Quick Facts
Biography
Shiza Shahid is a Pakistani social entrepreneur, social activist, investor, and educator. She is the co-founder and former CEO of the non-profit Malala Fund, which promotes education for every girl. In 2013, she was included in Time's "30 Under 30" list of world change-makers, and in 2014, she was listed in Forbes's "30 Under 30" list of global social entrepreneurs. She is also well-known as the mentor of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Early life
Shiza Shahid was born and raised in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. She spent her early teen years as a volunteer worker and as an activist. At the age of 14 she started working in prisons occupied by women who were convicted of various crimes. She worked as a volunteer at a relief camp following a deadly earthquake which struck Kashmir in 2005, killing nearly 85,000 people.
Career
At the age of 18, Shahid received a scholarship to pursue higher studies at Stanford University and graduated in 2011. She returned to Pakistan in 2009 after hearing about the Taliban's ban against women's education. After completing her higher studies in 2011, she pursued a career as an expert analyst at McKinsey & Company's Office in Dubai. In 2017, she co-founded NOW Ventures, which focuses on funding startups.
Shahid has also given lectures and speeches in universities in different countries on the subjects of women's empowerment and the importance of child education.
Collaboration with Malala
While pursuing her higher studies at Stanford University, Shahid reportedly watched a YouTube video of young Malala Yousafzai, who was ambitious and keen on empowering women and child education in Pakistan. She reached out to Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai and offered to assist Malala to achieve her dreams.
Shahid flew to Birmingham to see Malala, who was hospitalised after being shot by Taliban members. Shiza offered assistance to Malala and her family to help recover them from the shock. Shahid and Malala co-founded the Malala Fund in 2013 with the aim of creating access to safe and high-quality education among girls in Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, and Sierra Leone.