About Bilal Khattak
Based in Dubai, Bilal is a senior advisor working at the intersection of governance, transformation, and AI — with 16+ years of practice across multilateral institutions, government, and UAE enterprise. His mandates have delivered $62M+ in transformation programmes across 30+ institutions in 8 countries.
His most recent UNDP work — leading the Safe Digital Environment Programme and operationalising the AI-enabled iVerify platform — is among the largest deployed AI governance initiatives in South Asia. The work translated national AI policy into enforceable governance frameworks, reaching 10M+ digital footprint, 464 verified fact-checks, and partnerships across Parliament, regulators, telecom operators, and 22 universities.
Through his Dubai-based practice, Bilal works directly with UAE family enterprises, free zones, government entities, and family offices navigating governance modernisation and the AI era. Every engagement is led personally — no account managers, no junior delegation. The principal you speak to is the principal who delivers.
EDITORIAL PORTRAIT
Sitting/contemplative composition. Dubai office, library, or boardroom backdrop. Similar warmth to the Rob Llewellyn reference shot.
AT A GLANCE
Who he works with. Where he works.
Dubai, UAE
Practice anchored in the UAE serving family enterprises, free zones, and government across the GCC.
Senior decision-makers
Direct, senior-led
Now — selectively
Sixteen years. Eight roles. One discipline.
From foundational governance analysis to deployed AI governance at national scale, and now to LLM evaluation and Responsible AI work — a continuous arc.
2026 — No
Expert IT Trainer. CURRENT
Micro1 Inc. · Freelance · AI / LLM Evaluation
Designing and evaluating advanced AI benchmarking frameworks, complex reasoning tasks, and assessment methodologies to improve reliability, accuracy, and performance of Large Language Models. Developing structured evaluation rubrics and quality assurance standards for AI outputs — reasoning quality, factual accuracy, policy compliance, risk awareness. Contributing to Responsible AI and AI Governance practices across transparency, accountability, fairness, and real-world decision-making.
LLM Evaluation
AI Benchmarking
Responsible AI
Quality Assurance Rubrics
2025 — No
General Manager — PMO, Governance & Transformation. CURRENT
UNISPIRE Group LLC · Dubai, UAE · Short-term Strategic Engagement
Leading enterprise stabilization mandate in a UAE-regulated environment. Redesigned organizational structures and decision-rights frameworks, established the enterprise-wide PMO from the ground up, and built the new IT Solutions department delivering Odoo ERP and Zoho CRM. Activated five strategic Free Zone partnerships.
17% revenue growth (60 days)
Productivity 78% → 97%
5 free zone partnerships
2025
Transformation & Digital Governance Expert
UNDP · Safe Digital Environment Programme (SDEP) · iVerify
Led operationalisation of the Safe Digital Environment Programme and the AI-enabled iVerify Pakistan platform — a global UNDP fact-checking initiative launched in partnership with the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at IBA Karachi. Convened a whole-of-society coalition: Parliament, Election Commission, telecom operators (Zong, Jazz), technology platforms (Meta, TikTok), regulators (PTA, PEMRA), media (DAWN), and 22 universities. Translated National AI Policy 2025 into enforceable governance frameworks. Designed parliamentary oversight architecture for AI accountability.
$8M AI programme
464 fact-checks published
$10M+ digital footprint
1600+ students trained
22 universities
2024 — 2020
Senior Programme Officer — Institutional Reform & Governance
U.S. Institute of Peace · Funded by U.S. Department of State
Led $11M U.S.-funded institutional reform portfolio across 21+ civilian security agencies. Established 6 women police councils and revived 3 dormant councils. Strengthened victim support and complaint redress mechanisms processing 50,000+ citizen cases across 35 districts. Reduced coordination delays ~23%. Positioned the organization for a $6M follow-on programme.
$11M+ portfolio
21+ agencies
50,000+ cases processed
$6M follow-on pipeline
2022 — 20
Rule of Law & Security Sector Reform Lead
UNDP · Joint Programme funded by EU · Japan · USAID
Led $11M U.S.-funded institutional reform portfolio across 21+ civilian security agencies. Established 6 women police councils and revived 3 dormant councils. Strengthened victim support and complaint redress mechanisms processing 50,000+ citizen cases across 35 districts. Reduced coordination delays ~23%. Positioned the organization for a $6M follow-on programme.
$36M+ joint programme
27 infrastructure projects
2300 officers certified
54% capacity uplift
2022 — 20
Rule of Law & Security Sector Reform Lead
UNDP · Joint Programme funded by EU · Japan · USAID
Led $11M U.S.-funded institutional reform portfolio across 21+ civilian security agencies. Established 6 women police councils and revived 3 dormant councils. Strengthened victim support and complaint redress mechanisms processing 50,000+ citizen cases across 35 districts. Reduced coordination delays ~23%. Positioned the organization for a $6M follow-on programme.
$36M+ joint programme
27 infrastructure projects
2300 officers certified
54% capacity uplift
Not theoretical. Deployed at national scale.
The UNDP Safe Digital Environment Programme is among the largest deployed AI governance initiatives in South Asia. Recognised by national regulators. Adopted by the country’s leading media network. Measured in millions of citizens reached.
Digital Footprint
Cumulative reach of verified content distributed via iVerify and partner channels — the scale at which deployed AI governance reaches an information ecosystem.
AI-Verified Fact-Checks
Universities · National Coalition
Multi-university coalition built across Pakistan to embed AI literacy and counter-disinformation into journalism, media studies, and digital governance programmes.
