Dr. Edella Schlager

Director and Professor, School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Dr. Edella Schlager research focuses on comparative institutional analyses of water laws, policies, property rights, and compacts in the western US. She is particularly interested in the design and performance of polycentric systems of water governance and how well such systems of water governance adapt to changing environmental, legal, and social circumstances. Journals she has published in include Land Economics, Policy Studies Journal, Publius, and the American Journal of Political Science. She is a co-author of two books on western water governance, Common Waters, Diverging Streams: Linking Institutions and Water Management in Arizona, California, and Colorado (with William Blomquist and Tanya Heikkila); and Embracing Watershed Politics (with William Blomquist). She is also the lead editor of Navigating Climate Change Policy: The Opportunities of Federalism (with Kirsten Engel and Sally Rider).

Dr. Saba N Siddiki

Associate Professor and Director of the M.P.A. Program, Public Administration and International Affairs Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, NY, USA.

Dr. Saba research focuses on policy design, collaborative policymaking, institutional theory and analysis, and regulatory implementation and compliance. She has studied these topics in the contexts of food and environmental policy. Her research has been published in leading public affairs journals, including the Policy Studies Journal, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, Public Administration, among others. She is also the author or editor of multiple books, including"Understanding and Analyzing Public Policy Design" (Cambridge University Press) and"Institutional Grammar: Foundations and Applications for Institutional Analysis"(Palgrave Macmillan).

Prof. Saleemul Huq (OBE)

Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Professor at the Independent University Bangladesh (IUB)

Prof. Saleemul Huq is the Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Professor at the Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) as well as Associate of the International Institute on Environment and Development (IIED) in the United Kingdom as well as the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and also Senior Adviser on Locally Led Adaptation with Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) headquartered in the Netherlands. He is an expert in adaptation to climate change in the most vulnerable developing countries and has been a lead author of the third, fourth and fifth assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and he also advises the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He has published hundreds of scientific as well as popular articles and was recognized as one of the top twenty global influencers on climate change policy in 2019 and top scientist from Bangladesh on climate change science.

Dr. Meghna Sabharwal

Professor and a Department Head at The University of Texas at Dallas in the Public and Nonprofit Management program

Dr. Meghna Sabharwal is a Full professor and a Department Head at The University of Texas at Dallas in the Public and Nonprofit Management program. Her research expertise lies in public human resource management, specifically workforce diversity and inclusion, job performance, job satisfaction, and high-skilled migration. She has published over 50 peer reviewed journal articles in public administration journals, and is the winner of three best paper awards. She also has two book publications: Public Personnel Administration (6th Ed.) and Public Administration in South Asia: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and has a forthcoming book titled: A Public Administrator’s Guide to Human Resources Information Systems. She has presented in over 150 national and international conferences and invited talks.

Dr. Daanish Mustafa

Professor in Critical Geography at King's College London

Dr. Daanish Mustafa obtained his BA in Geography from Middlebury College, USA, his MA from University of Hawai'i Manoa, and his PhD in Geography from University of Colorado. He has taught at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and then at the University of South Florida, St Petersburg, before finding his intellectual home in the Department of Geography. While at King's, he has received the School of Social Science and Public Policy excellence in teaching award. His research has been funded by the Belmont Forum, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Department for International Development (DfID), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), National Geographic Society, Royal Geographical Society, and the British Academy. Daanish was the co-author of the first climate change response strategies for Pakistan, in addition to being the lead author for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Pakistan five-year flood response strategy. In addition, he has also undertaken policy-related work with the DfID, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Stimson Centre, and United States Institute for Peace (USIP). Daanish's research interests have been in water resources geography, environmental hazards, development and critical geographies of violence and terror.

Dr. Sikandar Hayat

Distinguished Professor of History and Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, FCC University, Lahore

Dr. Sikandar Hayat is Distinguished Professor of History and Public Policy and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University). He was Directing Staff (Research) at the National Management College (formerly Pakistan Administrative Staff College). In 1973-2006, he was faculty at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, and, after serving for more than three decades, first at the Department of Pakistan Studies (founding faculty, till 1983) and later at the Department of History, he retired as Meritorious Professor and Chair of the Department of History. Dr. Hayat’s primary research interests are Pakistan/Pakistan Movement (Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah Studies); British Indian History; and Modern South Asia. Currently, Dr. Hayat is working on a biographical volume on Jinnah for Routledge Historical Biographies series (UK).

