Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan is a pioneer of the Rural Support Program movement in Pakistan: a community driven initiative. His career in rural development dates back to 1959, when he worked in close collaboration with Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan. Mr. Khan pursued academic studies at Universities of Lucknow, Cambridge, Oxford, and Birmingham studying English Literature, Public Administration, and Law. Given a rich academic background, Mr. Khan is known for steering rural support programs in Pakistan and India that have over 800,000 Community Organizations and Self-Help Groups. In recognition of his work Mr. Khan was awarded the United Nations Environment Program Global 500 Award in 1989;Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 1990; the Magsaysay Award by the President of Phillipinesin 1992; the World Conservation Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1994; the Rotary International Man of the Year 2005, and Gold Medal in 2006; Sitara-e-Eisaar for earthquake work, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz of Pakistan Day 2006 by the President of Pakistan.

Dr. Tariq Sidiqqui is a retired Secretary to the Government of Pakistan. He graduated, with honors, from Punjab University, and pursued his post-graduate studies and dissertation from Syracuse University, United States. He was appointed as a visiting professor at the Queens University, Canada, followed by appointment as Principle Pakistan Staff Administrative College in Pakistan. He has also served as the Secretary of the Planning Commission, Pakistan. His areas of expertise encompass governance and public administration, economic development, trade, and commerce.

Dr. Humayun Khan is the Chairman of NRSP-Institute of Rural Management. He was educated at the prestigious Bishop Cotton School in Simla, India, and later at Edwardes College Peshawar and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He holds an honors degree, and a MA from Cambridge University. He was called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn, London in 1954. Later, he earned another MA and a Doctorate from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He joined the then Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) in 1955 and was Home Secretary, NWFP in the NAP-JUI Government in 1972-73, after which he moved to the Pakistan Foreign Service. He served in the country's missions in Moscow and the UNO at Geneva, before he was appointed Ambassador to Bangladesh in 1979. In 1984 he became Ambassador to India. He returned as Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1988, and held the post till 1989. He retired from government service in 1992 but was immediately selected as Head of the Commonwealth Foundation. He has since served on the National Finance Commission, and on the Board of the National Rural Support Program. He also works with the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy, and on a number of committees dealing with relations between the countries of South Asia. He has written extensively on Indo-Pak relations and is co-author of Diplomatic Divide, published in India.

Arif Hasan is a Pakistani architect and planner, activist, teacher and social researcher. He studied architecture at the Oxford Polytechnic and on his return to Karachi in 1968, established an independent practice which slowly evolved into dealing with urban planning and development issues.

He has been a consultant and advisor to many local CBOs, national and international NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donor agencies. Since 1981, he has been involved with the Orangi Pilot Project first as its Chief Consultant and later as the Chairman of its Research & Training Institute. He is also the Chairman of the Urban Resource Centre, Karachi, since its inception in 1989. Both projects have received considerable international acclaim. Arif Hasan has taught at Pakistani and European universities, served on juries of international architectural and development competitions including that of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, first as a member of its Steering Committee and subsequently as a member of its Jury. He is the author of a number of books on development and planning and has received a number of national and international awards for his work including the UN Year for the Shelterless Memorial Award of the Japanese government, the Prince Claus Award of Netherlands government and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz of the Government of Pakistan.

Currently, he is a visiting professor at the Department of Architecture and Planning at the NED University, Karachi; visiting fellow of the International Institute for Environment and Development, UK; a member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights, Bangkok; a member of the UN’s Advisory Group on Forced Evictions; and Chairperson of the Federal Government's Task Force on Urbanization.

Dr. PervezTahir is a renowned development economist, and a political scientist. He holds a post-graduate degree in economics from the Cambridge University. In addition, he successfully completed his dissertation in political economics from Cambridge University. Dr. Tahir has been serving the economic institutions of Pakistan in different capacities. He debuted his career as an economic advisor to the Ministry of Finance, and later transferred to the economic division of the Planning Commission, Pakistan. Following his retirement from the Planning Commission, Dr. Tahir was appointed as the Managing Director of National Energy Conservation Center (ENERCON), Islamabad. In addition to his valuable service to the economic institutions of Pakistan, Dr. Thair has made values contribution to the economic literature in the academic world.

Shandana Khan is presently heading the Rural Support Programs Network (RSPN) as Chief Executive Officer. She has over seventeen years of extensive grassroots and policy level experience in rural development, mainly in the Rural Support Programs. Her strengths are in project management, their design and social assessment. Her work at the RSPN has involved undertaking policy advocacy with donors as well as with the highest levels of government and associated institutions (e.g. the National Reconstruction Bureau and the Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment). She contributed strategic insights and inputs into the Pakistan Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, the Local Government Ordinance 2001, gender mainstreaming policies, and inclusion of social mobilization in government programs at all levels. She has been an advocate for meaningful, result-oriented partnerships between the poor communities and the government and private sector.

