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PREF is led by a dynamic team of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and policymakers committed to advancing regional economic development. With deep cross-sector experience, our leadership drives innovation, builds strategic partnerships, and promotes sustainable market growth. Together, they foster a collaborative culture focused on delivering meaningful impact across the region.
Leader in Economic Transformation and Regional Cooperation
Mr. Haroon Sharif is a distinguished economist and development policy expert with extensive experience in economic reform, international development, and financial markets. He served as Minister of State and Chairman of Pakistan’s Board of Investment (2018–2019), where he was a senior member of the Prime Minister’s economic team and contributed to key decisions of the Cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee and Cabinet Committee on Privatisation. He also served as Pakistan’s Lead Representative for Industrial Cooperation under CPEC’s Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), championing reforms to improve Ease of Doing Business, establish Special Economic Zones, and attract foreign direct investment from China, the Gulf, and East Asia.
Previously, Mr. Sharif worked for six years as Regional Advisor to the World Bank Group, promoting economic cooperation across South and Central Asia. He also served for a decade with the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) as Head of the Economic Growth Group, and held senior leadership roles including Executive Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and CEO of financial institutions.
A recognized global thought leader, he has led high-level economic policy dialogues with heads of state, ministers, multilateral institutions, and business leaders. He has held board-level positions with international bodies including the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the Financial Sector Strengthening and Reform Initiative (FIRST), and the Global Committee on Islamic Finance. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the National Defence University.
Leader in Energy and Infrastructure Development
Khalid Mansoor is a distinguished chemical engineer and business leader with over three decades of experience across the energy, fertilizer, and infrastructure sectors. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Hubco, Pakistan’s first and largest Independent Power Producer, from 2013 to 2021, leading growth projects worth over US$ 3.5 billion and expanding generation capacity from 1,600MW to 3,600MW.
He has previously served as CEO of Algeria Oman Fertilizer Company, where he led the development of a US$ 4.5 billion world-scale ammonia and urea complex, and held senior leadership roles within the Engro Group. He has also served on the boards of numerous leading companies across energy, finance, and manufacturing sectors, and was President of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) in 2017.
Mr. Mansoor served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CPEC Affairs and Minister of State (2021–2022), overseeing major strategic projects across key sectors. He currently serves on multiple corporate boards and is Director at the Pakistan Regional Economic Forum (PREF), focusing on regional economic collaboration and development initiatives.
Diplomatic Leader in Global Engagement and Partnership
Ambassador Naghmana Alamgir Hashmi concluded a distinguished 37-year career in the Foreign Service of Pakistan, retiring in July 2020 as Special Foreign Secretary.
Over the course of her diplomatic career, she served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Ireland. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she held several senior positions, including Additional Foreign Secretary for the Americas, Director General Policy Planning, Director General OIC, Director General Public Diplomacy, and Director United Nations.
Currently, Ambassador Hashmi serves as Director of the Pakistan Regional Economic Forum (PREF), Senior Fellow at the Sanobar Institute, and Advisor to the China Study Center at ISSI. A respected strategic and foreign affairs expert, she regularly lectures as a visiting professor in Pakistan and abroad, and contributes to leading national and international publications.
Strategic Leader in Defence and Diplomacy
Vice Admiral (Retd.) Khan Hasham bin Saddique HI(M), SI(M) is a senior Pakistani diplomat and former naval leader with extensive experience in international engagement and strategic affairs.
Following his retirement from the Pakistan Navy in 2017, he was appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he also served as Permanent Representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In this role, he strengthened Pakistan–Saudi Arabia relations, advanced cooperation across economic and strategic domains, and actively engaged with the Pakistani diaspora and multilateral partners in the Muslim world. He has also served as Managing Director of Bahria Foundation.
During his distinguished four-decade naval career, he held key leadership positions including Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Commander Pakistan Fleet, and Commander of the multinational Combined Task Force 150, contributing to maritime security and international coalition operations. He is a graduate of leading military institutions in Pakistan and abroad and a recipient of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military).