Speakers
Aamer Sarfraz
Founder, Agroventures
Aamer A. Sarfraz is founder of Agroventures (Pvt) Ltd which he started in 2009 to identify, finance and build high-growth food and agribusiness projects in Pakistan. In 2010, the company completed construction of its first factory to process cereal grains in Faisalabad. Aamer is also a Managing Director at Tigris Financial Group since 2006. Tigris is one of the most successful private equity investors in natural resources worldwide, particularly in gold and precious metals mining, with over US$2billion of its own capital deployed. He is closely involved with the group's investments and partnerships across the Middle East and Asia. Previously, Aamer worked in private equity firms Ithmar Capital and 3i venture capital. Aamer holds an MSc (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics and a BSBA from Boston University's School of Management. As an undergraduate student, he developed the intellectual property for digital receipt technology, which he sold to Microsoft's Intellectual Ventures. He serves on the Advisory Board of MSSM Department of Medicine, New York.
Ahsan Saleem
Co-Founder & Past Chairman, The Citizens Foundation (TCF)
Mr. Ahsan M. Saleem is Group Chief Executive of Crescent Steel and Allied Products Limited, (a public listed company) and has over 30 years of experience in industry. He also serves on several Boards as non executive director. He is a recipient of “Businessman of the Year “award in 1997 from the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Mr. Saleem is a fellow of institute of Directors, U.K, member of CEO’s organization and World Presidents Organization and a member of 1001- a nature trust. Mr. Saleem is one of the founders of The Citizens Foundation and serves on its Board. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of TCF (TCF is a not for profit organization working across Pakistan to provide formal schooling for the most impoverished segment of the population, TCF has, so far, built 660 school units in 68 cities across Pakistan). He also serves as Managing Trustee of COMMECS Education Trust, a not for profit trust formed by Old Students of Government College of Commerce and Economics providing tertiary level education in Karachi. He is Chairman of Board of Governors of COMMECS Institute of Business and Emerging Sciences (a degree awarding Institution Chartered by Government of Sindh). Mr. Saleem is a founding member and serves on the Board of Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy.
Akram Chowdry
General Partner, Hi-Tech Venture Capital Fund
Dr. Chowdry is General Partner of Hi-Tech Venture Capital Fund located in Silicon Valley in California. After getting his doctorate from UC Berkeley he was a professor of business at San Jose State University, California. He started a computer manufacturing company (Prime Circuit Technology in 1985. At that time, he was the first and only Pakistani who was founder, CEO of such an enterprise in Silicon Valley. Later, he acquired Mylex Computer Corporation, a product company. He remained the CEO and Chairman of Mylex for almost 10 years. Mylex was publicly traded company (NASDAQ). In 1998 Mylex was acquired by IBM for over $500 million, with its revenues over $250,000,000. In 1991, US NEWS & World Report conducted a survey of thousands of small public companies in USA. Among 7,430 public companies in USA, Mylex was ranked # 1 in overall performance and stock appreciation. He is a charter member of TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) www.tie.org and of OPEN. In the past, he volunteered to teach entrepreneurship and venture capital at LUMS and at NUST, Pakistan, TISBI in Kazan, Russia, KIMEP in Almaty, Malaysia Telekom and Kuwait Finance house in Bahrain. He made presentations at OIC conferences in Malaysia and Pakistan. Dr. Chowdry has been designated as member of the Advisory Board of University of California Berkeley. He has been recently selected by the Department of Commerce, USA, as lead member for the funding of start-ups and SMEs in Pakistan.
