akistan-f784db0f52948b256e8544291405296e.jpg">
KARACHI: Acumen, the global social impact venture fund that invests in companies, people and ideas to change the way the world tackles poverty, has appointed Mahreen Khan as associate director for the Business Development, Communications, and Talent Development for Pakistan.
Mahreen was selected for the role on the strength of her international experience as an opinion-maker, as well as her strong background in public policy and communications. Her role will encompass a wide ambit, ranging from strategic communications and operational oversight to identifying and managing talent, fundraising, and expansion.
Additionally, she will be responsible for relationship building with all national and international mavens and relevant social and public sector influencers and stakeholders. “We are very excited that Mahreen will be joining our team; she shares our values and vision and is an excellent addition to Acumen,” said Naeem Zamindar, country director for the Acumen Pakistan, while commenting on the appointment.
He said that her profile brings leadership capacity for our stepping up to unleash the force of entrepreneurship as the driving force for enabling prosperity and dignity for all. “I have always admired the innovation and impact Acumen has had on people’s lives and hope I can help contribute to the organisation’s continued success and leadership in changing the world,” said Mahreen Khan, who is a barrister-at-law from the prestigious Cambridge University and holds a Master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
She has previously worked as media adviser to the prime minister of Pakistan, dealing with international media and briefings for policymakers. Mahreen has also acted as the head of the Business Registration Unit for the United Nations in Kosovo, while the province was under UN administration. She is well-known as the former anchor of BBC World’s current affairs series “Question Time Pakistan” and “HARDtalk Pakistan”.
More recently, Mahreen has been designing and conducting bespoke media training programmes for the public sector in Pakistan, particularly police officers dealing with crisis communications and effective messaging. Acumen has invested $14m in 16 companies in Pakistan that have empowered four million lives at the bottom of the pyramid. Acumen plans to unleash the force of entrepreneurship in Pakistan to ensure prosperity and dignity for all.