Fellows

Ali Zain Ul Abidin has more than 5 years of diverse experience in human resources, talent management, and capacity development of youth in for-profit and non-profit sectors. Ali earned his Master’s in Management Sciences from Baluchistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), a leading public sector university, in Quetta, Pakistan. Ali has worked with BUITEMS, closely engaging with local, national, and international stakeholders for promoting employability. In this capacity, Ali has developed a talent pool of graduates from a diverse range of academic disciplines, assessed their profiles, and referred outstanding and qualified profiles to employers for jobs, training, and internships. Ali is also proficient in mentoring students for personal and professional career development. As Talent Coordinator Fellow at Partnership with Chldren, Ali assists the Chief Equity Officer and Talent and Equity Manager in managing talent acquisition goals, overseeing the PWC school intern program, and involves himself in overall performance management. He has also worked as HR Executive with a multinational logistics corporation (TCS Holdings), leading the Baluchistan Region, and Ali extended his expertise in talent acquisition and HR operations. Through these experiences, Ali has gained a firm grip on youth capacity building, peer education, HR operations, and management. He is avidly interested in broadening his perspectives on HR international practices, leadership, capacity development, talent acquisition, job training, and civic engagement.

Host Organization: Partnership with Children

Role at Host Organization: As the Talent Coordinator Fellow at Partnership with Children, Ali will assist the Chief Equity Officer and Talent and Equity Manager in managing talent acquisition goals, overseeing the PWC school intern program, and the overall performance management. The Fellow’s responsibilities include developing and implementing a strategic recruitment plan; facilitatig the hiring process for all program and administrative roles; and ccordinating and managing intakes for all new opportunities. The Fellow will also prepare and support managers to facilitate performance management process, including an annual review and goal setting; and support managers in addressing performance issues in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources.

Arsalan is a development professional with nine years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He holds a Master’s degree in Statistics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. His core functional and sector expertise include research, evaluations, program coordination and management, proposal writing / resource mobilization, microfinance, enterprise development, and post disaster recovery. He brings hands-on experience of managing donor funded projects for microfinance, enterprise development, livelihood, social mobilization, education, nutrition, and food security. He started his professional career in 2006 with National Rural Support Program (NRSP) when it launched the post earthquake operations in Azad Jammu & Kashmir. In a career spanning over 7 years, Arsalan, established the NRSP Microfinance portfolio and later introduced innovative micro loan products.

In 2009, he visited Thailand & Philippines for an ‘exposure cum learning visit’ to bring back learned lessons and new ideas for USAID/SBI funded Advancing Microfinance for Post-Disaster Economic Reconstruction (AMPER) project. In 2012, he was selected as one of the 15 fellows of the prestigious Emerging Leaders of Pakistan (ELP) program, launched by the South Asia Center of Atlantic Council, USA. The ELP program is aimed at creating an in-person and online networking forum for engagement and collaboration of civil society leaders from Pakistan. In 2013, Arsalan made a career move to development consulting and joined an international development consulting entity, where he lead the projects & partnerships development unit.

Host Organization: Disaster Accountability Project

Role at Host Organization: Arsalan will help DAP build relationships with civil society organizations (CSOs) and NGOs in the U.S. and globally, train representatives of CSOs and NGOs to complete SmartResponse surveys, manage aspects of SmartResponse program and development, and assist with outreach efforts to “disaster donors,” the media, student groups, and diaspora networks.

Aziz Ullah has four year of experience in learning and development, entrepreneurship, business development and public speaking; working with non-profit and for profit both in private and public sector. He earned an MBA from National University of Modern Languages Pakistan, and B.Sc Civil Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar Pakistan. He is a certified trainer from School of Leadership Pakistan and has earned multiple
national and international certifications. As an Acumen fellow Pakistan, he is working on creating sustainable solutions to enable the graduates from unprivileged areas receive training, improve their entrepreneurial and employability skills to be socially and economically stable and live a better life. Aziz has for four years of experience as a Co-Founder and CEO for the Center for Awareness Training and Development Pakistan, which is a training and management consultancy working with public and private sector to develop market needs based skills in individuals and employees, promote entrepreneurship and build capacity of startups and entrepreneurs, and fill the skill gap between job sector and academia. As a trainer, learning and development profession, he helps people and organizations reach their goals and perform with greater impact. Aziz Ullah facilitates learning programs nationally and internationally for corporate, nonprofits, academia and youth to enrich their leadership values, employee efficiency, team performance and creativity and entrepreneurship skills. He has designed and delivered
professional training modules & courses for 30 + local, national and international organizations during the past four years and has facilitated more than two hundreds learning programs, workshops and training conferences. Aziz has akeen interest is working with non-profit and for profit sector on promoting and developing entrepreneurial ecosystem, capacity building of graduates, startups, entrepreneurs and employees to help organization and individual be more effective, more efficient and more productive in creating greater impact with the work they do.

Host Organization: The Resolution Project

Role at Host Organization: Aziz will learn about and map Resolution’s 100 existing social entrepreneurship ecosystem partners (known as Pathway Partners) and plan a new activation framework for Pathway Partners through a public-facing online platform.

Talha has four years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and has expertise in using technology for social impact. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Lahore, Pakistan. While working with Chanan Development Association, he developed and implemented a digital strategy to optimize multiple projects in the sectors of sexual and reproductive health and rights, democracy and HIV/AIDS. He has also developed websites and mobile apps in the healthcare, medical, utilities and lifestyle sectors. He is passionate about solving world problems using technology and he has accomplished this by starting ibjects.com, a digital agency that leverages technology for social impact and innovation. He also co-founded and managed projects like Cafe Entrepreneurship, which engages young people to use technology in the development of solutions that can solve social issues of Pakistan.

