A summary of my qualifications and experience follows:
• Hold Masters Degrees in the disciplines of Engineering and Business Administration along with a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from The Netherlands.
• Have been serving Pakistan’s National Trade Promotion Organization, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for over eighteen years (from 2001 to 2008; and now from 2015 to present) in Senior Management positions as Executive Director/ Director General/ Trade and Investment Advisor. Have taken up lead positions at the TDAP handling Skills Development, Export Development Fund (EDF), International Marketing, Export Facilitation, Trade and Investment Policy Formulation & Implementation, and Export Supply Management (ESM). Have been working closely with the Ministry of Commerce, other relevant Ministries/ Government Departments, trade and investment bodies/ associations/ chambers of trade & industry, export companies/ SMEs, and other Trade and Investment Promotion and Trade and Investment Facilitation Organizations in Pakistan and abroad.
• Working as National SPS Consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since May 2018 for ADB’s SPS Strengthening Project for the CAREC Region.
• Hands-on experience of development and implementation of trade and investment policies, strategies and work plans to promote exports/trade and investments, export facilitation, development of export-enabling environment/ export infrastructure, and business linkages; supporting skills development, market research and market penetration.
• Worked as Governance Adviser on a major USAID funded projects in Iraq. Worked on two World Bank funded projects in Iraq in lead positions. As Export Promotion and Institutional Strengthening Advisor/ Team Lead on one of these projects assisted the Iraqi Ministry of Trade and Investment in establishing an Export Promotion Fund (EPF) organization to assist SMEs in developing export markets for promotion of non-oil exports from Iraq.
• Served in Iraq as in-country representative to USAID and World Bank, for CHF International and Abacus Consulting, respectively, heading planning and technical implementation, managing high-level communications & correspondence, performing M&E and reporting functions, disseminating information, maintaining records, exercising technical supervision and oversight of staff, providing leadership, and maintaining cordial relationships with relevant government department/ agencies and other stakeholders.
• Working for Asian Development Bank (ADB) as National SPS Consultant for Pakistan on the CAREC project “Modernizing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures to Facilitate Trade (TA-9500)” (May 2018 – To-date). Have developed the National SPS Strategy and SPS Priority Action Plan for Pakistan working closely with the SPS National Working Group (NWG) for Pakistan with members from the Ministry of National Food Security, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Health, FBR, Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Animal Quarantine Department (AQD), Department of Plant Protection (DPP), and PSQCA.
• Completed a short-term assignment as International Consultant for Ministry of Economy (MOE) and Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (IPPA), of the Kyrgyz Republic on behalf of UNDP and GIZ for implementation of the Registered Exporter System (REX) in Kyrgyzstan for EU GSP (July to October, 2019). This involved development of system documents, procedures, training materials and holding of seminars/ workshops/ and training sessions for exporters as well as officers and staff of the MOE & IPPA on the REX system, Rules of Origin, Origin Certification, and field monitoring and verification system in Kyrgyzstan to ensure compliance of EU’s GSP regulations.
• Extensive experience of developing annual work plans, and periodic action plans consultatively with the project team, prioritizing and detailing project activities, planning deliverables, formulating and executing budgets in accordance with the USAID annual planning cycle to assure timely disbursement of funds.
• For over 8 years worked closely with Pakistan’s leading export oriented trade and investment bodies providing assistance to all leading export sectors of Pakistan including textiles, leather, sports goods, gems and jewelry, carpets, fruits and vegetables, pharmaceuticals, furniture, surgical instruments, cutlery, fisheries, marble and granite, engineering goods, etc.
• Possess good networking experience involving senior levels in the government and trade and investment/ industry. Experience of working closely with large exporting companies and major trade and investment bodies (chambers of commerce and industry and trade associations representing key export sectors, e.g textiles, garments, leather, agri-products, pharmaceuticals, etc).
• Strong professional experience in Project Design/ Formulation, Appraisal, Financing, Implementation, and Monitoring & Evaluation. Managed several proje