[2] At 17 Shahnaz moved to the United States where she attended Smith College, graduating in 1989 with a double degree in government and economics.

[4] After graduating from Smith College, Shahnaz worked in investment banking in New York and microfinance in Bangladesh before shifting industries with a move to media and publishing.

[9] The company sold in 2004 at which point Shahnaz began lecturing on social entrepreneurship and innovation at the National University of Singapore.

Since its beginnings, IIX has expanded to include various investment platforms, financial structures, and research and accelerator programs and has positively impacted over 159 million lives in over 57 countries.

[16] In 2017 Shahnaz received The Oslo Business for Peace Award for her work in transforming financial and capital markets into mechanisms for social good as well as profit.