Shada Islam is an award-winning Brussels-based journalist and think tanker who now works independently as an advisor/analyst/strategist/ writer on Diversity and Inclusion as well as global affairs. Her columns are published in the EU Observer, and the Guardian and on her own Substack: Simply Shada.
Shada worked for nine years as Director of Europe and Geopolitics at Friends of Europe, an influential independent think tank based in Brussels. She now runs her own Brussels-based global media, strategy and advisory company, New Horizons Project. Shada is Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre and also at Bursons, a renowned international communication firm. She is a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Natolin).
In 2017, Politico identified her as one of Brussels' 20 most influential women. In 2023, 2024 and 2025, she was on the ZN Consulting list of 50 top influencers. Shada has won European of the Year Media awards from the European Movement International and from the Association of European Journalists of Catalonia.