“Najla Ahmed Al-Midfa is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa),
a government-supported entity launched in 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.
Sheraa also hosts the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF), which has attracted over
18,000 attendees from around the world. Prior to Sheraa, Najla held a senior position at Khalifa Fund
for Enterprise Development, focused on SME financing, and was a consultant at McKinsey and
Company’s New York office, primarily serving clients across the financial institutions sector. Her
previous professional experience also includes roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell.
Najla is a member of the Board of Directors at United Arab Bank, Emirates Development Bank, and
Dana Gas. She was previously on the board of the Emirates Schools Establishment.
Najla is Vice-Chairperson of Young Arab Leaders, and a board member of Endeavor UAE. She 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.”
a government-supported entity launched in 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.
Sheraa also hosts the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF), which has attracted over
18,000 attendees from around the world. Prior to Sheraa, Najla held a senior position at Khalifa Fund
for Enterprise Development, focused on SME financing, and was a consultant at McKinsey and
Company’s New York office, primarily serving clients across the financial institutions sector. Her
previous professional experience also includes roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell.
Najla is a member of the Board of Directors at United Arab Bank, Emirates Development Bank, and
Dana Gas. She was previously on the board of the Emirates Schools Establishment.
Najla is Vice-Chairperson of Young Arab Leaders, and a board member of Endeavor UAE. She 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.”