Scholars

Hareem Fatima is from Islamabad Pakistan. She recently graduated from the University of London as a lawyer. She is very passionate about human rights and in particular about women’s rights, child rights, and minorities. As a law student, she has worked extensively in analyzing the current demographics of Pakistan that affects women. In her final year as a law student, she did her dissertation on Domestic Violence Against Women in Pakistan which focused on how a patriarchal society is an obstacle to women seeking refuge in the legal system against domestic violence. She has worked as an intern at Khan & Muezzin, researching statutes, judgments, and legal articles for various tasks assigned in relation to civil, corporate, and criminal matters. These tasks helped her enhance her research and drafting skills. Further, she worked for the International Labour Organization as an intern for the Asia Regional Child (ARC) Labour Program, she coordinated workshops & seminars, designed banners, gave presentations during workshops, and wrote press releases. During the course of her internship, she has attained great research & communication skills, and how to critically analyze problems at hand. Working on the ARC helped her attain first-hand experience to analyze the extent of danger the children in Pakistan are facing and how the government of Pakistan has failed to adopt policies to safeguard its future generations. She has also worked as a research supervisor at the Federal Tax Ombudsman, this opportunity helped her in strengthening her leadership and teamwork skills.

Ishtiaq Hussain has four years of experience in the non-profit sector, government, and private sector. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from Gomal University. He has diverse work experience as an Executive Director in sustainable development, ICT and innovation for development strategic partnerships. Ishtiaq’s skills relate to advocacy, strategic communications, capacity building, project management, and innovation for sustainable development. In 2018, Ishtiaq founded an information technology consultancy firm, the Social Entrepreneurial Consultants, which aims to increase civic engagement, encouraging young people, and creating and providing innovative solutions in the public domain. Previously, Ishtiaq worked as an IT & Communication officer at Aizan Development Foundation under the German embassy’s project Youth Development Programme. He also worked with the National Information Technology Board as well as with the National Telecommunication Corporation under the Prime Minister Internship Program. The Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation awarded Ishtiaq with the Youth SDGs Action Prize in 2021. He was a report writing finalists of the Earth Institute at Columbia University on ‘Education for Sustainable Development Report’ in 2018, and was the winner of the National SDGs Hackathon by the National Ignite Funds August in 2017. He represented Pakistan in many national and international platforms and is a member of the National Youth Parliament by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.

Monica Gill has almost four months of experience in the nonprofit sector, and she has earned a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. As a Reporting and Communication Officer for the Pakistan Partnership Initiative, she currently feels quite optimistic about pursuing a career in the right field after many years. Even though she has been instructing O’level English for the past seven years, advancements have affected her enthusiasm. It was the teaching profession that sowed the seeds of empathy and led her to work for a religious organization that helps to mitigate the poverty, discrimination, and climate-related crises faced by Pakistan’s marginalized communities. Coordinating with partner organizations that offer assistance and humanitarian aid to those in need is one of her responsibilities. The teaching profession has dynamically tailored and shaped her fluency while also enhancing her confidence and multilateral communication skills. Her current role has also given her the necessary jargon for the development sector, enabling her to coordinate and communicate the right information timely and efficiently. Her working knowledge and comprehension of Excel, Sphere, CHS, and comparable theoretical underpinnings for intervention or assistance in the nonprofit sector have also improved as a result of this experience. Her particular research interests, which are influenced by development anthropology, are in the evolution of Anthropos, leadership abilities, and youth and women’s empowerment. By tracing the process by which minority artists in Pakistan constructed their identities, her research thesis also aimed to give the voiceless a voice.

Muhammad Bilal is a seasoned professional with a passion for making a positive impact in the world. With seven successful years of practical experience in the nonprofit sector, he has a deep understanding of the inner workings of organizations that aim to make a difference. As a founder, Muhammad has a strong belief in the power of love and empathy to connect with people and make a real difference in their lives. In addition to his experience in the nonprofit sector, Muhammad also brings a wealth of professional experience to the table. He has spent the last 12 years working in multinational companies, gaining valuable insights into the inner workings of large organizations and honing his skills in areas such as project management and team leadership. With his combination of nonprofit and corporate experience, Muhammad is a valuable asset to any organization looking to make a positive impact in the world.

