My Story: Sabrina Alam

By Sabrina Alam

If someone had told me when I was growing up in East London that I would one day work with organisations such as NASA, the European Space Agency and companies across the international space sector, I would not have believed them.

My career has never followed a straight line. I studied Theoretical Physics because I was fascinated by understanding how the world works, but what truly motivated me was applying science and technology to solve real-world challenges. That curiosity led me into the space sector, where I have spent more than a decade working across sustainability, innovation, defence, strategy and technology transfer.

Throughout my career, I have often found myself in rooms where there were very few women, very few people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and certainly very few young women. Rather than seeing that as a barrier, I chose to see it as a responsibility. Representation matters because people need to be able to see themselves in leadership positions and understand that those opportunities are available to them too.

One of the most significant moments in my journey was becoming a mother while continuing to build my career. It challenged many of the assumptions I had held about leadership, success and resilience. It taught me that leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about adaptability, empathy and the ability to bring people together around a shared vision.

Today, I serve as Space Lead in the Technology Transfer Office at SnT, University of Luxembourg, and am the Founder and CEO of Matter Space & Defence. My work focuses on connecting innovation, sustainability and emerging technologies with practical applications that create long-term value for society. Whether supporting research commercialisation, building partnerships, advising organisations or developing new initiatives, I am motivated by the same principle: translating ideas into impact.

I am passionate about increasing diversity within leadership and governance because better decisions are made when different perspectives are represented around the table. Boards have a critical role to play in shaping the future of organisations, and I believe they should reflect the diversity of the communities, customers and stakeholders they serve.

Being nominated for TechWomen4Boards is both an honour and an opportunity. It represents the chance to contribute my experience across industry, government, academia and entrepreneurship while continuing to champion innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth.

If there is one lesson I have learned throughout my journey, it is that leadership is not about fitting a predefined mould. It is about bringing your authentic self, embracing different perspectives and having the courage to create opportunities for others as you progress.