Ali Jehangir Siddiqui
Managing Partner, JS Private Equity
Ali Jahangir Siddiqui is a Principal of JS Group. He is a Managing Partner at JS Private Equity and JS Private Equity Fund I. He is a member of the founding team of Techpacific.com. In conjunction with the M3 team, Mr. Siddiqui works closely with potential investees. In his previous career, he started with his first start-up, Advance Micro Research (sold in 1995), where Mr. Siddiqui integrated multiconsole network systems at the age of 15. Prior to JS Group, he was a Director with Crosby Capital Partners and was based in Hong Kong. Prior to Crosby, Mr. Siddiqui was an Associate with Techpacific Capital where he was part of a team that managed private equity and venture funds investing in Asia-Pacific. Mr. Siddiqui has been advising start-ups in the US, Europe and Asia for several years and serves on the Board of Directors of Planetarabia.com (which he co-founded). Mr. Siddiqui serves on the Boards of a number of fast-growing private sector companies in Pakistan. He is also a Member of Board of Acumen Fund. In addition, Mr. Siddiqui is involved with a number of charitable and sustainable development organizations. He attended Cornell University where Mr. Siddiqui received a B.A. in Economics (accelerated graduation).
Amjad Saquib
Founder, Akhuwat
Dr. Saqib is founder of Akhuwat, first ever interest free microfinance programme. This is the largest individual based lending programme in the country and is referred to in many international universities as a unique and innovative model in microfinance. He is Akhuwat’s Executive Director and main driving force since its inception in year 2001. Keeping in view his management experience and volunteer services for poverty alleviation, he has been requested by the Government of the Punjab to lead two of its flagship programmes i.e. Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) and Punjab Welfare Trust for the Disabled (PWTD).
Arif Mirza
Head of ACCA Pakistan
Mr. Arif Masud Mirza is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has been the Head of ACCA Pakistan from 1997 when he launched the ACCA qualification here. Under his stewardship there has been significant growth and development with creation of 1000s of opportunities for young talented men and women in the accounting profession, representing over 55,000 students and members; ACCA’s second largest market globally. After graduating in Economics, he started his career in Civvals, a West London firm of Chartered Accountants in 1985. He later worked as a tax senior at Haines Watts, Chartered Accountants, and as a Financial Accountant at the Daily Mail Newspapers (London). Since 1992, he has been residing in Lahore and has several years of experience in the Packages group of Companies. Arif has been a guest faculty member at LUMs having delivered financial accounting subjects to the MBA and executive courses. He was recently appointed as a director of the Kashf Microfinance Bank Ltd.
Asad Karim
CEO, Comcept (Pvt) Limited
Asad is a 27 year telecom veteran, building telecom products, networks and services. In 1992, Asad incorporated Comcept, a startup doing custom development for telecom service providers. He was the company's CEO for 9 years, building Comcept into a solid company of 175 professionals, generating USD $5 Million in revenues. Asad is credited with inception of WorldCall in 1995. He was one of the founding board members and helped launch the commercial service in 1996. In 2001, Asad relocated to Silicon Valley to setup iPhonica, a US based Comcept subsidiary. In 2004, Asad helped setup and launch Burraq Telecom, a long-distance Telecom Operator. After 3 years of operation, Burraq was positioned for acquisition to wi-tribe Limited, a global wimax player owned by Qatar Telecom. Post sell off, Asad served wi-tribe (Pakistan) as CEO and Technical Advisor. In July 2009, Asad rejoined Comcept as the CEO. He realigned the company to target the e-education market, poised to launch TeleTaleem, an online education service. Asad has been a major contributor to Pakistan's IT policy and was a member of the IT Advisory Board. He has also served as the president of IT Manufacturer's Association of Pakistan. He has a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Aun Rahman
Country Director, Acumen Fund Pakistan
Aun Rahman has been Acumen Fund’s Pakistan Country Director since 2006, when he launched the Pakistan operations of the Fund. Aun is responsible for directing Acumen Pakistan’s overall operations, including portfolio development and management, business development, and talent. Aun also has specific knowledge and domain expertise in affordable housing and housing finance, particularly around the opportunities and challenges of providing housing on a financially sustainable basis to low-income groups. His social enterprise investment experience also includes areas like agricultural products/services, micro-finance, micro-health insurance, and clean drinking water. Aun joined Acumen Fund in 2003 as a Fellow, working for 18 months with Acumen Fund's investee Saiban to structure and incubate an affordable commercial housing project in Lahore and to develop the organization's management information systems. Before joining Acumen Fund, Aun Rahman worked for several years in economic and strategy consulting in the US. Originally from Karachi, Aun came to the United States to attend the University of Chicago, where he earned a BA in Economics.
