Nazia (Khan) Karim, PMP, CSM
Nazia Karim, is an accomplished PMO and strategic transformation leader with nearly two decades of experience in technology, business operations, and enterprise program management. Her career journey has been both dynamic and intentional. She moved to the United States from Qatar to attend Wichita State University, initially pursuing Accounting with aspirations of becoming a CPA. During an internship at Wolters Kluwer Tax Company (formerly CCH) in Kansas, she discovered her passion for software engineering and quality assurance while working closely with developers and technical teams. This experience inspired her to switch her major to Computer Science before ultimately finding the ideal balance in Management Information Systems (MIS), which combined accounting, technical programming concepts, networking, and database systems. This interdisciplinary foundation enabled her to bridge business strategy with technology execution throughout her career.
Over the years, Nazia has held diverse roles across database administration, business systems analysis, product and program management, and process improvement leadership, with a primary focus on driving transformation through technology-enabled solutions. She is known for identifying manual, inefficient processes and redesigning them using automation, data visualization, dashboards, and modern enterprise platforms. Prior to joining Apple, she served as Senior Director of Program Management at Bigleaf Networks, where she led engineering program and project management teams supporting strategic go-to-market and operational initiatives. During the company’s organizational transition, she successfully navigated complex change management challenges while continuing to deliver high-impact business outcomes.
Today at Apple, she leads engineering program and project management teams, manages operational finances, and focuses on removing organizational roadblocks to improve delivery speed, efficiency, and customer experience across strategic initiatives. Throughout her career, Nazia has consistently demonstrated executive-level leadership, strategic governance expertise, and a strong commitment to continuous improvement. She specializes in building and scaling PMO organizations, managing multimillion-dollar enterprise initiatives, and collaborating closely with cross-functional and executive stakeholders to align business strategy with operational execution. A strong believer in mentorship, innovation, and people-centered leadership, she is passionate about creating environments where teams can thrive while delivering measurable business impact. Her work is driven by a mission to combine technology, business insight, and human collaboration to enable sustainable transformation and long-term organizational success.
• Data Landscape of GenAI for Project Managers
• Certified ScrumMaster
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Wichita State University - BBA
• Plymouth State University - MBA
• MIT - Advanced Executive Education (AI, ML)
• Koch Industries Spot Bonus Award for Performance Excellence
• Project Management Institution
• Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
• Girls Who Code
• American Red Cross
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resilience, curiosity, and relationship-driven leadership. Technology evolves quickly, especially in areas like AI, and I have always leaned into learning and adapting to stay ahead of change.
I’ve also found that building strong partnerships is essential. The most successful programs are never delivered by one team alone — they require alignment across engineering, product, operations, and leadership. I focus heavily on creating clarity, building trust, and ensuring teams stay connected to the larger business vision.
Equally important is balancing strategic thinking with execution. I believe great leaders don’t just define roadmaps; they stay engaged with teams to ensure meaningful and measurable outcomes.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The most impactful advice I received was: “Focus on outcomes, not just deliverables.”
That perspective reshaped how I approached program management and leadership. It taught me to always connect projects to business value, customer experience, and long-term organizational growth.
Another piece of advice that stayed with me is to build influence through trust rather than authority. In global technology organizations, leadership is often about collaboration and influence, not hierarchy.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First, believe you belong in every room you enter. Your perspective, creativity, and voice are valuable — especially in emerging fields like AI, where diverse thinking drives stronger innovation.
Second, develop both technical understanding and business acumen. The most impactful technology leaders can translate complex technical concepts into meaningful business outcomes.
Third, actively seek mentors and sponsors who challenge and support you. Many of my career growth opportunities came from leaders who encouraged me to step into unfamiliar spaces and trusted me to succeed.
Most importantly, stay curious and never stop learning. Technology will continue evolving, and adaptability will always be your greatest advantage.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I believe the biggest challenge in our field is the gap between vision and readiness. As leaders, we may be future-focused and clearly see what’s possible, but transformation often stalls when organizations and individuals are not yet prepared for change. Resistance rarely comes from the technology itself—it comes from fear, uncertainty, and deeply ingrained ways of working.
This is especially true with artificial intelligence. AI transformation does not succeed or fail because of systems or tools; it succeeds or fails because of people. The real challenge lies in shifting mindsets—helping teams understand how AI adds value, how it supports better decision-making, and how it enhances rather than replaces human contribution.
Trust is central to this shift. People need transparency, clarity, and confidence in how AI is being implemented and governed. Without trust, adoption is limited and impact is minimal. The opportunity for leaders is to bridge that gap—by educating, engaging, and guiding teams through change in a way that makes innovation feel accessible, purposeful, and human-centered.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, empathy, and impact guide everything I do.
Integrity helps me build trust and transparency with teams and stakeholders. Empathy shapes my leadership style by helping me support and empower people around me. And impact motivates me to focus on work that drives innovation, improves business outcomes, and ultimately makes a difference in people’s lives.
Outside of work, those same values guide how I approach family, mentorship, and community involvement. I strongly believe success is most meaningful when it creates opportunities and inspires others.