Mr. Samiullah Mahdi is the President of PAYK Investigative Journalism Center and an Associate Director of TOLOnews, where he began his career as a journalist in 2007 hosting a weekly show “Hardtalk.” He also teaches Public Administration at Kabul University. Previously Mr. Mahdi worked as CEO of Khurshid TV from 2013 to 2014, and as Director of News and Current Affairs at 1TV from 2009 to 2012. At 1TV, Mr. Mahdi produced and hosted internationally acclaimed programs such as, “Kabul Debate Live,” “The Mask,” “Amaj” and others. He has also been an op-ed contributor to major Afghan newspapers and magazines. In 2012, Mr. Mahdi was awarded the prestigious Knight International Journalism Award from the International Center for Journalism for his excellent and courageous reporting. Mr. Mahdi holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Massachusetts Boston as a Fulbright Scholar (2016) and a BA from the School of Law and Political Science of Kabul University (2009).