Technology & AI

Mahwish Khan

Director

NATIONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

Islamabad · Pashto, English

Biography

Mahwish Khan is a governance strategist and strategic communications leader with over 15 years of experience spanning public policy, technology, and advocacy in Pakistan and the United States.

As Director of Awareness and Outreach at Pakistan's National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA), she leads strategic partnerships, public engagement, and behavioral change initiatives supporting national energy conservation priorities.

Previously, she advised the CEO of the National Information Technology Board, contributing to digital transformation and Pakistan's local Large Language Model initiative. At Code for Pakistan, she held multiple leadership roles, developing civic technology programs and strengthening citizen-government engagement.

Earlier in Washington, D.C., Mahwish worked on immigration reform and education advocacy, collaborating with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers, and prominent musicians to bring national attention to the human consequences of restrictive immigration policies.

She holds a Master's degree in Public Communication from American University, Washington, D.C.

Areas of expertise

• Public Policy & Governance
• Strategic Communications & Public Affairs
• Sustainability
• Climate & Energy Policy
• Institutional Strategy & Public Sector Transformation

Key achievements

1. Spearheaded strategic engagement for Pakistan's Local Large Language Model initiative, bringing together government, academia, and industry to advance locally relevant AI capabilities. Convened NITB's AI Task Force and helped shape national conversations around AI adoption, digital sovereignty, and public-sector innovation. 2. Advanced Pakistan's digital transformation agenda, working across more than 40 federal ministries on initiatives spanning judicial modernization, digital public services, and government interoperability. Co-authored implementation planning for Pakistan's digital cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. 3. Directed strategy and community mobilization for FloodLight, an internationally recognized civic technology initiative developed during Pakistan's 2022 floods. Mobilized more than 2,700 volunteers to harness citizen-generated data for humanitarian response, earning Special Recognition at the 2024 Don Norman Design Awards. 4. Helped strengthen participatory governance through civic technology fellowships, open-data initiatives, and citizen-centered digital services, connecting technology communities with public institutions to develop practical solutions to government and societal challenges. 5. Shaped national immigration reform advocacy in the United States, working with Congressional offices, civil rights organizations, and grassroots movements. Conceived and led documentary and cultural advocacy initiatives involving Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers, and Grammy-winning musicians to elevate underrepresented voices in national policy debates. 6. Led a nationwide higher-education affordability campaign that mobilized more than 22,000 activists and contributed to the University of Virginia's renewed financial-aid commitments for low-income students. 7. Advanced Pakistan's sustainability and energy transition agenda by developing national behavioral-change strategies, facilitating policy dialogue, and engaging government, industry, investors, and development institutions on energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and innovative financing. 8. Strengthened institutional strategy and public-private collaboration by developing frameworks that translated complex infrastructure policies into actionable guidance, improved engagement with implementing agencies, and aligned organizational priorities with project delivery.

International experience

Asia · North America

Engagement interests

Speaker · Panelist · Mentor · Training

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