Athara Impact
Aerial landscape — sand and sky

We help you
leave your mark

Athara Impact is an independent advisory practice specialising in social impact and philanthropy, executive search, and digital products designed to improve lives.

About Athara Impact

The name is the mandate

أثر · a-th-r

Athara

From the Arabic root a-th-r / أثر: trace, legacy, a lasting mark — what remains after our work is done.

We believe that social impact work deserves the same rigour, discretion, and strategic depth as the best commercial advisory.

Drawing on more than two decades across social finance, philanthropy, and business consulting, we work with the individuals and institutions shaping how capital and talent flow toward social good.

How we work

Principles that shape every engagement

01

Thought partnership

Our best work emerges through relationships built over years. The thinking happens with you, not for you.

02

Rigour over reflex

We question before we conclude. Considered judgement over quick answers, depth over glossy deliverables.

03

A horizon of decades

We optimise for what endures. Long-term thinking and the ability to adapt are the same discipline.

04

Quiet by design

We let our work speak before we do. Discretion is default; visibility is earned, not chased.

What we do

Three practice areas

One thesis: impact that endures.

Ā

Advisory

First mark: the vision

Strategic advice for organisations and leaders shaping meaningful change — rigorous, discreet, and built on real experience.

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thā

Talent

Three dots: the team

Executive search for mission-driven roles. We identify talent who align deeply with the work they are called to lead.

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Labs

Curved arc: the resonance

Our experimental studio building digital products designed to improve lives and enable meaningful human outcomes.

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The team

The people behind the practice

Elena Helmy

Elena Helmy

Founder & CEO

Elena founded Athara Impact after over two decades at the intersection of business and social impact — advising, directing capital, and building programmes across the UK, North America, the Caribbean, Africa and, most recently, the Middle East.

She has held senior roles at UBS, Virgin and PwC, leading multi-million-dollar social impact portfolios, philanthropic partnerships and complex impact programmes for some of the world's most ambitious social change organisations.

She holds an MBA from Oxford's Saïd Business School. Elena leads Athara Impact's advisory and executive search practices.

Tarik Helmy

Tarik Helmy

Labs Lead

A product leader with deep roots in design and engineering, Tarik focuses on applying the latest technologies — including AI — to build services and experiences that solve meaningful problems.

He has led cross-border teams at PwC, IBM iX, and CSG on large-scale digital programmes, including the rollout of Vodafone M-Pesa. Alongside his twenty-year corporate career, he co-founded we.yan, Africa's first social fintech app, where he leads product and design.

He holds a Master's in Service Design from the Royal College of Art and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. At Athara Impact, Tarik leads Athara Labs — building products that improve lives.

How we're built

A small, flexible team

Senior by default

We are a small, senior team by design. Every client relationship is handled at principal level. We use AI to do what junior analysts once did — faster and more thoroughly — freeing us to focus our human expertise where it matters most: judgement, relationships, and nuanced thinking.

Networked on demand

We maintain deep networks of sector specialists and independent consultants across our areas of practice and geographies. Where a mandate calls for capabilities beyond our own, we bring the right people in — or refer clients to those we trust.

Get in touch

Let's talk

We are probably the right firm to call if the question on your desk is one you haven't been able to phrase out loud yet. If something matters enough to be worth doing well — write to us.

Location
Dubai, UAE · Working internationally
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Two cappuccinos and a notebook on a dark table