Zachary is of Teme-Augama Anishnabai ancestry and his family reserve is located on Bear Island where the Temagami First Nation is located in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Zachary has a long history at the University of Waterloo. Before becoming a SEED lecturer, he completed his undergraduate degree in the Environment & Business, Co-op option. His co-op terms included working in municipal and provincial governments, academia, and the private sector. Zachary completed his master’s degree in the Sustainability Management program, where his thesis was on banks and social impact disclosure. He is currently completing his doctorate program. His research focuses on the utility of corporate sustainability disclosures, specifically of banking institutions.
Zachary, who is 6'5", played on University of Waterloo's Varsity basketball team during his Master's program.
Currently Dr. ElAlfy teaches courses on Strategic Management and Corporate Sustainability Accounting and Reporting. Additionally, he is leading a collaborative project between SEED and the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), which focuses on curriculum development for the undergraduate Bachelor of Sustainability and Financial Management (BSFM) program.
Dr.ElAlfy’s research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in sustainability management. His research helped the development of corporate sustainability reporting frameworks for several companies and municipalities in Canada. His current research also focuses on investigating novel strategies to integrate a resiliency approach to help Canadian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs respond, pivot, and survive the economic disruption caused by COVID-19. Dr. ElAlfy has published in journals such as the Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Sustainability, Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment, and the Journal of Sustainable Development. He has also given several talks and presentations in industrial and government organizations.
Before joining UW, Dr. ElAlfy had a long history of working in business development in multinational conglomerates, namely Nestlé and 3M, where he led the marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agendas for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Region. He was awarded the best CSR project at the global level by Nestlé. He has applied his expertise in research, project management, CSR, impact measurement, and capacity development for entrepreneurs.