Nasima joined the Institutional Planning Office at the University of the Western Cape, following her retirement as Chief Executive of the Cape Higher Education Consortium.

In a career spanning over 40 years she has held teaching, research and management positions in various South African universities and has played a leadership role in higher education policy development and implementation in post-apartheid South Africa. She held the position of Deputy Director General for Higher Education in the national Department of Education for 10 years and has served as an Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology. She is a member of the Council of the University of the Witwatersrand and serves on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations.