Adrianus Melkert

Chairman

A former cabinet minister of Social Affairs and Employment in his native country, The Netherlands, Adrianus (Ad) Melkert rose to international prominence as Executive Director at the Board of the World Bank Group; UN-Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme; and as UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq. These international positions followed sixteen years in Dutch politics as a Member of Parliament and cabinet minister before becoming the Labour Party (PvdA) leader and a candidate for Prime Minister in the 2002 elections.

In recent years Ad Melkert has been operating worldwide as a senior independent adviser and facilitator working with governments, major international corporations, and civil society organisations on various topics, emphasizing the global 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. He served as Extraordinary Councillor at the Council of State of The Netherlands and is President of the Dutch Association of Hospitals. In addition, he holds various private sector Board and Supervisory Board positions.

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Al - Nashir Jamal

Vice Chairman

Sir Al-Nashir Jamal is currently the President & Managing Partner of Alliances International Inc., providing advisory services in geopolitical issues, corporate diplomacy, and government relations. He is a strong advocate of building Public-Private-Community Partnerships.
After several years as President & CEO of parastatal regional economic development agencies in Manitoba, Yukon, BC and the Northwest Territories in Canada, Al-Nashir was appointed as the CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan. The AKDN collaborates with governments and other partners, and uses multi-inputs, to improve the quality of life in targeted areas in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Over a 30 year career working with Governments, Business and NGOs, Al-Nashir has been involved in unique initiatives – including the first combined land claim and self-government settlement, leading to the first ever community owned hydro-power project, and the creation of the new diamond mining industry in northern Canada.  He has negotiated strategic joint ventures for local socio-economic enterprises, and facilitated resource benefits agreements with multiple stakeholders.
Al-Nashir has engaged with commercial banks, bilateral donors, DFIs, and multilateral agencies, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. The interactions have included complex cross-border trade, investment, and infrastructure projects in Canada, and Internationally.
He has a long history of serving on a number of Public Company, Private Corporation, and I-NGO Boards in various parts of the world.
An avid internationalist, over the years Al-Nashir has been active with the United Nations Association of Canada, the World Federation of UNAs, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, The Royal Commonwealth Association in Canada, International House at the University of British Columbia, and the Global Trade Professionals Alliance.
In recognition of his life experiences and career achievements, and in particular his work in using “Diplomacy for Development”, Al-Nashir was Knighted by the King of Spain, with the award of Knight Commander of the Order of Civil Merit.

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Kathleen Montgomery

Board Member

Dr. Kathleen Montgomery is the Acting Director and Director of Graduate Studies at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. The Patterson School is an 18 month professional Masters program offering students concentrations in diplomacy, security/intelligence, development and international commerce. An economist my training, her primary research and teaching fields are in international trade and development. An economist by training, Dr. Montgomery spent more than a decade leading USAID-funded trade projects as Chief of Party before coming to the Patterson School. These assignments include the East Africa Trade Hub in Nairobi, the Trade Facilitation Project in the West Bank, and the Southern Africa Trade Hub in Botswana. She also worked in other capacities in development and commerce-related projects in Islamabad, Amman, and Kabul. Currently, Dr. Montgomery is the lead investigator on the BBA/MBA Partnership with the University of Nangarhar in Jalalabad, Afghanistan as part of the USAID funded University Support and Workforce Development Program (USWDP) project implemented by FHI360. Montgomery received her B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.S. (Agricultural Economics) and Ph.D. (Economics) from the Pennsylvania State University.

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Katrin Fakiri

Board Member

Katrin Fakiri is a highly experienced professional with diverse expertise across three continents. Her career began in the HR sector of the Silicon Valley tech industry, where she gained valuable insights into the workings of the tech world. She then ventured into international development in Afghanistan, where she contributed to the development of the country’s development finance sector.

Ms. Fakiri’s over 20 years of expertise in development finance has enabled her to provide valuable insights to financial institutions and women’s economic empowerment projects, particularly in women’s MSMEs and access to finance. Ms. Fakiri is also the Founder of a grassroots microfinance institution in Afghanistan, a boutique consultancy focused on the financial sector and women’s issues and has held various executive management roles. In addition, she serves on the board of Harakat as a non-executive board director. Her areas of expertise include development finance, women’s issues, corporate governance, professional writing and editing, and research.

