Shireen obtained her MBA from Imperial College Business School in 1998. After a two year stint at Ernest & Young (Advisory and Business Consulting), Shireen joined Mars Inc. in 2000 starting a career in operations and procurement. At Mars Shireen looked after the scheduling and procurement of a variety of direct and indirect goods and services.

About eight years later, Shireen decided to start her own business and she set up a firm that provided procurement consulting services, training and software. However, due to a variety of reasons, her business did not thrive. In 2010, she was offered temporary employment at Citibank, shortly thereafter she served as Head of Procurement for the Middle East and North Africa region.

After a corporate career of almost 18 years, and on the back of family circumstances that made her decision possible, Shireen decided to take a turn in her career. In 2015 she along with her family established Atassi Foundation for Arts and Culture - a family non-profit initiative that preserves and promotes Syrian art and culture.  She serves as the Director of the Foundation overlooking strategic planning and every day operations.

Shireen has lived in Dubai for over 18 years with her husband and two teenage kids.