Shaheen Salahuddin is a well-known TV anchor, journalist, and short story writer. She has over 25 years of experience in the media industry and was formerly the head of Indus News Network. Ms Salahuddin has represented Pakistan on numerous occasions internationally. She is also a fellow of East West Centre (USA), and a founding member of the Think Tank, Karachi

Selma is a British Palestinian writer of fiction. Born in Scotland, she has lived in England, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, France, Egypt, and the West Bank. Her novel, ‘Out of It,’ (Bloomsbury, 2011) set between Gaza, London and the Gulf won the Premio Opera Spoleto 2019. Her radio play ‘The Brick,’ set in Jerusalem was produced by BBC Radio 4

Salman Tarek Kureshi is an English language poet, writer, and columnist. His poems have appeared in anthologies such as Pieces of Eight; Legacy of the Indus; The Blue Wind; Dragonfly in the Sun; An Anthology; Journal of Postcolonial Writing; and a solo volume Landscapes of the Mind. Some of his poems and short stories have been published in the annual ‘Pakistan Journal of Literature’. As a columnist,

Dr Salman Sarwat is a promising poet in the younger generation of Urdu poets, who attracted attention with his own style in Urdu free verse poetry through the uniqueness of subjects and treatment. His poetry reflects urban sensitivities, dilemmas of contemporary episteme, and existential crises. Writing critiques, literary essays, and short stories, the first collection of his poetry ‘Living with Metaphors’

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan is a former Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan. He is the Founder of Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG). He is the Founder & CEO of Nutshell Group (Nutshell Communications, Nutshell Consulting & Nutshell Conferences. He has hosted more than 500 national and international conferences, seminars, training workshops, webinars, and group

Kishwar Naheed is one of Pakistan’s most renowned feminist poets. Her first collection of poems, ‘Lab-i-Goya’ (1968), earned her the prestigious Adamjee Prize for Literature. She is the founder of Hawwa (Eve), an organization dedicated to empowering women economically. Kishwar Naheed has also held the position of Director General of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). In recognition of

Khalid Mahmood is a 35-year veteran of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry and has been CEO of Getz Pharma (Pvt.) Limited (the largest pharmaceutical company in Pakistan), since its inception in 1995. Khalid currently serves on the board of the Zindagi Trust and the board of the Eqbal Ahmed Center for Public Education. He served as the President of the

Dr Ishrat Husain is a distinguished scholar and former Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms, with a wealth of experience. He has served as Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and held key positions at the World Bank for over two decades. Dr Husain is a prolific author, with numerous publications to his name, and has been

Hoori Noorani runs the Karachi publishing house Maktaba-e-Danyal, which she inherited from her late father Malik Noorani on his death. Following her early education in Karachi, her love for literature and linguistics led her towards a master’s degree in philology, with a major in Russian and World literature, from the People’s Friendship University in Moscow. Upon her return to Karachi

Arshad Saeed Husain is the Managing Director of Oxford University Press, Pakistan. He has over 29 years of broad-based commercial experience working for leading multinational companies in the Pharmaceuticals, FMCG and Life Sciences sectors. Prior to joining OUP, Arshad served as the CEO of Aman Health Care Services, and as the Managing Director of Abbott Laboratories Pakistan Ltd. He was