Farida Abjani is the co-founder and CEO of Shining Nightingale, INC, a home health agency that has license to work all over the state of Texas. Its mission is to provide the best possible experience for its patients and raise the bar for excellence in health services.

Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Farida moved to Chicago, Illinois when she was 19 years old. Her greatest passion is taking care of the emotional needs of the elderly and their caregivers. Farida has a diploma in nursing from Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKUSON) and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University. During her career, Farida has worked in ICU, cardiac ICU, PACU (post-anesthesia care unit), and orthopedic PACU.

As a nurse, working with people from all walks of life, Farida was eager and willing to help change lives. She recognized the need to work with clients at the grassroots level. These are the people, she understood, who need help from all available resources. She also understood she must focus on preventive care.

When Farida made the decision to relocate to Houston in January 2012, it was because the city was home to some of the best health care facilities in the United States. When she began her own company, she decided to name it after Florence Nightingale who is her greatest inspiration. One of her agencies, Shining Nightingale Home Care, deals with geriatric clients and provides them with care and comfort in their own homes.

Farida is intimately involved with a number of charities, from those that specialize in childhood education in developing countries to those that assist in advancing young women in Texas. Currently, she is on the advisory board for the Department of Aging and Disability and the governing boards of the Houston Symphony, UNICEF – Southwest Region, Houston Symphony League, The Alliance, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and KnowAutism. Farida has been a board member of Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Developments in Literacy USA (DIL), Ek Disha, Texas Executive Women, Fort Bend Women’s Center, and Houston Symphony League. She has also been an ambassador for KnowAutism and a conversationalist for the University of Houston’s Table Talk.

Due to Farida’s strong sense of community and her affinity for helping so many, she has been the recipient of a number of honors. They include: being named a Top 20 Impact Maker for 2019 by CKW LUXE magazine, a Women of Distinction by ABC 13 and CCFA, 2019; a 50 Most Influential Women in Houston by Houston Woman Magazine, 2017; a 30 Most Influential Women of Houston, 2016; an IT Girl, 2016; and a Women Who Run Houston, 2016, by the Houston Chronicle. The latter recognizes women for their successful career as well as for their philanthropic efforts. She was also honored with the Friends of Charities Award by the Indian American Charity Foundation in 2016 and with the Community Service Award by IMAGH (Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston) in 2018.

In further service to Houston, Farida has chaired and cochaired fundraising galas for numerous invaluable charitable organizations, including: KnowAutism, Pratham, Daya, The Alliance, Ek Disha, DIL, and the World Chamber of Commerce. She has also chaired the Society for the Performing Arts Gala auction and the Houston Symphony Ball auction. Currently, Farida is the membership chair for the Houston Symphony League and is cochairing the American Cancer Society Gala in October 2019.

Inspired by the moral teachings of her father, who taught her always to give 25 percent of her pocket money to a worthy charity, Farida gives selflessly of her time, abilities, and resources to the community she has come to love.

CKW LUXE would like to congratulate Farida Abjani for being a CKW LUXE Top 20 CEOs and Entrepreneurs Awards recipient for 2019.