Code For Pakistan Announces Ex-Oracle Executive Samina Rizwan as Country Director

Code for Pakistan, a technology-focused non-profit building a non-partisan civic innovation ecosystem to improve quality of life across Pakistan, has hired Samina Rizwan to support the organization’s expansion and growth.

 “We are beyond excited to have Samina take the lead. For the past eight years, Code for Pakistan has been at the forefront of civic tech in Pakistan, but as the country evolves, so do we. Code for Pakistan is ready to take on new challenges, and Samina’s operational leadership and expertise in building and scaling global organizations for growth is exactly what we need to help Code for Pakistan sail through this incredibly interesting period,” said Sheba Najmi, chairman of the board at Code for Pakistan.

Samina comes to Code for Pakistan after a highly successful career spanning over 30 years serving global technology users, including 20 years of executive leadership experience at Oracle in Dubai serving ECEMEA and in Singapore covering ASEAN regions; American Security Bank in Washington, D.C.; and Paktel Limited in Pakistan. She has served on several boards in Pakistan and the UAE, and is a certified PMP and founding member of PMI’s chapter in Islamabad. She is also a certified Director from the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance under IFC’s corporate governance program. Most importantly, she is committed to the use of technology for the good of humanity, and was the founder of a volunteer-run, nonprofit initiative, Rizwan Scholars, to bring quality education for underprivileged young Pakistanis.

“The government in Pakistan has so many important and challenging problems to solve, and I look forward to finding ways to engage members of the government along with Pakistani citizens to create technological solutions that will create change at scale,” says Samina. “Even as a corporate executive, I was always assessing the value my technology was bringing to the common man, the consumer, the citizen, and I’m grateful to have found a position that aligns perfectly with my values. I am looking forward to entering the world of technology for change, and working with the team to achieve the critically important mission of finding solutions that can and will work for everyone in Pakistan.”