Nadia Shaikh-Naeem is Vice President of Programs at DIGITAL, where she leads one of Canada’s largest innovation portfolios, overseeing more than $780 million in strategic investments across artificial intelligence, sustainable industry, digital health, and workforce transformation. She drives program strategy, investment execution, and portfolio performance, ensuring initiatives translate national priorities into commercially viable solutions that strengthen Canada’s innovation capacity and global competitiveness. Under her leadership, DIGITAL has become one of the country’s most effective innovation platforms, turning $324 million in public funding into over $4 billion in GDP, representing a twelve-fold return on investment.
Nadia is deeply committed to building inclusive, resilient communities. She brings a cross-sector perspective, working across government, industry, and community partners to strengthen local ecosystems. Her focus is on advancing practical, scalable approaches that connect innovation with broader social and economic supports.