TEDxSTMU

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Athar Abbas

  Athar Abbas is an award-winning filmmaker, director, and visual storyteller with over a decade of experience. Driven by a passion for human stories, he has spent years documenting the people, cultures, and traditions that often go unnoticed. Through his work, he explores how storytelling can preserve identity, inspire empathy, and build meaningful connections.

• Dr. Akhtar Abbas Khan

  Dr. Akhtar Abbas Khan is Director Pharmacy Services at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and Head of the National Pharmacovigilance Center. With over 27 years of experience, he brings extensive expertise in pharmaceutical regulation, medicine safety, and health communication. His work focuses on strengthening medicine safety systems, advancing evidence-informed policy, and aligning national frameworks with global standards. He actively contributes to research and policy initiatives that translate regulatory science into public health practice. His career reflects a strong commitment to regulatory excellence, international collaboration, and ensuring equitable access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines.

• Dr. Zafar Mirza

  Dr. Zafar Mirza is a renowned global health expert and a leading voice in healthcare policy and reform. He served as the Minister of Health, Pakistan from 2019 to 2020, where he spearheaded significant healthcare reforms and initiatives. With over 30 years of experience in public health, Dr. Mirza has worked with various international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has expertise in health systems strengthening, disease prevention and control, and health policy development. Dr. Mirza has published numerous papers and articles on global health issues and has presented at various international conferences. He is a strong advocate for universal health coverage, healthcare equity, and the right to health.

• Maleaha Mansoor

  At 13, Maleaha Mansoor picked up a guitar and has been playing ever since. Somewhere along the way, music became more than a hobby. It became a place for the things that were harder to say out loud. That instinct still sits at the heart of her songwriting, where she often turns deeply personal thoughts, memories, and emotions into songs. She later joined TAG – The All Girl Band, and found another side of herself in jazz as a vocalist with 4 ON 6. Today, she is part of a growing generation of voices shaping Pakistan’s independent music scene, moving between different sounds while holding on to the honesty that first drew her to music.

• Wahaj Siraj

  Wahaj Siraj is co-founder and CEO of Nayatel, Pakistan's first fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, started from Islamabad in 2006 and then expanded to 12 cities. He earlier co-founded Micronet Broadband in 2002, the first company to launch DSL broadband services in Pakistan. A founding member of ISPAK (Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan), he worked with Government of Pakistan for 14 years before transforming into an entrepreneur. He holds a B.Eng from University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, and a Masters in Engineering from University of Melbourne, Australia. He currently serves on the boards of several government organizations and universities, and is regularly invited to speak on entrepreneurship, character based leadership, and market disruption in Pakistan.