Bilal Lakhani
Publisher, Express Tribune
Bilal Lakhani is the publisher of The Express Tribune, the first internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan. Partnered with The International Herald Tribune – the global edition of The New York Times – the paper caters to the modern face of Pakistan. Launched in April 2010, its website tribune.com.pk is fast becoming one of the most popular sites in the country and the newspaper has caused a stir in the media industry. Bilal did his MBA in Strategy and Leadership from the Yale school of Management where he was elected to the Yale University Graduate and Professional Student Senate. He interned at Salomon Smith Barney, an investment bank, in 2000 and the United Nations Association in 2001. From 2003-2004 he worked as an Educational Outreach Coordinator at Aahung, an NGO that works for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Pakistan. Bilal is also passionate about travelling and freelance writing – he has written for several publications including The Friday Times and Newsline. Bilal launched The Express Tribune under the banner of the Express Media Group, which includes the Daily Express newspaper, Express News and Express 24/7, Pakistan’s only 24-hour English language news channel. The group comes under his family business, the Lakson Group, which includes Colgate-Palmolive, McDonalds Pakistan and several other companies across a range of industry sectors.
Dilawar Syed
President & CEO, Yonja Media Group
Dilawar is President & Chief Executive Officer of Yonja Media Group, a leading Turkish American internet media company. Founded in 2003, Istanbul and Silicon Valley-based Yonja Media Group operates Yonja, Turkey’s first and largest local social network. Prior to joining Yonja Media, Dilawar was at Yahoo! where he was head of strategy and global business operations for Yahoo!’s Platform Division. Earlier, Dilawar spent several years in leadership roles in the enterprise software industry. At SAP Dilawar launched the company’s Customer Relationship Management solution; and at Siebel Systems Dilawar grew Siebel’s integration platform to a multi-million dollar business globally. Dilawar has played a leadership role in a range of civic efforts in the US. President Obama recently appointed Dilawar to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans. In 2008, Gov. Howard Dean appointed Dilawar as National Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s South Asian Leadership Council. Dilawar is immediate past president of the Organization of Pakistani American Entrepreneurs (OPEN) Silicon Valley and serves on the board of the Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education. Dilawar holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Farhan Zaidi
Abraaj Capital
Mr. Farhan Zaidi is a member of the investment team of Riyada Enterprise Development (RED), a member of the Abraaj Group (RED is Abraaj Group's dedicated platform for small and medium-sized enterprises). Mr. Zaidi has over 10 years of regional experience in the fields of corporate finance advisory, capital markets and investments. As a member of the investment management team, he has been involved in origination, evaluation, structuring and execution of deals and investment monitoring. He has worked on some of Abraaj Capital’s landmark private equity transactions including the acquisition of the Acibadem Healthcare Group in Turkey. Prior to joining Abraaj Capital, Mr. Zaidi worked at the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm (The National Investor) as a Vice President in the investment banking department, focusing on regional capital market transactions and principal investment activities of the firm. As part of the IB team, he was involved in over US$ 1.0 billion worth of financial advisory transactions including initial public offering of Aramex International. His career also includes three years with MCB Pakistan in its investment banking group. Mr. Zaidi holds an MBA degree with a concentration in finance and a BBA (Honours) degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA - Karachi). He is a CFA charter holder and holds a diploma in banking from the Institute of Bankers (Pakistan).
Imran Khan
Chairman, Namal University
Imran Khan is a retired Pakistani cricketer who, besides his political activism, is also a charity worker. In April 1996, Khan founded and became the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). He represented Mianwali as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to October 2007. Imran, through worldwide fundraising, helped establish the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in memory of his mother who had suffered from the disease. Today SKMT is one of the leading institutions for free Cancer Treatment in the world and has received international recognition. Imran is also amongst some leading World celebrities who donate their talents to advocate for children on behalf of UNICEF as a Special Representatives. He has used his high profile in cricket to support health and immunization programmes in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In December 2005 Imran was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Bradford in the UK, acting as an ambassador for the University in the UK and overseas. In 2008, Khan launched NAMAL College in the rural district Mianwali on the doorsteps of Pakistan's tribal belt known for its non-conformity to modern times. NAMAL is an associate college of University of Bradford and is offering deeply subsidized education in the disciplines of engineering and technology in its first phase with plans to add more disciplines and research facility in its second phase. Recently, responding to the crisis posed by massive floods in Pakistan, Imran setup Imran Khan Flood Relief Fund which has to date raised over Rs. 2 billion in donations being used to rehabilitate flood affectees and set the foundation for economic and social transformation of rural areas devastated by the floods.
