Hikmet graduated with a degree in Management from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. She received her Master of Business Studies in Management Information Systems from the University College of Dublin, Ireland.

Hikmet has been awarded by the US Department of State for her extraordinary contributions towards women-led businesses. She has also received an Honorary membership from the Accounting Society of Ethiopia. Ms. Hikmet has served as Vice Chairon Board of Directors for Global Insurance S.C. and is widely known for her work with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). She is also the founder of the Women Entrepreneurs Group (WEG) that later became the current African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) Ethiopia Charter.