H.E. Najla Ahmed Al Midfa

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.

To date, Sheraa has built a portfolio of over 150 startups, raising around $161MM in investment, creating over 1600 jobs, and generating over $247MM in cumulative revenue. Sheraa also hosts the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF), which has drawn participation from 300 high-level speakers and over 13,000 attendees worldwide.

Najla is a board member of the United Arab Bank and Emirates Development Bank. She is also a member of the Dana Gas Board of Directors and the Emirates Schools Establishment and the Co-Chair of the 4th Industrial Revolution Working Group in the UK-UAE Business Council. 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 and an Eisenhower Global Fellow. Najla holds an MBA from Stanford University.