Hailing myself from an exquisitely beautiful mountain area lying within our HKH region, I have a very deep connection to and love mountain ecosystems and people. I feel that ICIMOD is the right place for me to protect the pulse of the planet, which for me also means protecting my own home and homeland. Since my monitoring and evaluation expertise is aimed towards maximizing the effectiveness of sustainable mountain development policies, programmes and strategies of ICIMOD and our partners, I believe that my contributions help maintain a healthy pulse and build the pathway towards prosperity in the HKH.

I love ICIMOD’s use of science diplomacy to enhance regional cooperation. Since the HKH is a difficult region politically, we play a critical role in building trust among our regional member countries and science is a powerful mechanism through which that can be achieved. I also love our work in amplifying the voices of mountain people in regional and global forums.

I am very passionate about bringing changes in organisations, making them more responsive and results-oriented.

With more than 19 years professional experience, I have enjoyed a rewarding career in the field of strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation. I have a depth and breadth of expertise in designing and managing strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems in complex settings for research and development programmes. These complex settings have been regional, involving multiple governments and including research, development and implementation partners.

I am a development economist by education with specialized expertise in developing and implementing institutional and portfolio level policies and strategy and results frameworks. I hold a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan and completed a specialized course in monitoring and evaluation from the University of East Anglia, UK. Prior to joining ICIMOD, I worked with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, Pakistan, as a monitoring and evaluation officer.