Humaira Islam, PhD is the Founder and Executive Director of Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women, one of the leading microfinance institutions in Bangladesh. Dr. Islam holds a PhD degree in “Women Empowerment” from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Since last 3 decades, she has been working with the issues related to women empowerment, particularly, women’s financial inclusion in microfinance in pursuit of the belief that women can
be entrepreneurs, change makers, and leaders in their communities if opportunities are given to them. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of Women’s World Banking, a network of international financial institutions, based in New York, USA and had received the “Excellence in Leadership Award 2012” from Women’s World Banking. Dr. Islam is also a life member of the National Council of Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB). Currently, she is a member of Women’s Community of Practices (COP) which is a platform of CGAP.