JACKSON, MI — A Jackson native joined British royalty this week at a major technology conference to discuss the importance of supporting young leaders.
Sikander “Sonny” Khan was on a Las Vegas stage with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, on Tuesday, May 6, as part the ServiceNow software company’s “Knowledge 2025” conference.
The event marked the launch of The Diana Award’s “Pledge to Invest” initiative. It aims to highlight ways businesses can support youth leadership, according to a news release from the Diana Awards, a charity set up in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The onstage panel discussion focused on youth leadership and how employers can proactively create pathways for young people to enter and thrive in the workplace, officials said.
“I want people to understand all of us have been in that position, where we’ve been young people looking for a chance, and then somebody gave us that chance,” Khan said. ”It‘s our responsibility to lift when we rise, and open doors for other people. And that‘s something as a young person I’ve tried to do every single day — being that mentor for younger people and trying to create that ripple effect.”
Khan, 26, is a Jackson native and founder of the Paani Project, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit committed to addressing the critical need for clean water in underserved communities across rural Pakistan. He received the Diana Legacy Award in 2024 for his humanitarian work, and previously won the annual Diana Award in 2022.
Related: British royal family recognizes 25-year-old Michigan man for charity work
Tessy Ojo, CEO of the Diana Award, chaired the conversation, which also featured Christina Williams, another Diana Legacy Award recipient from Jamaica, and ServiceNow President Paul Fipps.
“Through The Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action. That‘s not just inspiring — it‘s the kind of untapped potential we can’t afford to overlook,” Prince Harry said. “Far too many young people are locked out of leadership pipelines because we’ve failed to build truly inclusive and accessible pathways.”
The panel showcased how supporting youth from challenging backgrounds leads to transformative community impact, Paani Project representatives said in a Facebook post.
Since its formation in 2017 while Khan was still a student at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Paani Project has raised more than $6 million from more than 20,000 donors. The organization has also built more than 15,300 water wells serving more than 1 million villagers, Khan said previously.
“From selling donuts on campus to now providing clean water to over 1 million people in Pakistan’s rural communities, Paani Project represents the kind of impact that can come from investing in young people – especially those from underserved backgrounds like my own in Jackson,” Khan said in an email to MLive.
Khan’s was also named as one of 2024’s nominees for the Forbes “30 Under 30″ list in the category of “marketing and advertising.” In addition to his humanitarian work, Forbes recognized his role in creating and executing marketing strategies for Microsoft‘s Bing search engine.
Related: Jackson High grad makes Forbes 2024 ‘30-Under-30′ list for marketing, charity efforts
Khan, the son of Murad and Mujahida Khan of Jackson, has been honored on several occasions for his drive to help those around him. In 2016, Khan was named the MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot 2016 “Youth Citizen of the Year” for the persistence and strength he demonstrated through his volunteer service.
Later that year, Khan was the recipient of the “good-through-graduation” Gates Millennium Scholarship, as well as the prestigious Horatio Alger National Scholarship. His philanthropic activities also earned him the title of “2019 Student of the Year” from The Michigan Daily, the University of Michigan’s student newspaper.
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