Shama Hyder Named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators List of the World's Most Influential Digital Voices
SHAMA HYDER Named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators List of the World's Most Influential Digital Voices
Founder Who Built and Sold Zen Media, Now Co-Founder and CEO of Roster & Co., Recognized in TIME’s Leaders Category
MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- TIME named Shama Hyder to the second-annual 2026 TIME100 Creators, a list recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices. Hyder was recognized in the Leaders category.
A business strategist and AI authority, Hyder is known for helping leaders separate signals from noise, close the gap between technological change and organizational response, and turn AI into growth.
Hyder wrote her master's thesis on Twitter when the platform had fewer than 2,000 users, then founded Zen Media in 2008, at age 22, as one of the earliest remote-first companies in the United States.
Over 17 years, she grew the firm from $1,500 into a globally recognized B2B marketing and PR agency serving Fortune 500 clients before selling it in 2025. Hyder built her audience alongside the company through two bestselling books and more than 500 keynotes across 26 countries, grounded in her ability to identify emerging shifts in technology and translate them into practical business strategy.
"I wrote my master's thesis on Twitter when it had fewer than 2,000 users. People asked me what a ‘Tweeter’ was. Twenty years later, the lesson is the same. Technology changes fast, and human behavior is the signal that tells you what matters," said Hyder.
Hyder is now co-founder and CEO of Roster & Co., the executive advisory helping leaders turn AI into growth, which she launched with Nick Tran, former Global Head of Marketing for TikTok. Roster helps companies close the Change-Response Gap between how quickly technology changes and how quickly organizations act.
Hyder is also the creator of the Six Signals framework, a methodology designed to help leaders see change earlier, interpret what matters, and act with strategic urgency. She publishes the Hyder Index, a monthly measure of the Change-Response Gap across 15 industries.
"I built my audience the long way, alongside a company I ran for 17 years. This recognition reflects a broader shift in what audiences value: perspective, experience, and the ability to translate change into action," Hyder added.
Hyder also serves as Applied AI Evangelist for Wispr Flow and is a Professor of Practice at Link School of Business, where her course, Communication in the Age of AI, begins this fall. Her next two books, Miami Masala from Regalo Press and Six Signals from Simon & Schuster, are forthcoming.
The full list appears in the July 27, 2026 issue of TIME, available on newsstands Friday, July 17, and online at ti.me/100creators. Hyder's profile is available at time.com/collection/time100-creators/2026/shama-hyder.
About Shama Hyder
Shama Hyder is a business strategist, AI authority, keynote speaker, and bestselling author who helps leaders separate signals from noise and turn technological change into growth. She was named a 2026 TIME100 Creator for her work at the intersection of emerging technology and human behavior.
Hyder founded Zen Media at 22 as one of the earliest remote-first companies in the United States, grew it into a globally recognized B2B marketing and PR agency serving Fortune 500 clients, and sold it 17 years later. Today, she is co-founder and CEO of Roster & Co., the executive advisory she launched with Nick Tran, TikTok's former Global Head of Marketing, helping leaders turn AI into growth. Roster's Rewired programs teach AI fluency to executives and teams.
Hyder is also the creator of the Six Signals framework and the Hyder Index, Applied AI Evangelist for Wispr Flow, and a Professor of Practice at Link School of Business. She has delivered more than 500 keynotes across 26 countries.
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