Ishrat Hussain
Dean & Director IBA
Dr. Ishrat Husain took over as the Dean and Director of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi on March 12, 2008. Immediately before that he had been holding the office of Chairman, National Commission for Government Reforms (NCGR) in the Prime Minister Secretariat at Islamabad, with the status of the Federal Minister. Dr. Ishrat Husain became the Governor of Pakistan’s Central Bank in December, 1999. During the next six years, he implemented a major program of restructuring of the Central Bank and steered the reforms of the banking sector, which are now recognized by the World Bank and IMF to be among the best in developing countries. In recognition of his meritorious services he was conferred the prestigious award of “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” by the President of Pakistan in 2003. He is the author of a dozen books, contributor of 15 chapters in edited books and more than 25 referred journal articles. Dr. Husain is Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) Distinguished National Professor of Economics and Public Policy. He is currently serving the Board of Governors, National School of Public Policy and Mahbub-ul-Haq Centre for Human Development. He was a member of the Steering Committee on Higher Education appointed by the President of Pakistan in 2003. Dr. Husain received his M.A. in Development Economics from Williams College and was at the top of his class and Ph. D in Economics from Boston University receiving International Student Award for outstanding academic achievement. He is a graduate of the Executive Development Program jointly sponsored by Harvard, Stanford Universities and INSEAD.
Jawad Aslam
CEO, Ansaar Management Corporation
Jawad launched AMC in August 2008 with a vision to create a firm that would become the leader in provision of high-quality, affordable housing in Pakistan. The impetus for Jawad’s aspiration to launch AMC came through his experiences in high end real-estate development in the U.S., low income housing development with Saiban (a pioneer in low-income housing), a Fellowship position with Acumen Fund and a greater call to action regarding the desperate need of housing for the common man. He received an MBA and BSc from the University of Baltimore. Jawad lives in Lahore with his wife and daughter.
Kamran Rizvi
Founding Director, Navitus
Kamran Rizvi is a founding director, trainer, executive coach, keynote
speaker and consultant at Navitus, a leading organization development
(OD) consulting and training firm in the country. He brings
innovative, effective and practical strategies for implementing change
in a variety of organizations striving to grow, build sustainability,
and improve productivity, efficiency, quality and impact. Kamran
pioneered the personal-improvement and OD movement in Pakistan in
1991, after working for fourteen years in retail and commercial
banking in the Middle East and the UK. He regularly writes leadership
and management articles for Blue Chip, a leading business magazine of
Pakistan. Kamran obtained his MBA degree from the University of
Strathclyde, Scotland, where he majored in organization development.
He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Inc., having completed courses
in Management; Executive Image; and Effective Speaking and Human
Relations. He has also attended a number of courses that include
“Leadership for the 21st Century”, at the J F K School of Government,
Harvard University; Dr Peter Senge's “The Learning Organization –
Building a Sustainable Future”; and “Strategic Leadership and Change
Management” at the Wharton SMU Program, in Singapore. Kamran is an
approved training resource for members of YPO (Young Presidents
Organization), headquartered in the United States.
