Microsoft Engineer Muazma Zahid has won an award for Women in Tech. Zahid is a leader in her field of Data and AI. An expert in architecture design and cloud data strategy, Zahid has a wealth of experience handling big data-technologies and multi-cloud platforms.
With such a range of experience, Zahid is a highly sought after mentor. In fact, her mentoring skills were recognized with this year’s Women in Tech award. She is also a speaker and researcher in Biomedical Engineering, with several international publications and awards.
Zahid is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, and is the President of Pakistani Women in Computing.
Muazma Zahid: tech expert
Zahid took her Bachelors in Engineering and Computer Software Engineering at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). Graduating in 2006, she joined Teradata as a Data Warehouse consultant, working with major telecommunication and financial industry clients. Since then she has been the lead data architect at T-Mobile, Julep, and Senior Engineer at Nordstrom.
After establishing herself as a true expert in her field, Zahid joined Microsoft in 2018 as a Senior Data Engineer. She has now worked her way up to Principal Engineering Manager. With these wide-ranging experiences under her belt, Zahid turned to mentoring as well. “Mentoring is highly rewarding, and over the years, it is essential for professional and personal growth,” she says.
She is also the President of Pakistani Women in Computing, a nonprofit that matches her with women around the globe. The organization aims to connect, grow and inspire Pakistani women through mentoring and collaboration. Zahid also volunteers and mentors at the Anita Borg Institute, which works with technologists in over 80 countries.
Muazma Zahid: origins and inspirations
Zahid was born to a middle class family in Islamabad, Pakistan. She cites her father, a mathematics professor, as her biggest inspiration and mentor. He encouraged her education and was a constant source of support for Zahid. She fondly recalls her summer exams as child: “He used to have me do the totals on the final sheets to test and strengthen my math, and those are one of my fondest memories.”
Zahid’s turning point came in the 9th grade, where she chose to study Computer Science over Biology. With three other kids and family to support, her father still found the money to buy her the best computer possible. A few years later it was time for Zahid to apply for universities. Being the eldest child, they were entirely new to the process.
Her father, determined to secure the best education for his daughter, guided her through it with limited knowledge. Zahid applied for 14 universities. Soon after, she enrolled at the prestigious National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad and graduated in 2006.
Zahid’s other major inspiration is her daughter. From her she has gained a lot of wisdom and positive life-lessons: “having a child changes the way you look at life and what’s important, I had heard about it but never realized it until my daughter was born,” she says.
Muazma Zahid: passing on the knowledge
Now, Zahid hopes to pass her hard-earned knowledge on to others. For this she received her Women in Tech award for mentoring. But Zahid herself credits her own mentors for her success. Her favourite piece of advice from Karen Djoury was: “be courageous (despite being terrified).”
Danielle Ridel is a Phd student in Computer Science who was paired with Zahid through the Grace Hopper Celebration. She finds Zahid’s mentorship invaluable: “I take Muazma’s advice very seriously, because she has already been through this path I’m currently walking on,” she says.
Another one of Zahid’s mentees had this to say about her: “A mentor in general is a great guide, but Muazma is in a class all her own. Given her experience both in life and at work, she knows all the tricks of the trade.”
Zahid’s desire to lift people up in tech does not stop there. Her passion for inclusion and diversity also sees her running a course on ‘Breaking Bias in Tech’ for Linkedin. She is also a lead at Women Who Code, and volunteers for the Microsoft Leap Apprenticeship Program.
To stay in the loop with what she’s up to, follow Zahid on Twitter here.
