A career spanning software engineering, entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence is putting the technology leader at the centre of conversations about women shaping the future of AI.
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms industries, the conversation around who gets to build, lead and shape these technologies has become increasingly important.
Among the women making their mark in the space is Saima Mushtaq, a technology executive, AI strategist and serial entrepreneur whose career spans more than two decades across software engineering, machine learning and technology leadership.
From software engineering to AI leadership
Mushtaq’s journey began in Pakistan, where she developed an early interest in technology and earned Microsoft professional certifications while still at school. She went on to study computer science at FAST NUCES and complete a master’s degree at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Her career subsequently moved across software engineering, research, consulting and executive leadership, giving her experience with technologies including machine learning, natural language processing, cloud architecture and enterprise software.
That technical foundation has become particularly relevant as businesses increasingly move from experimenting with AI to deploying it in real-world environments.
Building AI for real-world applications
Today, Mushtaq serves as Chief Technology Officer at Dubai-based LeapSofts, where she has been involved in AI product development and technology strategy.
Her work has included AI applications spanning healthcare, fintech, fashion, cybersecurity, retail and automotive technology. Among the technologies associated with her work are large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, computer vision and AI-powered recommendation systems.
Her experience reflects a broader shift in the AI industry: the focus is increasingly moving beyond demonstrations and prototypes towards systems that can solve specific business and social problems.
A serial entrepreneur
Mushtaq’s influence extends beyond corporate technology leadership.
She has co-founded multiple technology ventures, including Ommatee, a virtual-reality e-commerce platform, and later ventures focused on logistics and AI. Her most recent entrepreneurial work includes Exacology, where she has worked with engineers, data scientists and psychology professionals across several countries to develop AI-driven platforms.
The combination of entrepreneurship and technical leadership has given Mushtaq experience on both sides of the technology equation — building products while also managing the people and engineering teams responsible for delivering them.
Putting responsible AI on the agenda
As AI adoption accelerates, responsible development has become one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
Mushtaq’s work has increasingly intersected with questions around ethical technology, privacy and human-centred AI. Her work with multidisciplinary teams has involved bringing technical specialists together with professionals from other fields when developing AI-powered products.
That perspective is particularly significant at a time when companies are under growing pressure to demonstrate not only what their AI systems can do, but also how responsibly they are designed and deployed.
Breaking barriers for women in technology
Mushtaq’s career also highlights the persistent representation challenge facing women in senior technology positions.
According to the recent profile of her career, women hold only a relatively small share of CTO and CIO positions globally, with the biggest losses occurring throughout the progression from technical roles into senior leadership.
Mushtaq’s own career has taken her through many of those traditionally difficult transitions — from engineer and researcher to executive, founder and CTO.
She has also invested time in education and mentorship, including teaching at Pakistani universities and participating in initiatives supporting women in technology.
A new role recognising her expertise
Her influence in the technology sector was further highlighted this week with her appointment as a judge for the 2026 Global Recognition Awards.
The appointment recognises her more than 20 years of experience in software engineering, artificial intelligence, enterprise architecture, product development and technology leadership. In the judging role, she will assess innovation, leadership, impact and sustainability across submissions.
The appointment also places Mushtaq in a position to evaluate the next generation of technology innovators — effectively moving from building technology to helping determine which innovations deserve recognition.
Building the next generation of women in AI
For Mushtaq, the significance of her journey extends beyond personal achievement.
Her career demonstrates how women can occupy multiple positions within the AI ecosystem — as engineers, researchers, founders, executives, educators and mentors.
As AI becomes one of the defining technologies of the global economy, increasing women’s participation in its development and leadership will be critical to ensuring that the technology reflects a broader range of experiences and perspectives.
Mushtaq’s story therefore represents more than one woman’s rise through the technology industry. It is also a reminder that the future of AI will be shaped not only by the systems being built, but by who is given the opportunity to build them, lead them and influence how they are used.