Mian Shahbaz Sharif
Chief Minister Punjab
Mian Mohammed Shahbaz Sharif, born in 1950, graduated with distinction from Lahore. Assumed Presidency of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1985. Member of Punjab Assembly 1988-90. Member of Pakistan National Assembly 1990-93. Member of Punjab Assembly in 1997 for the third time and also chosen to serve as the biggest Province of Pakistan in 1997. Represented Pakistan on International forums including United Nations, where he was hailed for his views and speaking powers. His keynote speech at International Labour Conference held at Geneva in 1981 was appraised all round the world by the labour organizations, activists and democratic world. He is the younger brother of ex-prime minister of Pakistan Mian Mohammed Nawaz Sharif. As a keen businessman he played a vital role in the success of Ittefaq Group of Companies, which was founded by his father and uncles. He came into politics to follow the footsteps of his brother and "Quaid" of Pakistan Muslim League. He remained Chief Minister of Pakistan's biggest province, Punjab from 20 Feb 1997 to 12 Oct 1999. During his government, development and progress of the province was appreciated by national and global media. Ghost schools were eliminated and IT sector and foreign investment was given warm welcome. Due to his good policies Microsoft and Oracle made a huge investment in Pakistan. Shahbaz Sharif is considered a strong and disciplined character in the politics of Pakistan. His administration was considered the best in the history of Punjab, as he controlled the beauracracy and cut the red tape. He was elected as the president of Pakistan Muslim League on 3rd august 2002 while he was on exile in Saudi Arabia. In the meeting of central executive committee he was elected unopposed. The move to pass on the party leadership to Shahbaz Sharif suggests that the PML (N) still believes it is the charisma of the Sharif name which may win them votes in the elections. Mian Shahbaz Sharif was re-elected President of PML(N) for the second term on 2nd August 2006. After winning the majority in Punjab province in 2008 elections, he is elected as the leader of the house. He is expected to take part in the by election and take the position of the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Monis Rahman
Chairman & CEO Naseeb Networks / ROZEE.PK
Mr. Monis Rahman is Chairman and CEO of Naseeb Networks, a leading provider of recruitment, social networking, classifieds and related services in Pakistan. Under his leadership, Naseeb Networks launched ROZEE.PK, Pakistan’s most powerful recruiting platform which is used today by over 32,000 employers, 1.5 Million professionals and 85 HEC accredited universities. He leveraged the company’s initial success to raise a historic round of venture capital investment from two leading Silicon Valley funds – ePlanet Ventures and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Mr. Rahman completed his undergraduate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and did graduate coursework at Stanford University. He has been featured by numerous magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, CNN, InfoWorld, Red Herring, Infoweek, The Chicago Tribune, CIO Pakistan and several others.
He currently serves as the President and Member Board of Governors of TiE Lahore, the Lahore chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, the world’s largest non-for-profit organization of entrepreneurs. He serves on the Advisory Board of Acumen Fund Pakistan, CARE Foundation and Board of Directors of Kashf Microfinance Bank. He has also served on the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA). He is the recipient of International Data Group CIO Pakistan Pioneer in Innovation 2008 award.
Nasreen Kasuri
Chairperson, Beaconhouse School System
Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri, nèe Nasreen Monnoo, comes from a business family. She did her Bachelor’s in Applied Psychology and History from Kinnaird College – Lahore. She studied Child Psychology at the postgraduate level at the Punjab University. She has also done her Master in Business Administration (MBA) and holds a joint degree issued by the Universities of NYU (USA), LSE (UK), and HEC (France). Mrs. Kasuri founded the Beaconhouse School System in 1975 which is today the largest and oldest private school system in Pakistan, perhaps even in South Asia. It is spread over 30 Cities throughout the country and overseas and has a student body nearing 181,958 and a staff exceeding 15,613. Beaconhouse prepares its student for the Cambridge ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels as well as the local Matriculation examinations.
Parvez Sufi
Managing Director, Pharmagen
Parvez Hussain Sufi has been the Managing Director of Pharmagen Limited since 1992. Mr. Sufi is a fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. Previously, Mr. Sufi was a practicing Chartered Accountant having been associated with reputed firms of Chartered Accountants. Thereafter, he joined Pharmagen Limited in the capacity of Managing Director and till date he holds the same position. Most recently, he received global recognition from world prestigious organizations for his outstanding performance in Corporate Management and contribution towards the development of Corporate Sector in Pakistan and for his tireless services and devotion for the social welfare of his country and countrymen under the flag of M.H. Sufi Foundation, a non-profit organization. The American Biographical Institute (ABI) in recognition of his services has included him in the Ultimate Professional Directory and has selected him as an honorable member of WHO's WHO Historical Society for the year 2008. American Biographical Institute has also marked him in the list of Great Minds of 21st Century and awarded him Man of the Year representing Pakistan for 2008.