Students Trained on AI
Direct AI literacy training delivered to students through universities in the SDEP coalition — recogniing information bias, identifying disinformation, digital safety for vulnerable groups.
Officials & Journalists Trained
Government officers, journalists, parliamentary staff, and election officials trained on AI verification tools, counter-disinformation protocols, and digital governance.
Multi-Country AI Programme
UNDP programme translating National AI Policy 2025 into enforceable governance frameworks. Parliamentary oversight architecture, regulatory safeguards, cross-border cooperation.
- Official Fact-Checker — DAWN Media Group
- Recognised by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
- Operated by CEJ at IBA Karachi
- Global UNDP iVerify initiative
Built and deployed across . real engagements.
AI & LLM
OpenAI
micro1
OpenAI
OpenAI
AI & LLM
OpenAI
OpenAI
OpenAI
OpenAI
AI & LLM
OpenAI
OpenAI
OpenAI
OpenAI
Where the practice runs deepest.
Six specific domains refined across 16 years of mandates. Each one grounded in deployed work, not theory.
AI Governance & Responsible AI
National AI policy translation, iVerify platform deployment, LLM evaluation frameworks (micro1), board AI oversight, AI risk management, Responsible AI principles. Grounded in deployed work at national scale and active LLM evaluation work.
Parliamentary & Legislative Modernisation
15+ years inside parliaments, committees, and rule-making institutions. Hybrid legislative operating systems, KP Assembly e-governance, 90+ structural amendments adopted, digital workflow architecture across 10 legislative institutions.
Board & Family Business Governance
Designing board structures, decision rights, delegation frameworks, succession governance. Built for the GCC’s historic wealth transfer — and for boards that now need AI oversight built in from day one.
Multi-Agency Institutional Reform
Inter-agency coordination, uniformed services reform, gender-responsive policing, victim support mechanisms. 21+ civilian security agencies engaged, 50,000+ citizen cases processed, 6 women police councils established.
Enterprise Transformation & PMO
Operating model redesign, PMO governance, KPI architecture, performance management. UAE-regulated context. 17% revenue growth in 60 days at Unispire. 54% institutional capacity uplift at UNDP. Built for boards that demand discipline.
Digital Systems & ERP (Odoo · Zoho)
Odoo ERP and Zoho CRM as AI-ready digital infrastructure. Workflow automation, system integration, UAE e-invoicing readiness. Power BI dashboards, KPI architecture, results-based management platforms.
Programmes mobilised across major bilateral and multilateral donors.
Worked across $62M+ in programmes funded by leading bilateral and multilateral donors — from EU and Japan to US Department of State and UK FCDO.
USAID
U.S. Dept. of State
FCDO / DFID
European Union
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
UNDP
USIP
INL
Education, frameworks, and languages.
EDUCATION
MPhil — Governance & Public Policy
MPhil — Governance & Public PolicyNational Defense University · In Progress
Master's — Development & Institutional Governance
IQRA University · 2014
ACCA (Part-Qualified)
SKANS School of Accountancy · 2011
Bachelor's — Commerce & Business
University of the Punjab · 2008
FRAMEWORKS & METHODS
ADKAR-Aligned Change Management
Enterprise change leadership
Results-Based Management
UN / UNDP standard
Responsible AI Principles
Transparency · Accountability · Fairness
Operating Model Design
Multi-sector application
Business Continuity Planning
Crisis-tested · COVID era
LANGUAGES
English
Fluent · primary working language
Urdu · Pashto
Native
Punjabi · Hindi
Advanced
Arabic · Farsi
Conversational · GCC engagements
Authored, co-authored, and supported.
Frameworks, publications, and analytical products across 16 years — alongside numerous funding proposals, project documents, presentations, and newsletters.
The Safe Digital Environment Programme — Sustainability Brief
UNDP · 2025 · STRATEGIC PUBLICATION
Strategic framework for the next phase of the SDEP / iVerify Pakistan programme — covering tackling challenges, expanding audience reach, and sustainability across media capacity, education and innovation, public engagement, and stakeholder support.
National Digital AI Policy 2025 — Governance Translation Framework
UNDP / GOVERNMENT · 2025
Translation of National AI Policy 2025 principles into enforceable governance control, performance-linked compliance architecture, and structured accountability across institutions.
Online Disinformation Trends in Pakistan (2023–2025)
UNDP · ANALYTICAL REPORT
Analytical mapping of disinformation trends across trigger events: 2023 May 9 riots, 2024 elections, 2025 Pak-India conflict. Patterns of doctored content, AI-generated material, and targeting of political leaders.
17 Institutional Reform & Diagnostic Reports
UNDP · 2010–2016 · CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
Contributed to 17 formal institutional reform reports through diagnostics and political economy analysis — strengthening evidence-based scrutiny of justice and governance institutions across multi-region engagements.
Capacity Development Curricula — for 10,000+ Personnel
UNDP · USIP · CURRICULUM DESIGN
Designed training curricula across legislative drafting, governance oversight, AI literacy, counter-disinformation, gender integration, and SDG localization. Deployed across UN, USIP, and government partners.
LLM Evaluation Rubrics & AI Benchmarking Frameworks
MICRO1 · 2026 · ONGOING
Structured evaluation rubrics and quality assurance standards for AI outputs — reasoning quality, factual accuracy, policy compliance, risk awareness, and instruction adherence. Active contribution to Responsible AI practice.
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Authored, co-authored, and supported.
Frameworks, publications, and analytical products across 16 years — alongside numerous funding proposals, project documents, presentations, and newsletters.