Shandana Khan is a strong team player and leader, managing a team of over 100 multidisciplinary professionals at RSPN. She has a social sciences background, with a Masters degree in the Social and Political Sciences from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge as well as a Masters in International Public Policy from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University.

An eminent development professional, Dr. Rashid Bajwa is leading the only countrywide development program (National Rural Support Program) in Pakistan. He holds an MPH degree from the UK and an MBBS from Pakistan. He has extensive experience in the fields of Management, Social Mobilization, Community Development, Microfinance and Development Policy. Dr. Bajwa is implementing one of the largest microfinance program in Pakistan: has helped in setting up Khushaali Bank, Pakistan while also providing guidance to other non-profits as Chairman of Pakistan Microfinance Network, Director of Khushaal Pakistan Fund, Punjab Rural Support Program and Sindh Rural Support Organization.

Roomi S. Hayat is a renowned international trainer, known for his innovativeness in course design and organization. He obtained his MEng in 1989 from NJIT, USA. Mr. Hayat served as Human Resource Development Specialist with the Rural Support Program Network. He is also the Chairperson of the Human Resource Development Network. Mr. Hayat assisted the United Nations NWFP Small Industries Corporation and the Govt. of Netherlands on various projects. Mr. Hayat’s areas of expertise are formulation of management policies, programs for literacy and post literacy, team-building activities to train employees, institutional development, social mobilization, and situation analysis.

Mr. Masood ul Mulk is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sarhad Rural Support Program (SRSP). He has been a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at LBJ school of Public Affair at Austin Texas 1995-96. He was selected as CEO of the organization at a time of a severe crisis in its life, and erosion of its public credibility. His tenure saw the growth of the organization on unprecedented scale; the development of sound financial systems and policies; putting in place of effective monitoring evaluation systems in the organization; geographical expansion; a widening of donor’s support base and making SRSP the home for major networks in NWFP on Education Energy and Gender.

Mr. Khangharani was born to a poor family in the Thar Desert, Sindh. After acquiring basic education from the village, he sough admission at the Sindh Agriculture University. After completing his education, Mr. Khangharani was appointed as a professor at the University. Following his employment with the Sindh Agriculture University, Mr. Khangharani worked with National Rural Support Program, and Tharparkar Rural Development Project. At present he is the Chief Executive officer of Thardeep Rural Development Program.

As a rural development professional he has a long understanding of working in rural and under privileged areas of Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan, and Sindh including "THAR desert". He also has experience of studying the cultural values of different clans and communities of rural Pakistan. He has been involved as a member and Honorary Director on different forums such as Pakistan Micro-finance Network, Rural Support Programme Network, Member on the provisional steering committee on decentralization and devolution plan, and member on national committee on micro-finance set by State Bank of Pakistan. Besides, he has also received a number of professional training in the recognised universities and training institutes nationally and internationally including the Summer School of Save the Children Kathmandu.

IzharHunzai currently serves as the General Manager of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme 
(AKRSP). After the start of his professional career with the AKRSP in 1984, he went on in Pakistan to become the CEO of the Aga Khan Culture Services in 1996 and returned to the AKRSP in 2003 after working with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Colombo for five years. His academic qualifications include a degree in International Development from Cornell University and a master’s degree in International Relations from Karachi University.

June 2007 heralded the appointment of Mr. Nadir Gul as the CEO BRSP, who returned from Islamabad to his home town, after completion of his assignment in RHIYA Project UNFPA Pakistan, to nurture and bring into reality the dream of a “Balochistan; free of poverty”. His two years job in Islamabad served to heighten what he claims was his “natural tendency to gravitate towards bringing prosperity in the lives of much disadvantaged populace in Balochistan, the most backward Province of Pakistan.

Mr Gul holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Sociology from the University of Balochistan. In the past, MrGul has the technical advisor to RHIYA; Provincial Program Office UNFPA, and Program Coordinator IUCN. At present, Nadir Gul is primarily responsible for overall programmatic leadership, coordination and management of BRSP’s Head Office in Quetta, 12 regional offices and 39 field units, at the strategic, programmatic, political and financial levels. He also develops donor relations, while representing BRSP at various governmental, intergovernmental and civil society forum.

Dr. S. M. Naseem worked as Professor of Economics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad from 1968 to 1981 and as Director, Development Planning Division, UN-ESCAP from 1983-92. He has served in various research and teaching assignments in Turkey, Sudan, Japan, Switzerland, Thailand, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran and has been a consultant to a number of international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, UNCTAD, UNDP and the ILO.

Fayyaz Baqir is Director of Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Center (AHKRC) Pakistan. He received Top Contributors award from UNDP’s Global Poverty Reduction Network in 2007 and 2008,in addition to an Outstanding Performance Award by UNDP Country Office in 2004 for creating a vibrant small grants program in Pakistan.In his previous incarnations he served as a development professional with Aga Khan Rural Support Program, GEF Small Grants Program and numerous other development agencies. He has taught at universities in Pakistan and the United States, and joined UN missions to various countries within and outside Asia Pacific regions. He has numerous publications in the fields of social development and poverty.