Dhaka, Bangladesh: Sabita Binte Azad Shifa, a former student of the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University (academic session 2014–15), has emerged as a rising star on the global stage. She has recently been named among the top 50 female leaders in the world.
Hailing from Gazipur, Bangladesh, Shifa is the daughter of engineer Abul Kalam Azad—who pursued higher education twice in Moscow on UN scholarships—and retired government primary school headteacher Sohrat Begum.
Shifa has been nominated under the "Visible Power: Female Leadership" category by Obninsk Tech Academy, a subsidiary of Rosatom—the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation and one of the largest in the world.
She was selected through a multi-stage screening process from a global pool of applicants. The evaluation considered her professional background, volunteer activities, awards and recognitions, and academic research.
As one of the 50 chosen female leaders, Shifa will participate in the World Atomic Week and the Female Leadership Camp in Russia. The event will celebrate 80 years of achievements in the nuclear industry, with more than 10,000 participants from around the world.
Shifa has previously represented Bangladesh in several international conferences, summits, and youth assemblies in Russia and other countries. She also conducted research at North-Eastern Hill University in Meghalaya, India, and served as a lecturer at the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS).
She worked with World Vision International Bangladesh as the Lead Program Officer for Grant Acquisition Management under the Rohingya Crisis Response project in the refugee camps. Currently, Shifa is dedicated to developing the soft skills and communication abilities of Bangladeshi youth. She is the founder and CEO of "Village Empowerment," a youth-focused development initiative.
Her international portfolio includes representing Bangladesh at the World Youth Festival held in Sochi in February 2025, leading the Bangladeshi delegation at the International Children's Committee in Moscow in 2024, and representing Team Bangladesh at the Eurasia Global forum with special distinction.
In 2019–20, Shifa won the International Speech Contest Championship in Bangladesh under Toastmasters International and competed as a semifinalist in several Asian countries. She also served as the first female president of Bangladesh's first Advanced Toastmasters Club and was a coach for two clubs in the United States.
Currently, Shifa is serving as the Head of the Children’s Committee of the National Preparatory Committee of Bangladesh under the Directorate of the World Youth Festival, Russia.
Regarding her future plans, Shifa aims to train 100,000 children in communication, presentation, and public speaking skills through her "Village Empowerment" initiative by 2027.