Dr. Saeed Shafqat

Founding Director & Professor, Centre for Public Policy and Governance, FCC University, Lahore

Professor Dr. Saeed Shafqat is an eminent social scientist of international repute. He joined FCCU in 2007 as a Professor and founding Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG). Besides designing and developing the postgraduate academic programs in Public Policy, he launched the publication of Research and News Quarterly. In 2018 he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services as a distinguished Social Scientist in the field of education, research and teaching. He has been Chief Instructor Civil Services Academy of Pakistan, Lahore (1988 – 2001). He is a founder member and former Chairman of the Department of Pakistan Studies established in 1973 at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. His research articles on culture, politics, security, relations with the United States and various aspects of public policy and governance, demographic change and civil service reform in Pakistan have been published in journals of international repute. Dr. Shafqat’s books include: Political System of Pakistan and Public Policy (1989) Civil – Military Relations in Pakistan (1997), Contemporary Issues in Pakistan Studies (2000, 3rd edition) and New Perspectives on Pakistan: Visions for the Future (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2007). His current research is on China’s Rise and its impact across Greater South Asia and the Gulf.

Dr Sajid Rashid

Principal, College of Earth, Environment Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore

Experienced Professor with a demonstrated history of working in the Education management industry. Skilled in ArcGIS, Administration, Environmental Awareness, Management, and Data Collection. He is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences from University of Windsor.

Prof. Dr. Yaamina Salman

Director Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab

Prof. Dr. Yaamina Salman has a PhD in Management from University of Edinburgh Business School. Her PhD research was carried out under the supervision of renowned public management academics, Prof. Stephen Osborne and Dr. Tony Kinder on public management reforms in developing countries with an emphasis on health sector reforms in Punjab. Prior to that, she has done her MPA from IAS and has been associated with IAS as a faculty member since 2000. She teaches courses on Governance, Public Management, International Development, Organizational Design, Organizational Behavior and Qualitative Research Design, Methods & Analysis. Currently, she is also contributing to the Common Training Program (CTP) for civil service probationers at Civil Services Academy. She has presented her research at IRSPM’s (International Research Society for Public Management) Annual Conferences. Her research interests include design and delivery of public sector reform, political economy of reform, international development, citizen engagement and coproduction. She has worked as Conference Coordinators for IAS International and National Conferences. She is also Regional Editor (Developing Countries) for Public Management Review.

Prof. Rahat-ul-Ain

Prof. Rahat-ul-Ain (Founding Director and Professor of Practice, School of Governance and Society, UMT)

Prof Rahat-ul-Ain is a founding director and Professor of Practice at the School of Governance and Society, University of Management and Technology, Lahore. He has over 30 years’ experience in Public Service and over 15 years in Education and Training. He also served as a Consul General of Pakistan, Turkey, Controller of Imports & Exports, Trade Attaché Pakistan Embassy Sri Lanka. While at the TDAP, he authored the Draft Trade Policy for Pakistan. Before joining the University of Management and Technology, Rahat ul Ain was responsible, as Dean, National Management College, for the conduct of National Management Course (NMC), for Grade-20 civil servants and Senior Management Course (SMC), for Grade-19 civil servants of Pakistan. He assisted the Rector, National School of Public Policy (NSPP), in planning and executing strategic level initiatives and in dealing with administrative issues.

Dr. Hassan Abbas

Hisaar Foundation

Hassan Abbas holds a PhD in hydrology and water resources from Michigan State University, in the US, and has worked in the water sector across three continents. In Pakistan, he was appointed as the first UNESCO chair for Integrated Water Resources Management. Currently he is engaged in master planning for water supply and stormwater drainage systems for major cities in Pakistan.