Ms. Fakiri is the Founder of Elucidate Writing, a professional copy-editing agency based in Dubai. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from San Jose State University, California, and a master’s in business administration from Barcelona Executive Business School.

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Sharam Gulzad

Board Member

Sharam Gulzad an established business executive, entrepreneur, economist, SMEs expert, and philanthropist based on his home country, Afghanistan.
Having grown up in a business family of multiple generations with a rich corporate history that spans 100+ years, he knew from an early age that he would continue his family tradition and lead the company with his extraordinary talent, open-mindedness, and desire to inspire others through his work. Through his current CEO position in Gulzad Group, a group of companies specializing in the agricultural trading, construction and industrial services sector, Gulzad has managed to move a historic company with inherited traditions towards a more diversified portfolio, following a modern, innovative, and up-to-date approach.

Prior acquiring the position of Gulzad Group’s CEO, Sharam Gulzad had pursued a degree in Economics in Germany and worked on a series of positions that allowed him to acquire knowledge on the business dynamics of start-ups and SME’s, within an international business context. During his early times in Germany, Gulzad had managed to overcome various business challenges and join an import & exports company with Gulzad Group, while being in charge of European operations.

In addition to his corporate presence and activity, Gulzad has also been an active board member in several Afghan charitable organisations and was the founder of “Afghanistan Youth TV”, a 2017 formed television channel project, aimed at empowering the youth of Afghanistan and inspiring them to thrive within a challenging national environment. This project and many others were initiated by Gulzad Foundation, which was created by Gulzad Group as means for the company to fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibilities and serve the Afghan community in numerous ways.

Sharam Gulzad envisions a bright future where people can grow and thrive without national restrictions and discriminations and plans to do so via the fulfilment of several charitable causes.

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Mohammad Mansoor Majid

Board Member

Mohammed Mansoor Majid is one of the most successful businessman in Afghanistan. He is a visionary entrepreneur and has spent approx. sixteen years working his way up the ladder of success in the amazing and exciting journey. It is but natural that his stories are set against the backdrop of the stories of rebuilding Afghanistan. He established, invested and launched many different and highly successful business in Afghanistan which includes Majid Mall – the best shopping mall in Kabul and preferred destination in entertainment and retail business with many firsts in Afghanistan.

He is the founder and promoter of Rugby sports in Afghanistan. He is the only businessman who has been funding and promoting Rugby development projects in Afghanistan. He is the founder of the Afghanistan Rugby Foundation (ARF) and has been its President since 2011 and with his efforts Afghanistan Rugby Federation has got the associate membership of the Asia Rugby and he has also assisted the Federation to participate in many regional and international competition successfully.

He is also the Owner of many International brands in Afghanistan like- Clarks, Checking, Turkish Hyper Market, Turkish Restaurant and Orange Electronics to name a few. He is an active and known business personalities in the elite Afghan business community in Dubai, UAE and has helped organize many cultural and business events for Afghan Community in Dubai.

Mohammed Mansoor is an enthusiastic, outgoing, energetic and an idea developer, creative and self-motivated person with strong communication and interpersonal skills and business development experience in Afghanistan. United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Europe. Most significantly, He has also been awarded a European Professional Doctorate (Ph. D) in Business Leadership and International Relations by Aldersgate College, Dublin, Ireland.

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Noor Alam Hakimyar

Board Member

Noor Alam Hakimyar is a highly accomplished development professional with nearly two decades of experience in driving positive change. He has
He joined Harakat – Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility Organisation in February 2020 first as a CEO and then as a board member, bringing with him a wealth of experience in working with the government, businesses, civil society, and the donor community of Afghanistan. During his tenure as a CEO, Harakat significantly expanded its activities and played a crucial role in strengthening the country’s economic and social development, even in the face of challenging circumstances. His strategic vision and unwavering dedication have been instrumental in achieving remarkable results.

Before joining Harakat, he worked for eight years as a Private Sector Development Adviser and Deputy Team Leader at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), where he played a vital role in driving sustainable economic growth. Prior to that, he held the position of Private Sector Development Director in the Alternative Development Programme (ADP) and Incentive Driven Economic Development-North East and West (IDEANEW), which were funded by USAID.

As Chairman of the Board for HAS and the Linda Norgrove Foundation, he shapes strategic direction for positive change. He’s also on the Board of Supervisors for The New Kabul Bank and committed to community development.
Mr. Hakimyar holds an MBA from the prestigious Warwick Business School in the UK.

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