Forging Your Path: First Gen to Entrepreneur

A serial entrepreneur who has started, owned, operated and sold six different companies from 1972 to 2012, Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn is a former owner and Vice Chairman of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., a privately held corporation and the fourth largest Coke bottler in the United States.
Prior to the bottling business, she owned and operated a home care company and had a long and successful career in the home health-care field. In September 2017, she launched Emmy Co., a mobile-optimized platform that provided vetted and trusted individuals to accompany New York City patients from door to door when family or friends were not available.
She is a founding member and currently serves as a Vice Chairman of Jazz at Lincoln Center, is a founding member and currently serves as Co-Vice Chairman of The New 42nd Street/New Victory Theater for Children. She is an active member of the Northside Center for Child Development’s Council of Advisors. She previously served for over 20 years as Northside’s Co-Chairman and as a Vice Chairman.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed her a Commissioner to the New York City Commission on Women’s Issues, where she served three four-year terms. Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed her to his new Commission on Gender Equity.
She was Co-Founder and a member of the Executive Board of Platform.org, a non-profit organization focused on diversifying participation and inclusion in the growing innovation economy by underrepresented groups including women.
She continues to be involved with various ventures and projects as well as maintaining her philanthropic activities and interests through the S. Ahmad-Llewellyn Family Foundation.

Host or Publisher The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership