Sadaffe Abid

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Sadaffe Abid
NationalityPakistani
EducationB.A Economics, International relations. Masters in Public Administration.
Alma materMount Holyoke College(1995), Harvard Business school(2008)
OccupationSocial entrepreneur
TitleFounder CIRCLE, She loves tech

Sadaffe Abid is a social entrepreneur from Karachi, Pakistan and the former COO and CEO of Kashf Foundation. She is the founder of tech-organization CIRCLE, and its current CEO.[1][2] She is also a Vice Chairperson of Pakistan Microfinance Network.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Sadaffe hails from the city of Karachi. She was born into a military family[4] due to which she moved to many different places along with her parents. Her family had been posted to Khariaan, Noushera, and Rawalpindi.[5]

She attended Army Public School until 6th grade and later joined a private school Beacon House School system in her 7th grade. Sadaffe did her B.A in economics, International relations from Mount Holyoke College and graduated in 1995.[6] She then went to Harvard Business School in 2008 and attended Advanced Management Program in 2009 from INSEAD.[7] Sadaffe has also completed her Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.[8][9][10]

Career[edit]

She joined the Kashf Foundation as a founding team member in April 1997, and created a non-profit, micro-finance and wealth management organization.[11] The foundation is the first Micro Finance Institution (MFI) in Pakistan.[12][13] She served the Kashf Foundation for 8 years as the COO and then 2 years as the CEO of the organization.[14][15] During her time at Kashf, Sadaffe expanded the organization.[4][16] During her tenure, Kashf received the AGFUND International Prize and Grameen Trust Microfinance Excellence Award.[6][17]

She has since then also served as a CEO of Buksh Foundation, another micro finance institution.[18][19] She has also worked as a Gulf Representative at Mercy Corps in Dubai and a guest lecturer at CEDEP at INSTEAD. Sadaffe has also worked at National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), where she is in the board of directors and Chair of Inclusive Committee.[20][14][21]

She is currently running an enterprise she co-founded called CIRCLE ; a tech-organization encouraging women in tech ventures.[22][23] She is a consultant for the International Finance Corporation on gender diversity and is a social entrepreneur at INSEAD. Since 2014, Sadaffe has also lectured on social entrepreneurship at CEDEP, INSEAD.[6][24]

Sadaffe is also on the board of Pakistan Microfinance Network, UN Women Pakistan Civil Society Advisory Council and Indus Earth.[25][26] She is an advisor to the global Dell Women Entrepreneurship Network (DWEN).[14][27]

Circle[edit]

Sadaffe stated that her goal is “Women Economic Empowerment and Inclusion”.[28][29] She founded CIRCLE to empower women through technology.[30][31] CIRCLE is a social tech-enterprise aimed at improving women's economic empowerment to help build and develop the entrepreneurial and leadership capacity of women.[32][33] The organization has been working in Pakistan since 2014 to provide economic participation and empowerment to women in the IT sector.[34][35]

Initiatives[edit]

The tech-organization CIRCLE initiated She Loves Tech. Sadaffe started this initiative in 2017 to support women start-ups and provide mentorships.[36][37]

CIRCLE is now bringing She Loves Tech: 2020, which is a technology start-up competition sponsored by HBL.[38][39] The competition will be hosted in 10 cities in Pakistan. Sadaffe says this year, they aim to empower 10,000 women through workshops and digital boot camps.[40][41][42]

Sadaffe also started an initiative through her organization CIRCLE, called "Tech Karo".[43][44] Tech Karo is a training program for students from underprivileged areas.[45] The program focuses on training girls and women digital skills such as coding, digital marketing to increase their livelihoods and generate positive impacts for their families and communities.[46][47][48]

Awards and achievements[edit]

Sadaf is the recipient and alumna of Australia awards.[46]

She is a recipient of the Mount Holyoke Alumni Achievement Award for her service. Her work at Kashf has been highlighted in Nicholas Kristoff’s book, Half the Sky.[49][50]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Women who are taking the tech industry by storm". Disrupt Magazine. 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  2. ^ "The female economy". The Express Tribune. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  3. ^ Mansoor, Ahsan (2020-06-25). "Mr. Ghalib Nishtar and Ms. Sadaffe Abid elected as new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the PMN Board". Pakistan Microfinance Network. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  4. ^ a b "Pakistani businesswoman Sadaffe Abid makes it her mission to empower women". The National. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  5. ^ Wani, Shahrukh (2018-04-26). "Millennial Exclusive: Interview with CIRCLE CEO Sadaffe Abid". Medium. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  6. ^ a b c "Sadaffe Abid '95 – Alumnae Association". Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  7. ^ "Curated Round Table with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands as UNSGA Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development – November 25 2019 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs". mofa.gov.pk. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  8. ^ "Sadaffe Abid". ash.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  9. ^ "The Time is Now: Gender Equity and Women in Leadership". www.aku.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  10. ^ admin (2017-01-19). "Australian HC Visits CIRCLE Pakistan & Shares Insights on Women's Empowerment". Daily Lead Pakistan. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  11. ^ "Kashf Foundation". kashf.org. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  12. ^ "UIT Women Economic Empowerment Circle's Meetup". UrduPoint. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  13. ^ "She Loves Tech | Islamabad Round of Pitches | StartupDotPK". www.startup.pk. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  14. ^ a b c "Board of Director - NBP". www.nbp.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  15. ^ Kashf foundation. "Annual report" (PDF).
  16. ^ "Revolutionizing Business: Women in Entrepreneurship – Jinnah Institute". Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  17. ^ "Sadaffe Abid". Pond's. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  18. ^ lhrtimes (23 September 2017). "women's workplace empowerment".
  19. ^ pakistantoday (21 August 2020). "Tech Startup".
  20. ^ "NBP hosts meeting to discuss issues of NBMFIs, their customers". The Nation. 2020-05-05. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  21. ^ Abid, Sadaffe (2020-01-23). "Improving parity". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  22. ^ "CIRCLE: a new chapter for female empowerment in Pakistan". Pi Media. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  23. ^ "A good season for innovation and a great season for women! | UNDP in Pakistan". UNDP. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  24. ^ "Sadaffe Abid". Cultivating Leadership. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  25. ^ "Sadaffe Abid". Indus Earth Trust. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  26. ^ "Salim Ghauri hosts CIRCLE fellows at NETSOL". GENglobal. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  27. ^ Maqbool, Ayesha (2017-06-12). ""She Loves Tech" competition by CIRCLE Pakistan". NetMag Pakistan. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  28. ^ "CIRCLE brings Back's the World's Largest Tech Competition – Daily News". Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  29. ^ Yameen, Ahsan (2016-11-18). "Mr. Salim Ghauri hosts CIRCLE fellows for lunch at NETSOL for Global Entrepreneurship Week". Pakistan Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  30. ^ Siraj, Unaiza (2020-03-07). "Pakistan needs to harness the potential of its women to become stronger: Sadaffe Abid". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  31. ^ "CIRCLE". Mount Holyoke College. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  32. ^ "Leaving behind a digital foot print: Sadaffe Abid". Daily Times. 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  33. ^ "CIRCLE to empower 10,000 women". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  34. ^ ""Technology is a great equaliser and an enabler" — Sadaffe Abid Founder and CEO, CIRCLE Pakistan". Newsline. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  35. ^ startupguide.pk (2019-06-23). "Sadaffe Abid On Championing Women Empowerment". Startup Guide Pakistan. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  36. ^ "CIRCLE introduces SheLovesTech Pakistan". The Nation. 2020-09-12. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  37. ^ "Circle Women's new initiative Tech Karo will help girls learn programming at home". TechJuice. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  38. ^ "Australian HC Visits CIRCLE Pakistan, Shares Insights On Womens Empowerment". Pakistan Point. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  39. ^ admin (2020-09-10). "CIRCLE introduces She Loves Tech Pakistan 2020; aims to empower 10,000 women & girls". News Update Times. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  40. ^ "CIRCLE introduces "She Loves Tech Pakistan 2020" to empower 10,000 women and girls | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  41. ^ "Register for She Loves Tech Pakistan 2020". Forman Christian College. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  42. ^ "She Loves Tech 2020: Empowering Pakistani women through technology and entrepreneurship". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  43. ^ Nawaz, Fizza (2017-10-28). ""#ElevatePak seeks to increase women's representation on boards," Sadaffe Abid, founder CIRCLE". HIP. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  44. ^ "Women Techpreneurs - Charting New Frontiers | Startup Grind". www.startupgrind.com. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  45. ^ "Winner Of The She Loves Tech Competition -". 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  46. ^ a b "Alumni contributions aid Pakistan's COVID-19 response - Pakistan - Australia Awards - South and West Asia". australiaawardspakistan.org. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  47. ^ "Tech Karo: Teaching Young Women How to Code - The Big Picture". thebigpicture.pk. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  48. ^ Staff, ProPK (7 March 2017). "CIRCLE Women & Business Karachi Chapter Launched". Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  49. ^ "Sadaffe Abid". Transformational Leadership. June 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  50. ^ "Do Tech to Empower". Ananke. 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
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