About Us

Nazish has been with CERB since 2017 and currently heads the research helm of CERB. Her role is to ensure CERB has access to evidence-based research related to responsible business on the private sector.

Nazish has an MSc in Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice (Specialising in Natural Resource Management) from SOAS, University of London and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences from King’s College London. Nazish has previously worked both in the private and development sector, including establishing a Karachi centric skill based volunteering programme and has taught subjects related to environment and sustainable development as adjunct faculty at NED, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and SZABIST.

Email: nazish@pbc.org.pk

Dure Sameen Akhund has joined our Research team as a Research Associate. She has done her MSc in Sustainable Development (specialization in Gender and Social Inequality) from SOAS, University of London and her Bsc (Hons) from LUMS in Social Sciences, giving her a deep understanding of sustainable development ideas, institutions, policies and networks.  As a result of her education and diverse work experience which ranges from the banking sector to education and entrepreneurship, she possesses the necessary critical thinking skills required to help for-profit organizations adopt business strategies and activities that meet the challenging needs stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.

Sameen brings a broader understanding of the environmental, economic and social issues impacting modern businesses and can help assist companies to better manage their risks and opportunities that both market and non-market conditions create. Sameen has previously worked as a Banker, a Gender Consultant and has also taught in the graduate programme at SZABIST University.

Rajaa Bokhari is a Programme Manager at the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), as part of its Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB). Her main areas of focus are enhancing business reporting on corporate sustainability and gender diversity, as well as capacity-building for inclusive workplaces and ESG as risk management. Through the Centre of Excellence, she has been published for her work on gender-disaggregated data and formal employment for women in Pakistan.

Prior to CERB, Rajaa was a Project Engineer in the field of Robotics and Wireless Communication; besides working on implementation projects, she also led process improvement and employee development programs. In 2019, she came onboard as a Research Assistant for KULNA, a UAE-based initiative by Zayed University to create a sustainable food cycle suitable for the country’s desert climate. She holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah.

Safia Hussain has joined the team at CERB as a Programme Coordinator for Sustainability and Climate Change. She holds an MA in Politics, Governance and Public Policy from the University of Sheffield, and a BSc. (Hons) in Social Development and Policy from Habib University. Safia has worked on projects related to youth entrepreneurship and education as well as sustainable development. Moreover, she also studied Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley where she focused on the relationship between social work and various government policies, particularly those that relate to gentrification, drug abuse and policing in various societies. Safia is a strong advocate for women’s education and runs an initiative called ‘Hadaf.’ In her free time, Safia enjoys reading with a cup of coffee or catching up with friends.