# Dr. Zak El-Ramly

> Dr. Zak El-Ramly is the founder and chairman of Zema Global Data, formerly ZE PowerGroup, and founder of ZE Power Engineering. An Egyptian-born Canadian engineer, he worked at BC Hydro and Powerex before establishing ZE PowerGroup in 1995. He is also the author of the Zakisms books of personal and business observations.

- **Role:** Founder and Chairman at Zema Global Data
- **Organizations:** Zema Global Data Corporation (formerly ZE PowerGroup Inc.), ZE Power Engineering Inc., BC Hydro (former employer), Powerex Corporation (former employer)
- **From:** Port Said, Egypt
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Master of Engineering, Carleton University, PhD, Aeronautical Engineering, Carleton University, Bachelor's degree, Mechanical Engineering
- **Known for:** Founded the enterprise that became Zema Global Data., Helped develop BC Hydro’s Power Smart conservation program., Worked on short-term electricity-market development at Powerex.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1969** — Taught engineering at Ain Shams University in Cairo and worked as an instrumentation engineer at an oil refinery in Kuwait.
- **1969** — Arrived in Canada on a student visa for graduate study in Ottawa.
- **1972** — Earned his Master of Engineering at Carleton University.
- **1975** — Earned his doctorate at Carleton University.
- **1977** — Joined BC Hydro in energy conservation.
- **1990-1993** — Served as Powerex vice-president of development.
- **1993-1995** — Served as Powerex executive vice-president of marketing.
- **1995** — Founded ZE PowerGroup to serve organizations navigating competitive electricity markets.
- **2004** — Founded ZE Power Engineering; the company’s 2026 announcement gives this founding year.
- **2015** — Spoke at Carleton’s Roadmaps lecture and published Zakisms: Life, Simply Stated.
- **2017** — Published Zakisms: Reflection on Business.
- **2018** — Named the EY Pacific cleantech category winner in BCBusiness’s awards coverage.
- **2024** — Became chairman as ZEMA announced FTV Capital investment and Andrea Remyn Stone’s appointment as CEO.
- **2026** — Named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific finalist alongside Aiman El-Ramly for ZE Power Engineering.

## Achievements

- Founded the enterprise that became Zema Global Data.
- Helped develop BC Hydro’s Power Smart conservation program.
- Worked on short-term electricity-market development at Powerex.
- Provided expert evidence in utility regulatory proceedings.
- Founded ZE Power Engineering.
- Published two Zakisms books.
- EY Pacific cleantech category winner, 2018.
- EY Pacific finalist alongside Aiman El-Ramly for ZE Power Engineering, 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — BCBusiness’s October 26 awards coverage lists Aiman and Zak El-Ramly among the 2026 EY Pacific finalists for ZE Power Engineering.
- **2026-06** — EY lists Zak and Aiman El-Ramly as Pacific finalists in Logistics and Engineering Services.
- **2024-07** — ZEMA announced FTV Capital investment, Andrea Remyn Stone as CEO and El-Ramly as chairman.

## Links

- Website: https://www.zakisms.com/about
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakelramly/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/zak-el-ramly
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27