Prior to her academic career, Ishara worked in corporate human resources management, where she managed the talent retention and training development needs for multinational organizations in the financial services and media industries. She has also worked with start-up ventures in business accelerator programs in South Africa, focusing on entrepreneurial personal development. Most recently, she led a research team within a business accelerator focused on African educational technology and innovation.

Presently Ishara holds two UAEU research grants to pursue research focused on the role of social networks for women’s entrepreneurship with a special focus on the entrepreneurial self-efficacy of female university students. She is also investigating the cross-sector partnerships of social entrepreneurs in the UAE.

Ishara’s doctoral research explored the lived experiences of informal township entrepreneurs in South Africa. Her research extends scholarly work on entrepreneurial adversity, identity, and motivation in a developing context. She found that adverse life events prior to venturing had far-reaching consequences for identity construction and behavioral responses that drove different motivations for the establishment of micro-enterprises. This research was recently recognized for a Best Paper Award in the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management Annual Conference Proceedings in August, 2024.

• Maharaj, I. (2024). It’s always darkest before dawn: The role of pre-venture adversity on founder identity construction in township entrepreneurs. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2024(1): 18044. [Recipient of Best Paper Award – Entrepreneurship Division].
  
  
• Maharaj, I., & Schlechter, F.A. (2007). Meaning in life and meaning of work: Relationships with organizational citizenship behavior, commitment, and job satisfaction. Management Dynamics, 16(3): 24 – 41.