Deemah AlYahya

Deemah AlYahya, Saudi tech diplomat and founder of Women Spark - SaudiArabia’s first women’s angel investment network which has trained over 26,000 women in tech and entrepreneurship.

Al-Yahya is also the founding Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), the world’s first intergovernmental body focused on building inclusive, sustainable digital economies.

Born in Riyadh, Al-Yahya earned a BA in Computer Science and Information Systems from King Saud University. She began her career as a software engineer at Samba Financial Group, before joining the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul.

In 2010, she joined Microsoft and was later promoted to Executive Director of Developer Experience & Digital Innovation, becoming the first Saudi woman to hold a leadership role at the company.

In 2016, she led Saudi’s digital transformation strategy as founding CEO of the National Digital Transformation Unit and launched Saudi Codes, a literacy initiative that reached over 1.2 million people across 190 cities.

Al-Yahya serves on several boards, including the The Saudi National Bank - SNB, SAIP - Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, and the Saudi Company for AI. In 2018, she was named “Digital CEO of the Year” by Entrepreneur Middle East.

From writing code to shaping international cooperation, Al-Yahya is driving real change - championing women, expanding access, and building a more inclusive digital economy.