Zaheer Allam is based in Mauritius and works as an Urban Strategist for the Port Louis Development Initiative (PLDI) and the Global Creative Leadership Initiative. He received his PhD from Curtin University, Australia, holds an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University, UK and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Architectural Science from Curtin University, Australia. Zaheer is the African Representative of the International Society of Biourbanism (ISB) and a member of the Advisory Circle of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). He was elevated, by the President of Mauritius, to the rank of Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (OSK); the highest distinct order of Merit in Mauritius.