Prior to joining at R-SEAT, Mustafa Alio was a co-founder and former Managing Director of Jumpstart Refugee Talent, an organization devoted to the economic inclusion of refugees. In 2017, Jumpstart pioneered the Economic Mobility Pathways Program (EMPP), currently supported by IRCC to help resettle Ukrainian refugees.

In 2019, Mustafa became the first refugee to formally represent Canada at the Global Refugee Forum. In 2021, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) from the Office of the Governor General in Canada. Mustafa sits on multiple national and international advisory boards. He has worked closely with multiple government partners, international refugee networks, UNHCR, civil society actors from around the globe, and other stakeholders to address gaps and improve programing that meet refugee needs internationally, and especially within Canada.

Mustafa has authored several articles on refugee issues, and can be found in The Independent, The New York Times, The Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Apolitical, The New Humanitarian and Forced Migration Review.