Farah Pandith – Keynote Speaker

Farah Pandith is a pioneer in the field of countering violent extremism. A foreign policy strategist, author, and diplomacy entrepreneur, she has served three American presidents.

Appointed America’s first-ever special representative to Muslim Communities in 2009 by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Farah Pandith travelled to nearly one hundred countries under both Secretaries Clinton and Kerry launching youth-focused initiatives. Meeting with thousands of Muslim youth at the grassroots and designing innovative platforms, initiatives and networks.

Pandith is an adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Head of Strategy at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. She was a member of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council and serves in leadership roles on several non-government boards.

Her book, How We Win: How Cutting-Edge Entrepreneurs, Political Visionaries, Enlightened Business Leaders and Social Media Mavens Can Defeat the Extremist Threat, is available this year.

Pandith’s career in government earned her various awards including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Honour Award. She has served at the National Security Council, the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development. She is the main architect of the Women in Public Service Project, a first of its kind global movement launched at the US Department of State in 2011 to bring women into the public service sector.

Pandith’s work in CVE has been instrumental to international efforts on stopping radicalisation and she has been featured across television, radio, print, art, culture and film. From New York Times and Washington Post to BBC and The Economist to Face The Nation, 20/20, and Bloomberg.