Najla Al Midfa
CEO, Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)
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 122 startups, which have raised around $128m in investment, created over 1400 jobs, and generated over $187m 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 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.