Full Name
Shazma Charania
Job Title
President
Company/ Property
Z&S Holdings Ltd
Speaker Bio
Our story is a story of hard work, dedication, and exceptional hospitality. A story of family values and a legacy passed down from mother (Gulzar Rajan) and father (Afzal Rajan) to their daughters and will continue for generations to come. Established in 1983, Zainul & Shazma Holdings (ZS Holdings) is a family run operation that owns and operates seven IHG hotels across Alberta. Much like a tree, their roots run deep in the community and family is proud to be Alberta owned and operated.
Shazma Charania, President of ZS Holdings was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta and still resides there with her husband Jamil and their two daughters. Shazma’s leads the family business into it’s second generation. Although ZS Holdings is an epic family run operation it is one that cultivates a positive corporate culture. Maintaining the values, work ethic and hospitableness that ZS Holdings LTD was founded on is an ongoing objective that is important to Shazma.
Shazma has completed her Bachelor of Commerce and holds a Master of Business Administration specializing in hospitality. During her undergraduate degree at University of Alberta, Shazma was given the opportunity to complete six months on a full scholarship at Tec de Monterrey, in Guadalajara, Mexico which has helped her acquire another language, Spanish. Her educational background mixed with her experience and community involvement enables Shazma to make decisions in a well-rounded manner. She has steered the growth of her family business from two to now seven hotels. ZS Holdings happily supports its community through many local organizations.
Shazma drives the company vision “To be an industry leader in selected emerging markets in Western Canada”. In pursuing that vision, she has served on numerous Board positions, Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association as well as Red Deer Tourism locally, and since 2010, also served on the IHG Owner’s Association Americas. For 2025, Shazma holds a two year term on both the Global IHG Owner’s Association Board and the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation Board as well as serves as the Chair for Human Resources.
Today, the company has multi award-winning locations in western Canada, and is an Employer of Choice in Alberta
Shazma Charania, President of ZS Holdings was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta and still resides there with her husband Jamil and their two daughters. Shazma’s leads the family business into it’s second generation. Although ZS Holdings is an epic family run operation it is one that cultivates a positive corporate culture. Maintaining the values, work ethic and hospitableness that ZS Holdings LTD was founded on is an ongoing objective that is important to Shazma.
Shazma has completed her Bachelor of Commerce and holds a Master of Business Administration specializing in hospitality. During her undergraduate degree at University of Alberta, Shazma was given the opportunity to complete six months on a full scholarship at Tec de Monterrey, in Guadalajara, Mexico which has helped her acquire another language, Spanish. Her educational background mixed with her experience and community involvement enables Shazma to make decisions in a well-rounded manner. She has steered the growth of her family business from two to now seven hotels. ZS Holdings happily supports its community through many local organizations.
Shazma drives the company vision “To be an industry leader in selected emerging markets in Western Canada”. In pursuing that vision, she has served on numerous Board positions, Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association as well as Red Deer Tourism locally, and since 2010, also served on the IHG Owner’s Association Americas. For 2025, Shazma holds a two year term on both the Global IHG Owner’s Association Board and the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation Board as well as serves as the Chair for Human Resources.
Today, the company has multi award-winning locations in western Canada, and is an Employer of Choice in Alberta