Dr Yusuf Zafar

Director, Board of Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX)

Dr Yusuf Zafar, ICAC Researcher of the Year in 2012, served as Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) from 2016-2019. He has over 40 years’ experience in Life Sciences/ Biotechnology. He joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in 1979 and obtained his PhD in 1986. He has conducted three post-doctoral research studies in the USA and one in Italy. He was a founding team member of the National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, and National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGAB), NARC, Islamabad. He established cotton Biotechnology in NIBGE and developed several GM crops. Dr Yusuf has held high-profile positions including Director General of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC); Minister Technical in Pakistan’s Mission in Vienna, Austria; and Project Management Officer (PMO), Technical Cooperation Department-Asia-Pacific, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria. His services were recognized by the Government of Pakistan, which awarded him with a medal of distinction in 2004. Earlier, PAEC named him Best Scientist in 2000. Dr. Yusuf Zafar is USDA Cochran Fellow and presently Director on Board of Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX).

Mr. Rafay Alam

Environmental lawyer | Founding Partner, Saleem, Alam & Co. | Yale World Fellow |

Ahmad Rafay Alam is an environmental lawyer and partner at Saleem, Alam & Co. a law firm and consultancy specializing in the energy, natural resources, water and urban infrastructure sectors. Mr. Alam has experience in corporate governance of public sector companies, serving as Chairman of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (2010-2013) and the Lahore Waste Management Company (August 2016 to date). He regularly lectures on environmental law, climate and regulatory policy and governance at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Punjab University, Lahore School of Economics and the National School of Public Policy. He has served as a Member of the Punjab Environmental Protection Council (2013-2016). Mr. Alam has participated in several Track-II initiatives on transboundary water in South Asia, has conducted extensive research on ground and transboundary water and climate law and policy at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, with the Jinnah Institute, Chatham House (UK) and with LEAD Pakistan. Mr. Alam is a Yale World Fellow (2014).

Mr. Kamran Naeem, UNICEF

WASH Specialist | UNICEF Pakistan

National WASH Specialist designs, advises implementation and advocates for equity focused WASH programmes with the policy makers to improve access of children, women and vulnerable and people to WASH related basic social services in Pakistan. UNICEF being the largest player in WASH sector in Pakistan has a lot to contribute in services provision, advocacy and building capacity of the government, including formulation of new policies.

Simi kamal

Founder and Chairperson of Hisaar Foundation

She is the Founder and Chairperson of Hisaar Foundation (a Foundation for Water, Food and Livelihood Security), and the convener of the Think Tank on the Rational Use of Water. Ms Kamal is on the Board of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) based in Sri Lanka, and served for nine years on the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) based in Sweden, the world’s largest global stakeholder organization in water sector. Currently she is part of a team that is establishing the Panjwani-Hisaar Water Institute (PHWI) at the NED University in Karachi, Pakistan – an institute designed to be at the cutting edge and for the 21st Century in interdisciplinary water debates, research, teaching and training. She is a member of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. Between 2016 and April 2020 she was the Head of Grants and Programs at Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), where water interventions across Pakistan’s rural areas were an integral part of poverty alleviation.

Dr. Faisal Sultan

CEO & Consultant Physician Medicine and Infectious Diseases

Dr. Faisal Sultan was appointed as a Consultant Physician in Infectious Disease at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in 1995 and served as the Medical Director of the Hospital in 2000 to 2002 and as the Chief Executive Officer from 2003 until August 2020. After onset of the coronavirus pandemic, he was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on COVID-19 in Pakistan and later as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services in Pakistan in August 2020. He has been a trainer and examiner in Infectious Diseases for College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan as well as member of technical advisory committees for the National AIDS Control Program, Pakistan Medical Research Council, Pakistan Science Foundation, University of Health Science of Pakistan and the School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, the Punjab Healthcare Commission and on Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Advisory Committee [HVAC], WHO and has authored multiple scientific publications. He was part of the Core Group for setting, Pakistan’s National Accreditation Standards for Hospitals, Ministry of Health.

