Zainab has worked in the public sector for more than twenty years in senior economist and public policy positions.

She started her career in international development, working on public sector reform and aid effectiveness with different levels of government in Ghana, Pakistan and Tanzania. In Namibia, she spent two years as a civil servant in the Ministry of Education on an Overseas Development Institute fellowship working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education spending.

She has worked in the UK Civil Service since 2008 in a number of roles in Department of Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office, leading delivery of complex and cross cutting reform agendas often in the context of ambiguity and change. She is currently a Director at the Cabinet Office with a focus on devolution and intergovernmental relations.

She has a strong interest in comparative public policy and sits on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Public Policy, University of Glasgow. Her past research work has included a focus on public financial management and aid delivery.

Zainab has a Specialised BA Honours in Economics and Business from York University, Canada, a MSc Development Studies and an Executive Masters in Public Policy from the London School of Economics.