Luqman Ahmad provides strategic direction and support for both DAI’s HMG Government Business Unit and our Sustainable Business Group, which serves private industry. He brings more than 25 years of experience advising on economic growth and government reform and has served in managerial, leadership, and technical roles. As a consultant, he has worked with clients in more than 20 countries, designing policies, programs, and interventions that have improved lives by making economies stronger and governments more effective. In his various leadership and management roles, he has overseen programs covering a range of areas including market development, investment climate reform, labor market and skills development, inclusive economic growth, and economic governance. www.dai.com/who-we-are/our-team/luqman-ahmad

Katja Silva-Leander is Senior Director of Business Growth for DAI UK, with more than 20 years of experience working in the financial services and international development fields. After five years at Credit Suisse in London, she re-trained as an international development practitioner and went on to work for several international organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Katja has specialized in inclusive economic growth, covering many related areas, including business enabling environment, market systems development, and financial sector development. In addition, she has worked on several challenge funds—matching grant schemes that use a venture capital approach to invest in bottom-of-the-pyramid business models. Before joining DAI, she also worked for an impact investor looking at equity and debt investments in similar types of business models.

Nandi Hall is Senior Director of Sustainable Growth, with more than 20 years of experience working in international development in both the private and non-governmental sectors. She oversees the Sustainable Growth portfolio for DAI’s U.K. business unit, including projects funded by the U.K. Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the World Bank, the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, and British International Investment (BII).

Zehra Zaidi is the Senior Director of Human Development for DAI’s UK and Europe units and has designed and led programs focused on education, innovation, governance, and social entrepreneurship. She has worked in challenging political and operational environments including South and Central Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East on programs supported by multiple donors. Zehra has worked extensively with parliaments, political parties, electoral bodies, and civil society organizations in a range of contexts across Kenya, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Tajikistan to support institutional strengthening and reform, as well as enabling successful models of public-private partnerships.

Cathy Shaw is the Director of DAI UK's Evidence, Learning & TA Facilities Practice. Formerly a researcher in economic development in transition countries, Cathy has worked on long-term programs in Nigeria and Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Since joining DAI in 2001, Cathy has acted as project director for a range of European Union and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded projects in eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and east and southern Africa, focusing on climate change and resilience issues. She also previously managed the [Evidence on Demand (EoD)](https://www.dai.com/our-work/projects/worldwide-evidence-demand-core-services) program, which provided quality-assured research and evidence materials and rapid response call-down services for climate and environment, infrastructure, and livelihoods programs worldwide.

Chris leads the U.K.'s HMG business partnering team, which provides financial operations and support to all programs within the HMG business unit. His main area of expertise lies within project finance, and throughout his tenure, he has worked on multiple programs across the globe with a variety of donors.