Syma Sayyah is a management consultant living in Tehran. She was a business executive until she retired from full time work a few years ago in order to devote more time to things that she enjoyed more, including working for several NGO's and travelling. Soon afterwards she started writing for Payvand.com (2002). She describes herself as a commentator who sees the fuller half of the glass of life in Iran.

In 2006, she married Paul, who she had known since University in England in 1971. Paul had googled her on the internet after nearly three decades apart and they met up again in Oxford six years ago.

Syma has three degrees including an MBA from the University of Edinburgh.