Muhammad Ibrahim has five years of experience in the fields of media reporting and social issue documentaries. While recently working with BBC World Service, Muhhammad reported on difficulties faced by people with disabilities in Pakistan, including government and relevant stakeholders’ perspectives on limits to creating one sign language in Pakistan and access to basic facilities for persons with disabilities. He also reported on Hindu Minority community religious places in Sialkot, where a 1,000 year-old temple has been opened after almost 72 years. The report was shared by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on his official social media pages. Muhammad started working for BBC Pakistan in 2019, and in this short time, he was awarded the Agahi Award Journalist of The Year 2019 in the “Global Dignity” category and “Agahi Award Journalist of The Year 2020” in the “Inclusiveness” category for his work at BBC Pakistan.

Nimrah Perveen is a software engineer. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Maths & Physics and is pursuing her Master’s degree in Mass Communication. She is the Founder and CEO of the startup KleanArth. She is working as a Web and blockchain developer in the business incubation center, PITB. She has maintained a full scholarship during her bachelor’s. Her project got selected for the Prime Minister Youth Innovation Award 2023 and its training Bootcamp at UET, Lahore. She has done her first International Leadership program at University College Cork, Ireland. She was also a team leader in the entrepreneurship program at Saarland University, Germany. She has completed an Introduction to Leadership course from Wedu, Bangkok. Nimrah is a part of Your Big Year Organization, Social Shifters Incubation Program, IOC Young Leaders Program of the International Olympic Committee. She is the Ambassador at NetMission Academy, Hong Kong, and the Kectil Program, and is a Young Leader at Atlas Corps and Aspire Leadership Institute 2023. Her project was selected as a startup under the NEP of NIC. She completed her Game Development course at Michigan State University, USA. She has attended many seminars organized by AWS, Google, Microsoft, ASEF, etc. She has participated in hackathons like Appathon by TIE University, Heckfest by Remote base, AI by LABLAB, etc. She also participated in a hackathon at the 23rd Summer University ASEF, Singapore. She is a Student Brand Ambassador at the State Bank of Pakistan. She has strong skills in graphic designing, digital marketing, SEO, freelancing, MOS, entrepreneurship, drawing, etc.

Saad Athar Sheikh has over a decade of experience serving as a policy advisor to various donor organizations such as the British Council, USAID, GIZ, and the government of Punjab, including Chief Minister Office, CM Special Monitoring Unit, Chief Minister Inspection Team, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade & Commissioner Lahore. Moreover, he spearheaded TEVTA’s organization restructuring (communication, innovation, digital transformation, and policy domains) as well as restructuring the Population Welfare Department Communication Domain. He was responsible for setting up an apprenticeship system, drafting a skill policy, and drafting the investment and trade promotion strategy for Punjab. Previously, he was instrumental in looking after environmental and social repercussions of major initiatives such as CPEC with the execution of over 40+ mega projects worth over PKR 900 billion for premier international clients such as ADB, DOLSAR, Japan Techno, CMEC, Zonergy, StormHarbor, Solution De Energy. Local clients include Lahore Waste Management Company, Urban Unit, Energy Department, Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, Lahore Development Authority, and Punjab Saaf Paani Company. He has been recognized as a National Hero by Pakistan Television Network on the 75th Independence Day. He currently heads Skillnopolis, a venture development firm, and serves governments in various capacities.

Ubaid Ullah is a results-driven business leader with over nine years of experience in building and scaling businesses from scratch. He is passionate and committed to leveraging technology and entrepreneurship for social development. He is an influential thought leader and nationally recognized speaker at events such as USAID, UNDP, KPIC, Eventify, and TEDx. His recent experience in one of the highest leadership positions in the public sector has given him an added understanding of how to engage different stakeholders from government and developmental partners efficiently and effectively. He has led the team Darewro and has made it one of the most successful businesses in the region. He spearheaded DIPL and secured five grants worth 41 million USD in the year 2020-21. Ubaid has a wider arena of working with leading corporate sector companies and prestigious institutions in Pakistan such as working with GlaxoSmithKline. Later on, he joined Darewro as marketing manager and has worked to give it nationwide recognition. In the meantime, he has worked with the Center for Excellence in Islamic Finance as a marketing manager and planned and executed many activities. Currently, he is serving the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an advisor in public-private partnerships.