Shady Hakim (he/him) was born in Egypt and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. He holds an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and is a proud “PhD dropout,” choosing to leave his educational track to return to California and be closer to the landscapes and people he loves. He lives in Ventura, California, on the unceded lands of the Chumash people, and enjoys skiing, cycling, swimming, and trail running.

Shady has served as Patagonia’s head of Global Justice, Equity, and Antiracism since 2021, the first role of its kind at the company. Shady spearheads the organization’s cross-functional justice, equity, and antiracism strategy, policies, and practices—creating systemic change and cultural transformation that serve Patagonia’s employees, communities, customers, and Reason for Being.

Shady originally joined Patagonia through its Environmental Initiatives department in 2017, where he supported grantmaking, advocated for greater equity and inclusion in the outdoors, and drove increased focus on environmental and climate justice. In addition, he helped establish Patagonia’s first BIPOC employee resource group to build community and organize around equity issues. Prior to joining Patagonia, Shady spent more than a decade working at intersectional peace, social justice, and environmental justice organizations.