Board of Directors

Qadeer Baig

Chairman

Director Youth
Engagement Program,

IRD Pakistan

Nadira Panjwani

Director

Founder, Panjwani Charitable Foundation

and Trusts

Ahson Rabbani

Director

CEO, Child Life

Foundation

Mazhar Valjee

Director

Leadership role,

House of Habib

Raza Pirbhai

Director

CEO, Cupola Group
(KFC Pakistan)

Qazi Azmat Isa

Director

Former CEO, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund

Nadeem Elahi

Director

Co-Founder, The

Resource Group (TRG)

Marium Tareen

Director

Social Development
Consultant

Management Team

Richard Geary

Founder and Director Programs

Under Richard’s leadership, FESF’s Deaf Reach Program was initiated in 1995, growing to seven Deaf Reach Schools, Colleges & Training Centers providing education, skills training and employment to the Deaf community in Pakistan.

Muhammad Osama

CEO/CFO

Muh. Osama manages the implementation and business assessment of all critical aspects of FESF, including Financial, Administration, Legal Compliance, and Human Resource departments.

Sarah Shaikh

Development Director

Sarah’s responsibilities include oversight of the key impact programs, expanding FESF’s visibility, donor relations, and developing the strategic plan of FESF.

Anita Florijn

Director Eduserve Program

Anita brings 30+ years of experience in the education and development sectors to lead the highly impactful Eduserve Program, focused on building capacity in youth, corporate employees, parents and educators.

Daniel M. Lanther

Operations Director & Company Secretary

Manages the oversight of essential affairs and ensures quality maintenance of FESF’s infrastructure and assets, as well as planning the deployment of material and resources.

Mehrin Abrar

Pakistan Sign Language Program Manager

Mehrin is the daughter of Sir Iftikhar Ahmed (Deaf), founder of the Boltay Haath PTV program. She manages Deaf Reach’s Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) creation and content development and is Deaf Reach’s PSL brand ambassador.

Sajjad Bashir

Education Manager

Leads curriculum and management of schools, teacher training and development; directs registration and affiliation of DRS’ Secondary, Higher Secondary and Colleges with Education departments and relevant boards.

Ali Akbar Noonari

Regional Manager & PSL Creation Manager

Ali is FESF’s longest serving Deaf employee, joining as a teacher in 1999. Now working as Regional Manager, Ali has also served as Principal of Deaf Reach’s Sukkur & Nawabshah campuses, and plays a leading role in Job Placement and PSL Development.

Aaron Awasen

Director HR

Responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day affairs of FESF and the Deaf Reach Program, including HR functions, process optimization, and program implementation and evaluation.

Faysal Mustafa Soomro

Manager, Marketing & Partnerships

Faysal is responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns, and building partnerships that can maximize the reach and impact of FESF’s programs.

Maria Paola Doherty

Philanthropy Director

With 3 decades of experience in social development, teacher training and early learning programs, Maria currently engages in resource mobilization, helping to manage and guide FESF’s support strategies and targets.

Francis Doherty

Donor Engagement Director

Francis has over 30 years in the social development field, and presently focuses on donor engagement and resource mobilization, both locally and internationally, to help build capacity across FESF’s programs and projects.

Ovais Iqbal

Goodwill Ambassador, North America

Ovais Iqbal is a Canada based Pakistani humanitarian and Director Systems at Cisco, Canada. He serves as Deaf Reach’s Goodwill Ambassador for North America. In recognition of his service to FESF, Cisco awarded him with the Global Community Hero Award 2019.

Ali Raza Butt

Administration Manager

Ali Raza oversees the day-to-day affairs of all Deaf Reach campuses, making regular visits to ensure that quality standards are upheld, and developing assessments for FESF’s contractors, drivers and support staff.

Naila Karim

Communications Manager

Naila manages the internal and external Deaf Reach communications; updating employees and the general public about current and upcoming events, organizing and planning of visits, and coordination of volunteers.

Shayan Khan

Zakat & Shariah Compliance Officer

Shayan manages all Zakat funds and coordinates with a 3-member Shariah advisory committee ensuring that all donations and funds are expensed according to Shariah guidelines.

Advisory Team

Heidi Gustanski

Advisor, Deaf Education

Heidi has served as primary consultant in the creation, development, and standardization of the educational and vocational programmes for Deaf Reach Schools and Training Centres since their inception in 1999.

Ruhail Muhammad

Mr. Muhammad is the CEO of Lucky Electric Power Company Limited (part of the Lucky Group), and has held various C-suite positions in Engro and HUBCO. As advisor to FESF, he assists with resource mobilization and development strategies.

Muhammad Sohail Tabba

Advisor

Mr. Tabba is the Chairman of Yunus Energy Limited & CEO of Lucky Energy (Pvt.) Ltd. and a renowned philanthropist. As advisor to FESF, he provides guidance in strategic fund development and resource mobilization.

Affiliations