Ms Nargis Sethi is a retired senior civil servant of the Pakistan Administrative Service, with a 34-year career in public administration, policy coordination and national governance. She was Pakistan’s first woman Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the country's first woman Defence Secretary. She also served as Cabinet Secretary and as Secretary of Water and Power, Health, and Economic Affairs. After retiring, she was appointed a Member of the Federal Public Service Commission. Ms Sethi was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2012. She holds postgraduate degrees in International Relations from the University of Karachi and in Defence Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University, and a Master of Science in Development Administration from a university in the United States.