Hodan Nalayeh هوذن نلايا | |
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.jpg) Hodan Nalayeh in Somalia in 2015 | |
| Born | 1976 |
| Died | July 12, 2019 (aged 42–43) Kismayo, Somalia |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of Windsor Seneca College |
| Occupation(s) | Media executive, marketing consultant, activist, entrepreneur, journalist |
| Title | President of the Cultural Integration Agency |
Hodan Nalayeh (Somali: Hodan Naaleeye; Arabic: هوذن نلايا; 1976 – July 12, 2019) was a Somali-Canadian media executive, marketing consultant, social activist and entrepreneur. She was president of the Cultural Integration Agency and vice president of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International.
Nalayeh was born in 1976 in Somalia[1] She was raised in a large family, with four brothers and seven sisters. She hails from the Naleye Ahmed sub-clan of the Dhulbahante tribe. Her sister Dega Nalayeh is a senior vice president private client advisor with U.S. Trust.[2]
Along with her parents and siblings, an eight-year-old Nalayeh later emigrated to Canada in 1984. They initially settled in Edmonton, Alberta, before eventually moving to Toronto in 1992.[3]
Nalayeh attended the West Humber Collegiate Institute, a high school in Etobicoke. For her post-secondary education, she studied at the University of Windsor, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Additionally, she earned a postgraduate certificate in broadcast journalism from Seneca College.[3]
Nalayeh was involved in client management, sales and production in radio and television for over 13 years. She served as a producer on a number of TV shows, including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.[4] Additionally, Nalayeh provided marketing and writing consultancy to burgeoning companies. Her work in this area was centered on video marketing combined with online branding.[4]
In September 2013, Nalayeh was appointed Vice President of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International's Canadian operation based in Vaughan, Ontario. The company is a global, full-service and comprehensively-equipped video and television production facility focusing on pre- to post-production of business-to-business video assets.[4]
Nalayeh served as the President of the Cultural Integration Agency, a full-service media firm specializing in the development, production, marketing and distribution of multicultural programs. In February 2014, the company partnered with Cameraworks Productions International to produce a new television format for cultural community programming. To this end, on March 1 Nalayeh began hosting the half-hour Somali community show Integration: Building a New Cultural Identity, which airs Saturday nights on Citytv. She also served as an Executive Producer on the weekly Toronto program.[1]
Besides media production and consultancy, Nalayeh was involved in voluntary and advocacy work for the Somali community.[4] She founded the Somali Refugee Awareness Project, which in 2011 presented the veteran Somali artist Saado Ali Warsame with a Lifetime Achievement Award.[5] In this capacity, Nalayeh also worked closely with a number of non-profit organizations.[4]
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Further information: Asasey Hotel attack |
Hodan Nalayeh and her husband Farid Juma Suleiman were killed during a terrorist attack at Hotel Asasey in Kismayo, Somalia, on July 12, 2019.[6][7][8][9] The attack involved a car bombing and gunfire. The jihadist radical group al-Shabaab, based in Southern Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.[10][7] Nalayeh and Suleiman married in November 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya, according to Nalayeh's sister.[11] Nalayeh was the mother of two sons and was pregnant.[3][8]
In March 2021, a secondary school in Vaughan was officially renamed to Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School.[12]
