Ghulam Ali Address: House 41, Mountain View, Lalitpur, Nepal,

Mobile: 977-9813046682 Emails: alinhunz@gmail.com

Profile Summary:

A competent professional with vast experience in leading and managing change. A change associated with people’s lives and livelihoods primarily affected due to poverty, disaster, emergencies and climate change. Got sixteen years’ of extensive experience and hands on knowledge in not only to plan, implement and evaluate effectiveness of different interventions but also to design strategy, steer the processes, lead the teams and to evolve consistent pattern of communication and coordination among all stakeholders – aimed at collective results and learnings.

Began career making markets work for poor women in far remote mountains  in the north of Pakistan with handicrafts linking with tourism value chain. At the same time led & evolved a grass root community institution as a model civil society organization with remarkable repute and exemplary  interventions in environment, culture, rehabilitation, Information and communication enterprise, and above all continuous engaging multi-stakeholders for awareness and education. Also, pursued a sustainable strategy with engagement community, private sector, markets and government  institutions. 

Planned and steered various national level food security and livelihoods programs with Save the Children during the flood disaster 2010. Designed and managed cash transfer programs successfully included; food vouchers, cash grants, enterprise grants. Privileged to spend huge amount of money with no complains during emergency 2010. At the same time had the advantage to plan and manage long term programs with Save the Children with the perspective of improvements in livelihoods of children families. Asset transfer, vocational skills, household trainings, financial literacy, and micro entrepreneurship used as vehicles. Implemented holistic & integrated (with multi inputs / services – health, education, economic development and child protection) program to ensure right of children and wellbeing of their families.

Have the honor to lead and thoroughly enjoy market development approaches/ programs, value chains, vocational skills and business incubation programs, enterprise development and entrepreneurship as my favorite areas. Private sector engagement, also you development as entrepreneurs as well as future leaders has been fascinating work which I thoroughly enjoyed. Creating resilience, frameworks, practices and policies in context of livelihoods approaches in context of climate change in mountain context has been cornerstone of recent work. Honor to attract private sector, knowledge and communities toward resilient communities. Drafted strategies and implemented various programs to blend the nature, people and biodiversity for greater harmony.

Qualified MBA from Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Pakistan with strong analytical, programmatic, financial, and team management skills with proven abilities in addressing development issues being competent at both strategic and operations. Extensive work experience with grass root, national and international level.

1. Core areas of expertise:

Core Areas Skills / Qualities Market Development, Entrepreneurship

& Value chain Development Extensive knowledge of theory and practice of value chain, market

development approaches and entrepreneurship. Practical experience of managing various value chains. Tools and education for entrepreneurship including business incubation.

Strategic Management / leadership Always good at seeing things strategically being a good leader – with honesty, ability to delegate, communication, sense of humor, Creativity, commitment, ability to inspire, and confidence,

Project management (included project design planning, implementation, monitoring and Evaluation,)

Good at program cycle with analytical skills, people management, well versed in LFA design, know budget management & Implementation tools, aware about the complete toolkit including

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the Monitoring, evaluation and learning. Private sector Brining ownership and investment from private sector to sustain

products and services within the less privileged communities by developing skills, innovating products, accessing markets, sharing risks, and increasing services

Being bridge between communities and private sectors to create sustained conditions

Livelihoods in emergencies, Cash Transfer Programming - food vouchers, cash transfer, cash for work, enterprise support),

Design, implementation and monitoring of overall cash transfer programing with tools and methodologies, strategies, SOPS, training and mentorship, monitoring of teams, data and work, reports, case studies and communication

Advocacy Lobbying with Govt. for effective policies and frameworks Technical Vocational Education,

Education for employment Identification of skills in demand, content and strategy development

Rights based programming, withdraw child labour related interventions and strategies

I have strong experience of right based as well as need based programing. Know and have experience of Integrated approach health, education, child protection and livelihoods