Host Organization: Points of Light

Role at Host Organization: Talha will develop and manage a digital marketing and optimization strategy for the Points of Light Civic Accelerator (CivicX) program. He will further develop digital optimization skills and have the opportunity to implement strategy and create recommendations for senior program staff.

Huma specializes in regional trade, trade policy and public sector development. She holds a Bachelors’ degree in Mathematics from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) minoring in Economics and Philosophy. She has worked as an analyst at the Pakistan Business Council since 2012 contributing to several publications centered on Pakistan’s trade relations with emerging economies in the region, particularly China and India. Her work broadly aims to assess the development or lack thereof in Pakistan’s trade infrastructure in light of the changing political landscape, economic restrictiveness, bilateral and multilateral trade cooperation agreements and policy reforms. Her research identifies key focus areas at industry and government levels for Pakistan to create pathways for a sustainable growth in the mid and long term. She worked closely with the Pakistan Economic Forum to facilitate dialogue amongst policy makers, economic experts and academics on issues of trade, economic stability, energy and education. She is also a coordinator on the Pakistan side for the Pakistan India Joint Business Forum that consists of business leaders on both sides actively involved in the process of trade normalization between the two countries. She assisted the forum in making recommendations to the two governments on mutual opportunities and trade policy matters.

Host Organization: Heritage Foundation

Role at Host Organization: Huma will undertake an independent research project focused on economic freedom and development in the South and South East Asian region closely studying rule of law, governance, regulation and open markets. She will also contribute in developing the next edition of the Index for Economic Freedom published annually by the Heritage Foundation.

Lamia has five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from NUST Business School in Pakistan. Currently, Lamia works as a Grants Writer with IOM within their Pakistan Transition Initiative project in Pakistan under the USAID/OTI project to strengthen government-community relations and improve the socioeconomic status of communities in conflict-prone areas of Pakistan. She supervises grant closing, reviews final evaluation report and oversees donor and independent monitoring unit queries. Previously, Lamia worked with a capacity building organization on a mission to create change-makers who promote socio-economic transformation. Lamia has a preceding background in Microfinance. She worked with a prestigious roster of clients including ADB, UNIDO, UNDP, ILO, and the Government of Pakistan. She has had the opportunity to focus on multiple thematic areas, including community development, youth empowerment, livelihood and enterprise development, gender sensitization and mainstreaming, institutional development and good governance. Lamia was able to acquire project design, project implementation and management, curriculum design and training cycle management, monitoring and evaluation, documentation and report writing, and client coordination that enhanced her leadership skills.

Host Organization: World Vision International

 Role at Host Organization: Lamia will coordinate and expand a global, multi-agency network of facilitators and organisations using a unique internationally recognized conflict analysis tool called ‘Making Sense of Turbulent Contexts’ (MSTC). She will manage network communications and resources, while making a key contribution to strategic planning and resource development for future network growth.

Mahwish Javaid is a women entrepreneur, and an aspiring lawyer. She has six years of experience in nonprofit sector, and earned a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Reproductive Physiology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Mahwish studied effects of hormonal contraceptives and stress on reproductive health of women in Pakistan for her thesis. She joined UN Women in March 2014, as Project Officer; specifically, she worked on Gender Training and Capacity Building under the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) program funded by United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), in Sindh. Along with the International Labour Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, she helped to improve livelihoods of 2500 landless peasant women and 2000 informal women workers by enhancing access to social security services, food security, land tenancy agreements, and income generating opportunities. She supervised activities for disaster risk reduction, sanitation, and onsite trainings for gender mainstreaming, numeric literacy among women, and first aid in 120 villages. Her job profile encapsulated skills of project coordination, policy advocacy, women’s entrepreneurship, and capacity building to realize the goals of the program. Mahwish has been winner of national essay writing competition, and debate competitions and has also held leadership positions in the Scientific Academic Society, Quaidian Intellectual Forum, and Literary and Debating Society, respectively, in her university. She hopes not only to be a skilled social entrepreneur herself, but also to develop a successful model which can be replicated at macro-scale.

Host Organization: Concern Worldwide

Role at Host Organization: Mahwish will utilize her background in business, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship by supporting efforts of the Innovations team to sustain and expand programs with a specific focus on the Maker Hub for Maternal and Newborn Health in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mehr has nine years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Manchester in the UK, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan. While working as the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Punjab with GRM Futures Group under the Dfid-funded voice and accountability project for better health and nutrition, she helped improve the health and nutrition of poor and marginalized women and children in the southern Punjab province of Pakistan. Previously, Mehr worked as a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with Chemonics International, Inc., to make local value chains in Pakistan such as fresh mango, fruit and vegetable pulping, and dates more competitive in both international and local markets under the USAID-funded economic growth and agriculture program. She also has extensive experience working with stakeholders from the private and public sectors. Through these experiences, she has acquired strong monitoring and evaluation skills which are applicable across different thematic areas. Mehr enjoys focusing on the topics of empowerment and economic development.

Host Organization: Nexus Fund

Role at Host Organization: Mehr will utilize her experience conducting research and managing projects to build up the innovation lab and grants program and find ways to support civil society in countries at risk of mass atrocities. She will also support the fundraising director in their efforts and build Nexus Fund’s capacity to liaise with grantees.