Before becoming Executive Director, Sharif served as Mayor of Penang in Malaysia and was President of the Malaysian Association of Local Authorities (MALA).
A town planner by profession, Sharif was Co-President of United Cities and Local Government for Asia Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC).
She was also elected to represent South East Asia in the Global Executive Committee of ICLEI (Local Government for Sustainability).
Since joining the United Nations in 2018, Sharif has re-positioned UN-Habitat as a thought leader in sustainable urbanisation. She is the Co-Chair of the Secretary-General’s Task Force on the Future of Cities and Co-Chair of the Local 2030 Coalition.
