Ali Zayaan Shaafiu is the Managing Director of Public Policy Lab, with over nine years of experience across policy, economics, and data analytics. He has led research, technical assistance, and policy development for government agencies, international organizations, and private sector clients across economic policy, health, social protection, urbanism, governance, education, and AI-integrated workflows.
He leads UNICEF’s Child and Family Well-Being project, a national vulnerability mapping initiative focused on protection gaps for marginalized women, and serves as Lead Consultant and Survey Manager for Australia Awards, building geospatial and survey datasets across several atolls. He has also advised the Ministry of Social and Family Development on a knowledge management system and operational modernization measures. He was Lead Researcher and principal author of the Cost of Politics in the Maldives for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and supported UNDP in developing the Government’s 2024–2028 Strategic Action Plan for economic sectors.
As Director at the President’s Office Special Programs Unit, he built up hospital data and reporting infrastructure and oversaw the strengthening of regional hospitals, with outcomes including cutting specialist waitlists by 75% and reducing psychiatry wait times from 18 months to 2 months, the launch of statistics and data analysis units at hospitals, and launching a teleconsultation program that reached 56 islands and roughly 55,000 people. Earlier, at the Maldives Monetary Authority, he developed the research base and indicators behind the national financial inclusion and e-payments program. He also advises private sector and tourism clients on investor prospectuses and financial materials, and delivers workplace trainings on data tools and AI-assisted workflows.
Zayaan has a Master’s degree in Applied Economics and Policy from the University of Windsor and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and in Teaching from the University of Adelaide, where he won Excellence Awards in Development Economics and Public Economics.
Zahanath Zuhury is a Senior Research Coordinator at Public Policy Lab. She works as a Legal Officer for the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure, and as a UNICEF Youth Foresight Fellow currently working as a Senior Fellow in the Youth Engagement and Strategies team in the UNICEF Innocenti Global Office of Foresight and Research. She also volunteers as a member of the Youth Reference Group of UNICEF Maldives to identify problems faced by young people in the Maldives and advocates for youth representation measures.
As part of the core team at Public Policy Lab, she has worked closely on projects with the National Library, played a key role in the development of policy proposals and advocacy on third spaces in the Maldives leading to the development of the Youth Third Space, and collaborated on research by Public Policy Lab on policy areas from public transportation and street parking to local tourism and budget policy.
Zahanath has a Bachelor’s degree in Shari’ah and Law with Honours from Maldives National University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Cooperation Policy at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University on a JDS Scholarship.
Ahmed Dawood is a management professional with over a decade of experience in operations management, institutional leadership, and strategic communications in the Maldives. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Coolink Maldives Pvt Ltd, with overall responsibility for operational functions and business strategy.
Prior to this he led Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital as Chief Executive Officer, having progressed through the roles of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Manager of Health Services, where his work covered strategic policy formulation, financial budgeting, patient care oversight, and the supervision of clinical and administrative staff. His earlier career spans sales leadership and customer service management at Dhiraagu and revenue administration at the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority.
Alongside this, he has worked as an independent social media and campaign strategist since 2009, leading digital campaigns for public health institutions, parliamentary and local council election campaigns, and local brands and community organisations across the north. He brings to Public Policy Lab a strong grounding in northern institutional networks, local market insight, and the practical delivery of field operations.
Dawood has a Master of Business Administration from the University of the West of England and a Bachelor of Business in Management and Marketing from Maldives National University.
Muawiyath M. Didi is a Maldivian policy practitioner, disability rights advocate, and educator whose work spans inclusive governance, accessibility, social policy reform, and large-scale project management. His work includes being Project Officer at the Maldives Paralympic Committee, where he leads national para-sports initiatives including the I’mPossible campaign, and working as a Part-time Lecturer at Maldives National University, where he teaches community engagement and social services and has designed modules for the Bachelor’s in Social Work program.
Since 2018, he has served as Volunteer Project Coordinator with the Maldives Association of Persons with Disabilities, advising on disability-inclusive policies, strengthening organizational capacity for donor-funded projects, and initiating an accessible transport initiative for persons with disabilities. He has also conducted accessibility audits and developed inclusive tourism frameworks as Accessible Tourism Officer for the City of Charles Sturt in Australia, and delivered sensitization training during his placement with Baptist Care SA. He also spent over three years at Maldives Airports Company Limited as Senior Project Officer, overseeing large-scale infrastructure and procurement projects, contract management, site inspections, and cross-departmental coordination.
He has a Master’s degree in Disability Policy and Practice from Flinders University and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) from the Open University Malaysia.