I am a senior strategic communication expert, policy advisor and academic researcher, with over 16 years of experience in leadership and technical positions. Focusing primarily on public health and strategic communication for health, I have served in senior advisory and consultancy roles with the WHO/EMRO, UNDP and the Federal Ministry of Interior, as well as with Johns Hopkins University's Center for Communication Programs (CCP), MC Saatchi World Services UK, and Tetra Tech. I am the founder and director of the strategic communication firm All-Story and the think tank Pakistan Observatory. I have also led advocacy, communication and knowledge management for the British Council and the University of Cambridge in Pakistan, and have worked as a technical advisor to Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA). Certified in leadership in strategic communication for health from the world-leading Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, I am a doctoral researcher in Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. I am a Medlicott Prize-winning graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in international history. My undergraduate education is both in government and history at the LSE (course-share with the University of Cambridge), and theoretical physics at Imperial College London. I also studied international journalism at the LSE's POLIS, with editorial and production experience at the BBC and London College of Communication (University of the Arts London). I was UROP Researcher for the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHoSTM), Imperial College London.
I am technical editor for the Tetra Tech implemented, USAID funded Sustainable Energy for Pakistan (SEP). My specific responsibilities include providing editorial guidance on the key project outputs such as policy documents e.g. PC-1 and national strategies.
Developed WHO’s first ever youth strategy, specifically WHO/EMRO’s Regional Youth Engagement Strategy in fulfilment of WHO/EMRO’s Vision 2023 and WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019-2023 (GPW 13). I also produced the framing document to the strategy, the Youth and Health Profile for the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Leading the development of social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) programming for the USAID funded Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity (PATTA), specifically to increase agricultural technology uptake among farmers in Pakistan, and thereby improve economic and social conditions of agrarian communities in the country.
Lead 'All-Story', a strategic communication firm that focuses on data-driven digital storytelling. It specifically develops strategies, ranging from behaviour change communication to branding and content; creates online and offline communications such as websites and microsites, annual reports, infographics, film and motion, and printed collateral; and generates digital experiences through interactive installations, immersive environments, data visualisation and mapping.
Provide technical leadership for the development and delivery of key projects for CCPP and technical backstopping to program wide activities. I was most recently the Principal Investigator for Pakistan’s first-ever National Road Safety Survey for the Federal Ministry of Communications that led to the development of Pakistan’s first-ever National Road Safety Strategy 2018- 2030. The survey and subsequent strategy were both developed in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Department for International Development (DFID) and sought to meet the 2030 targets of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s best practice road safety principles.
Led UNDP technical assistance to Pakistan’s Federa land Provincial Governments to devise and implement integrated communication strategies to decrease the vulnerability of youth by increasing tolerance, reducing inequalities and increasing youth engagement in public life. I developed Pakistan’s first-ever National Communication Strategy for Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) for the Federal Ministry of Interior on behalf of UNDP.
Working directly with the Federal Minister of Interior, led policy development and strategic communication for the ministry, focusing on developing and delivering nation-building and counter-extremism policy frameworks, social and behaviour change communication strategies and campaigns, as well as developing messaging structures for the Government of Pakistan. My key policy contribution was proposing the Pakistan’s first ever National Strategic Communication Unit, which was approved by the national cabinet as part of the National Internal Security Policy (NISP) 2018-2023.
Led end-to-end development and delivery of targeted closeout communication for CCP’s USAID funded Health Communication Component, including an end-of-project documentary and a call-for-action interactive digital letter.
As team leader for the entire media and communication component of my programme, I specifically lead the media campaign, faith and community actors, and media advocacy activity-sets, developing and implementing evidence-based interventions on social and behaviour change communication to improve maternal and child health outcomes in 10 vulnerable districts of Sindh.
Developed key communication materials for the project’s closure, including success stories, photography, event materials, and a lessons learnt document.
Led end-to-end development and implementation of branding and design of a DFID and DFAT funded regional conference, including designing key publications, event spaces including 'impact walls', thematic illustrations, and footprint and analytical infographics.
Provided technical advice on development of the proposal and strategy for the flagship communication campaign for USAID Pakistan, specifically identifying priority areas for the campaign and ensuring the development of creatives through brainstorming processes and feedback.
Led management of grantee communications, production of copy, design and strategy for external and internal audiences, management of key events, creative commissions, and information initiatives, including the development of a national knowledge portal on maternal and newborn
health.
Led all programme and project communications, including production of copy, design and strategy for external and internal audiences, management of key events and creative commissions, and overseeing relations and content initiatives with national and international media.
Managed full-service media consultancy to public sector and political clientele, including directing in-house production services and producing copy, research and strategy.