Shakir, an Iraqi-American, is a senior executive, with three decades of business experience. He is President/CEO of Veritas and has deep knowledge of Iraqi culture and society. He was born into a merchant family in Baghdad, and attended schools with many of the governmental leaders in the Middle East. He moved to the United States in 1976 to attend Lawrence Technological University, and subsequently became a U. S. citizen.

Over the last 40 years, Shakir has been engaged in an extensive number of business activities, including the development of commercial properties, ownership of retail enterprises and international commercial trade throughout the Middle East and Iraq.  His business leadership was nationally recognized by the Wall Street Journal when in 2003 he was selected as one of the Businessmen of the Year.  He served as Chairman of the Iraqi Expatriate Conference from 1992 to 2002.

As a result of his unique multi-cultural education and business enterprises, Shakir continues to maintain close relationships with business and political leaders in both the United States and the Middle-East. Shakir has been able to play a role in the development and implementation of U.S. policy with respect to Iraq for over twenty years.  During that time period, Shakir has been a consultant for the U. S. Government, and he has received letters from the Government commending him for his contributions.