Shafik is originally from South Africa and obtained his Masters degree majoring in Computer Sciences from WITS, South Africa University. He has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years in a development and business analysis role and worked in all the major industries. He arrived in the USA with his family in 2000 and resides in Blue Bell, PA. He has a wife and two sons, 23 and 33 years old. He is an ardent bridge tutor and player and has won several local and regional tournaments. He has worked on Mainframe technology for most of his career.