Dr Rizwan Naseer (Sitara-e-Imtiaz)

Founder Director General, Punjab Emergency Services Founder, Safe Communities Pakistan

Dr. Rizwan Naseer, initiated the emergency services reforms in Pakistan and is the Founder of Rescue 1122 - Emergency Management System, which is a model for the SAARC countries. He also established and is serving as the Director General/ CEO of the first modern Emergency Ambulance Rescue, Fire services, Disaster Response Teams and Community Safety Program functional in all 36 Districts of Punjab province with a population of over 110 million. He also established the Emergency Services Academy to ensure sustainable human resource development of long neglected emergency services in Pakistan. Dr. Naseer has a number of publications on his credit including research papers on “First Responders in Pakistan”, “Principles of First Aid” and “Disaster Management” as well as a National Report for UNDP and Interior Ministry of Pakistan on Emergency Response Services in Pakistan. His areas of expertise are Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness. He is also the author of the books on Principles of First Aid; Disaster Management and the National Report for UNDP; the Interior Ministry of Pakistan on Emergency Relief Services in Pakistan.

Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib

Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is the founder and Executive Director of Akhuwat, the world’s largest Islamic microfinance organization. The organization has now successfully disbursed (As of March 2022) Rs.164.84 billion in interest-free loans, helping over 5.2 million families across Pakistan. Dr. Saqib is a development practitioner, social entrepreneur, author, and former civil servant. His alma matter includes the King Edward Medical University, in Lahore, and The American University in Washington D.C. On account of his remarkable achievements in the cause of restoring human dignity to Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities, including women, persons with disabilities, and the transgender population. Through enhancing financial inclusion, education, access to healthcare, and the provision of food and clothes to these underprivileged communities. He has authored eight books, and is an acclaimed speaker who has had the honor of speaking on the topics of poverty alleviation and social entrepreneurship at world-renowned institutions such as the United Nations, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge.

Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SI, FRCP, Ph.D, D.Sc

Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar is a member of the Senate (upper house of Parliament) of Pakistan. From November 2018-May 22, she served as Special Assistant of the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Federal Minister, where she held the Cabinet portfolio of Poverty Alleviation; in that role she founded and was responsible for implementing Ehsaas, the largest social protection program in the country’s history, which reached out to 15 million households and was widely acclaimed internationally. She was also the Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Program during that time. Dr. Nishtar is former Chair of several multilateral initiatives: WHO’s High-Level Commission on Non-communicable diseases; WEF’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Healthcare; U.S National Academy of Sciences Global Study on the Quality of Healthcare in LMICs; UN International Institute for Global Health’s Advisory Committee; UN Secretary General’s Independent Accountability Panel for Women’s and Children’s health and WHO’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. In 2017, she was Pakistan’s nominee for Director-General of the World Health Organisation and was in the final shortlist of three. She is founder of the NGO Heartfile and has received many international awards for her work and is widely published. In 2020 she was listed amongst BBC’s 100 most influential women globally.

Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra

Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra is Professor of History, with over 50 years of teaching and research experience in various institutions in Pakistan; member of History faculty at FCCU since August 2009; served as visiting faculty member at Lahore University of Management Sciences, National College of Arts, National School of Public Policy, National Institute of Management, Government of Pakistan. Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women, Member Justice Commission of Pakistan, Member Punjab Public Service Commission and Principal, Lahore College for Women, Lahore. Invited as a speaker on national and international forums including UN and Brooking Institute.

Dr. Shabana Naveed

Dr. Shabana Naveed is an Associate Professor, Head of Executive MBA program and Head of Thematic Group (HR, Management and OD) at UCP Business School, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Central Punjab. She is also serving as Patron of UCP Disaster Management Society. She has earned PhD (Management); MPhil (Management); and MBA (Finance) from University of the Punjab. She is an HEC recognized PhD supervisor and an active researcher in the field of public management, HR and organization theory. Her research interests include public sector reforms, inter-organizational networks, and human resource management. She has worked extensively on governance and management of state-owned enterprise, and presented her research at national and international conferences. For her PhD’s study, she researched on the institutional complexity that public organizations encounter in network configurations. Her recent publications appeared in International Journal of Public Sector Management on complexity of network governance.