Najla Ahmed Al-MIDFACEO - Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center
Najla Ahmed Al-Midfa is Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), a government-supported entity launched in January 2016, with a mandate to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sharjah, and support entrepreneurs as they build and grow innovative startups that will contribute positively to the region’s economy.
To date, Sheraa has built a portfolio of 114 startups, which have raised around $77m in investment, created over 1300 jobs, and generated over $130m in cumulative revenue. Sheraa also hosts the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) which has drawn participation from 200 high-level speakers and 10,000 attendees from around the world.
In her previous role as Senior Manager at Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Najla led a team of business counselors through the due diligence process of selecting ventures for financing.
Prior to joining Khalifa Fund, Najla was a senior associate at McKinsey and Company’s New York office, primarily serving clients across the financial institutions sector. Her experience also includes roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell.
Najla is a board member of United Arab Bank and Emirates Development Bank. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment, Co-Chair of the 4th Industrial revolution in the UK-UAE Business Council, Vice-Chairperson of Young Arab Leaders, , and a board member of Endeavor UAE.
Najla is a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Leadership Initiative, as well as an Eisenhower Global Fellow.
Najla holds an MBA from Stanford University.