Institutional Development, Governance trainings, change management, systems development Rural Development and advocacy Advisory on Natural resource management. Developing advocacy

asks

2. Qualification, Trainings, and Workshops:

o MBA from Institute of Business Administration Karachi, 2000o Business Development Services training at Scotland Glasgow UK 2002 o Presentation “Dare to share fair” in Switzerland 2004 o Project Monitoring workshop and training arranged by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Islamabad 2003o Presentations skills for Managers 2001 held at Pakistan Institute of Management Karachi.o Organization capacity assessment by NGORC a project of Aga Khan Foundation 2003o Board Development workshop by NGORC 2004o Board Development and Institutional development by Rona Howarth 2001o GKP workshop on Resource Mobilization Sri Lanka, May 2006o Written resource mobilization case on KADO in Goa, India 2007 in ‘writeshop’ organized by IDRCo Team leader for a ICT4D presentation in GK3, Malaysia, 2007o Change management training by Invent 2008o Mountain Tourism Seminar China 2008o Advocacy Workshop ICIMOD, Nepal November 2008

3. Career & Experience

3.1 International Centre Integrated Mountain Development ICIMOD Oct 2015 to date (fulltime)

ICIMOD is a leading regional inter-governmental organization of SAARC countries to create lasting impact for wellbeing of mountains and its people

Food Security and Livelihoods Specialist/ Manager Economic Empowerment: Oct 2015 to date Responsible for designing, managing and implementing with partners various livelihoods interventions and project

aimed at improving livelihoods of the people. Add value in implementation and planning of value chains, enterprise and entrepreneurship interventions Creating ideas, frameworks, papers, content related to value chains, entrepreneurships, and integration of private sector To innovate and improve on and off farm livelihoods Create resilience for market as well as developing production and supplies chain in wake of climate change challenges Design customized strategies and interventions related to innovative livelihoods keeping in view the specific context Design, implement, monitor and evaluate the programs of enterprise development and entrepreneurship A technical person to guide and mentor partners and other stakeholders for programme designs and delivery

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Engagement of private sector and development of model synergistic interventions Plan and design with other stakeholder to bring people, nature and markets in harmony with each other

3.2 Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP)

AKRSP is a private, non-profit company, established by the Aga Khan Foundation in 1982 to improve the quality of life of the people of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral (GBC). The overall goal of the organization is to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people of northern Pakistan

Lead Market Development: August 2014 to Sep 2015

To lead the market development team and section Lead the process of planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting Coordination and liaison for the better flow of communication and processes To be among the team player to acquire new resources To get the results as per the years plans Be an active member of senior management team To come up with new ideas, approaches, resources and networks Mentoring of the teams Reporting and meeting donors and institutional requirements Meeting Stakeholder expectation

3.3 Save the Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world.

Food Security and Livelihoods Specialist/ Manager Economic Empowerment: Oct 2010 to July 2014 to date

Responsible for designing, managing and implementing multi million dollars cash transfer programming - funded by USAID, DEC, AUSAID to help affecttees of floods 2010 in Pakistan.

Managing food vouchers, cash grants, enterprise grants and cash for work from design to implementation and monitoring

Technical lead on effective project /Program management – design, implementation, monitoring, learning and evaluation for long terms development projects to reduce poverty and child labour

Conducting assessments, market survey and need analysis Design, implement, monitor and evaluate the programs of enterprise development Design, implement, monitor and evaluate vocational and employable skills for income and employment Promotion of entrepreneurship skills among working children families through enterprise incubation /support Women empowerment though value chains - Product innovation and design innovation and appropriate linkages and

education for sustained income and market activity Market access for parents of working children Work on market development, value chains for inclusive businesses – farm and off farm both Developing implementation strategies, ensuring implementation of Standard operating procedures and quality standards Tracking the interventions for results and effectiveness (financial, programmatic and impact level) Successfully developed multi input (services and advocacy) model for eradication of child labour in cotton farming

areas of Pakistan Advocacy for legislations and implementation of laws Gender Analysis and role of family members to reduce child labour and improving lives Leading, managing and motivating the teams to get the maximum results Managing, improving and maintaining the quality and impact of the program on the ground. Designing systems for effective implementation of cash transfer programming, economic empowerment, child protection

and other interventions Enhancing capacities and capabilities of implementing partners Well versed in both experiences self- implementation (by Save the children and implementing with local partners Strong team player, coordination and management Systems Development and strong support Management

3.4 Karakoram Area Development Organization KADO 2006 to July 2010 (Full time)

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Karkoram Area Development Organization KADO is one of the civil society organizations in Hunza, formed and fostered by the community and is known for its grass root innovative approach, development and enterprise. Chief Executive Officer:Introduced and nurtured local organization capable of taking lead interventions in areas of livelihoods, women empowerment, entrepreneurship, market access, information technology, Disaster, knowledge management and community development in the mountains of Karakoram, Himalay and Hindukush:

Program cycle management, leadership and stewardship for communities Board coordination and strategic planning, management and resource mobilization Evolved, promoted and branded a small grass root organization into a trusted and capable organization of choice to

work with and to learn from. Communication and better coordination with donors, communities, stakeholders Leadership Strategic planning Civil Society Program Management Women empowerment Donor and community communication Systems Development and Management Support function – HR, admin, Finance, policy designing and implementation Community Development Proposal writing Resource mobilization Donor reporting

3.5 ICT4D a Project of KADO Jan 2005 to August 2006

Information and communication Technology for Development project was pioneering step to introduce internet and computer technology for village planning, tourism promotion, distant learning and setting the culture in the region to use the technology for the mountain people in difficult terrains;

Project Manager

With the core responsibility for: project planning including design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Successfully implemented the project with the result: Wider use of Internet at households, offices, schools became increasingly prevalent and interesting – due to our

interventions as action research; Hundreds of the students learned how to use Internet, more than 4000 girls and household women learned how to use

the computer – as a part of women empowerment through skills, 10 to 20% of the girls’ availed local jobs and some of them embarked on online work with Sama Source

(www.samasource.com). Managed more than 40 centers means 40 teams (15 computers, training 90 girls in three months. Managed the research project successfully and made available wider information on the research finding and report

through IDRC website. Link: www.idrc.ca/en/ev-51829-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html, www.ideeaz.com/altithunza Developed community based IT infrastructure in even small villages

3.6 KHDP Handicraft Value Chain 2001 to 2004 (Full time)

Karakoram Handicraft Development Pgrogramme KHDP was a vocational project. This project was initiated with the support of Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation SDC with the strong willingness and urge of the local communities to revive art and crafts in order to preserve history, identify and heritage and at the same time making it as economic and social empowerment tool for the women and disable people. Result was surprising very successful:

Manager Product, Market and Brand;

o Business planning, skill development, product development, marketing, assessments and evaluations, analysis and strategy development

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o Worked comprehensively on the Value Chain for handicraftso Helped achieving exponential growth in sales from only Rs. 15,000 pa in 1996 to 6,000,000 pa in 2000 by bringing

skills, local resources and women together. Best time for the spurring growth in cottage industries and women participation in economic endeavors;

o Increased the breadth of the products from 3 to more than 100; o Developed marketing and sales channels for the products. In a phase of difficult time after 9/11 designed marketing

strategy to be remained the same level of sales and results; Development of brand a distinguished name, Thread Net Hunza, the only recognized name in the market;

o Successful managed and turned the donor-funded project into independent women owned businesses where women are not that much literates;

o Worked on Ecommerce selling traditional crafts online weblink: (www.idrc.ca/en/ev-9816-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html)

3.7 AKRSP Gilgit August to December 2000 (Fulltime) Since 1982, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Pakistan has been working in a poor and rugged region located among four of the highest mountain ranges of the world, including the Karakorum, Himalayas, Hindukush and Pamirs. The region comprises six districts, five in the federally administered Northern Areas and one, Chitral, in the North West Frontier Province.

Consultant

Was responsible for promotion and marketing of the fresh fruits from Gilgit Baltistan into other cities of Pakistan as a viable and rewarding business for farmers:

o Apples and other fresh fruits introduced from Gilgit Baltistan to other different cities of Pakistan included Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Lahore

o Developed a business model for agri produce o Conducted market assessment and developed linkages the city traders and auctioneers in citieso Build the local entrepreneurs’ capacity in negotiation, record keeping, pricing and profitability analysis, post harvest

technologies.

4. Personal details:

Nationality Pakistani, Marital status (married with two kids), date of birth: 13/05/1973

5. Interests, languages and volunteer work:

o Reading, listening music, trekking, photography, gardening, ideas generation and creativity, social work. o Fluent English, Urdu, Brushahki, little bit Wakhi, Persian and other dialects of Gilgit Baltistano Ex Honorary Secretary and Board Member Aga Khan Economic Planning Board for Pakistan for His Highness Shia

Imami Ismaili Council.

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