Dilawar Syed, special representative for commercial and business affairs at the State Department since February 2022, was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-42 vote Thursday to serve as deputy administrator at the Small Business Administration.
SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman described her incoming deputy an “accomplished entrepreneurial leader” who could help the agency accelerate the expansion of capital access and assistance programs for smaller companies.
President Joe Biden nominated Syed to the position in March 2021, when the nominee was still serving as CEO of health care technology company Lumiata.
Politico reports his nomination stalled in the prior Congress and moved forward earlier this year through a Senate Small Business Committee vote.
Syed will become the U.S. government’s highest-ranking Muslim official once he takes office. His public sector career includes time as founding chair of an entrepreneurship task force in the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and chairman of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders’ economic growth committee.
The Pakistani-born entrepreneur also led internet media company Yonja as CEO and customer engagement software provider Freshworks as president.