Born on June 26, 1983, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Yalda Hakim’s early life was marked by upheaval. At just six months old, her family fled the Soviet Afghan War, embarking on a perilous 12-day journey on horseback to Pakistan. Her father was an architect avoiding conscription when he made the decision to leave. After two years in Pakistan, they resettled in Australia in 1986, when Yalda was three years old.

They settled in the Western Sydney suburb of Parramatta, where Hakim spent her formative years. She pursued higher education in Australia, studying arts and journalism across multiple institutions, before embarking on a career in television journalism.

Hakim began her journalism career as a cadet at SBS’s World News Australia, eventually becoming a presenter for the programme Dateline. She filmed her first story for Dateline in 2008, called “Yalda’s Kabul,” when she returned to Afghanistan.

In 2012, she joined BBC World News as a presenter and correspondent, delivering hard-hitting journalism on global issues. She anchored the flagship programme Impact with Yalda Hakim until 2023. On July 27, 2023, Yalda Hakim announced her departure from the BBC and joined Sky News as their lead world news presenter. On January 22, 2024, she began hosting The World with Yalda Hakim on Sky News.

Beyond broadcasting, Hakim is the founder of the Yalda Hakim Foundation, which partners with the American University of Afghanistan to support the advancement of exceptional, often disadvantaged, young women in Afghanistan. She and her husband are based in London with their son.