Biography of Sheba Najmi: Founder & Executive Director of Code for Pakistan
Biography of Sheba Najmi:
Early Life & Academic Foundations
Sheba Najmi built a strong foundation in technology and
design by earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Symbolic Systems
(focusing on human-computer interaction) from Stanford University. Her studies
equipped her with insights into how people and computers interact—a theme that
would define much of her career.
Transition from Media to Technology
Sheba began her professional journey as a news anchor and
reporter with Indus Television, hosting a current-affairs programme where she
engaged with political figures, analysts and ambassadors. This early role honed
her communication skills and public engagement experience, which later proved
invaluable in her civic tech work.
Corporate Design & Product Roles
Moving into the tech sector, Sheba worked as a lead designer
for major products—most notably shaping user experience in platforms such as
Yahoo! Mail. Her product and design expertise extended into senior design and
product roles, bridging her media-background with technology and user-centred
thinking.
Founding Civic Tech Initiatives in Pakistan
Driven by a desire to apply technology for public good,
Sheba became a fellow at Code for America in 2012, where she helped build the
open-source project “Honolulu Answers” and organised civic hack events.
Building on that momentum, she founded Code for Pakistan (CfP) in 2013—the
country’s first civic-tech non-profit aimed at bringing technologists and
government together for citizen-focused solutions.
Biography of Sheba Najmi: Founder & Executive Director of Code for Pakistan/news anchor at Indus TV/anchorperson and journalist/Entrepreneur/Success
Driving Government Innovation & Civic Engagement
Under Sheba’s leadership, Code for Pakistan has achieved
significant milestones: the organisation has partnered with provincial
governments (notably Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board) to launch
fellowship programmes, open data portals, and digital services. As of mid-2023,
CfP reports more than 130 civic innovation fellows collaborating with
approximately 35 government departments, delivering digital solutions, and
aiding open-government processes.
Academic & Thought Leadership Contributions
Continuing her design and education impact, Sheba has
contributed to scholarly work on design education and community
participation—including a 2023 article on community engagement in design
education in She Ji. She also holds a position as Adjunct Professor at
San Diego City College (2023 onward) and remains active in user-experience and
product design leadership roles.
Current Role & Vision for Civic Design
More recently, Sheba focuses on how design and technology
can shape inclusive, human-centred communities. In 2025 she is featured as a
speaker at the San Diego Experience Design (SDXD) event exploring
community-centred design and civic engagement. Her current work emphasises
participatory design, inclusive civic systems and leveraging tech for
underserved communities—especially in Pakistan—while applying global best
practices.
Recognition & Global Presence
Sheba’s influence spans globally: she holds advisory roles
(including steering committee participation at Code for All), has been invited
to speak at international forums on democracy, technology and inclusion, and
her organisation’s work has been acknowledged in major civic-tech and
government innovation circles.
Timeline of Key Milestones
- 2000s:
Completed BS & MS at Stanford University in Symbolic Systems.
- Early
Career: Served as news anchor/reporter for Indus Television, hosting
current-affairs programming.
- 2012:
Joined Code for America as a fellow, helped develop “Honolulu Answers”
project.
- 2013:
Founded Code for Pakistan, launching Pakistan’s first civic-hack-athon and
government fellowship programme.
- 2014–2020:
Led CfP in open-data initiatives, civic digital internships (notably
women’s internship programme in KP) and deployment of public-service apps.
- 2023:
Published academic research on community engagement in design education.
- 2025: Featured speaker at SDXD design session, continues to lead design & civic innovation work.
