies. He leads Strategic Growth at Twilio, where he scaled the product-led growth motion into a core engine of growth for 300,000+ customers. He was previously an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company. Mustafa started his career as a software engineer and product manager, and has published research in fault-tolerant, high-performance computing systems. Outside of operating roles, Mustafa contributes on the board of OPEN Houston and as an investment committee member for Castor Ventures and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD). He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and engineering degrees from Cornell University and Auburn University. Outside of work, Mustafa enjoys outdoor activities with his family including two kids.