Razak Dawood
Chairman, Descon
Mr. Razak Dawood, a leading entrepreneur, currently holds the Chairman office of Descon, the biggest construction and engineering conglomerate in Pakistan. He has also served as the former Director of the State Bank of Pakistan and as Managing Director, Descon Engineering Ltd., Dawood Hercules Chemicals Limited and Lawrencepur Woolen & Textile Mills Limited. He is the former Chairman, Lahore Advisory Board Management Associate of Pakistan. He has been a member on the Board of Governors, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital & Research Center; Visiting Faculty, Department of Business Administration, University of Central Punjab. He is the former Chairman, Pakistan Business Council. He is currently serving as the Rector, Lahore University of Management Sciences; Vice Chairman Board of Governors, National Management Foundation. He is also the member on the Board of Trustees of Care Foundation (Cooperation for Advancement, Rehabilitation and Education). He is a MBA from the Columbia University, New York, USA, and a graduate in Mining Engineering from Newcastle University, UK.
Rizwan Ullah Khan
Honorary Vice Chairman, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade
Rizwan Ullah Khan is currently acting as Country Manager, The Coca-Cola Export Corporation Pakistan & Afghanistan and looking after the Business of both countries. He did his O ‘Levels from the University of London in 1982 and then landed up in Ohio, USA for his Bachelors degree in Business Management from Hiram College in June 1987. In 1988 he came back to the country and worked for Orient McCann, an advertising agency as Management Trainee. He then joined the Pearl Continental, Hashoo Group as part of their Marketing Team. Rizwan became the Country Manager on Sept. 1, 2005 till to date. Since then, his journey of CSR work includes CARE, SAHARA for life trust-Zakat campain, Earthquake Relief Efforts, COCA-COLA – WWF ENVIRONMENT PRESERVATION PROJECT, LUMS SSE ENDOWMENT FUND SCHOLARSHIP, Donation to NCHD Karachi for IDPs, Inauguration of water filtration plant at Haripur, Donation to LABARD. At the same time, Rizwan is also holding the post of the Honorary Vice President of the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) which is headed by the chief minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif. He is a member of various boards of which he is the President of American Business Forum (ABF). He is a board member of the Bank of Punjab (BOP) and is also on the board of National Commission of Human development (NCHD).
Seema Aziz
Founder & Chairperson, CARE Foundation
Seema Aziz is one of those rare entrepreneurs who has managed to build one of Pakistan’s best known textile brands (Bareeze) while at the same time has diligently built her social organization (CARE Foundation) which educates over 145,000 children through 213 schools in Pakistan. She holds board and governing body positions with TEVTA, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade, Pakistan Fashion Design Council and the Punjab Education Foundation. Seema is a graduate of Harvard Business School.
Shahid Kardar
Governor , State Bank of Pakistan
Mr. Shahid Hafiz Kardar assumed the charge of the office of Governor, State Bank of Pakistan for a period of three years with effect from 9th September, 2010. Mr. Kardar, 58, an economist of repute is the 16th Governor of SBP since its inception in 1948. Prior to joining SBP, he was associated with Issues and Policies Consultants as Managing Partner since 2001. Mr. Kardar had also served as Minister for Finance, Planning & Development, Excise and Taxation and Industries & Minerals Development, Government of Punjab from November 1999 to January 2001. After completing his BA (Hons) from the University of Punjab in 1974, Mr. Kardar did his PPE (with major in Economics) from the University of Oxford in 1976 following which he completed his Chartered Accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales in 1979. During his long and illustrious career, he also held several other key positions including Chairman of the Punjab Education Foundation from June 2005-October 2008 and a Member of the a) National Commission for Government Reform (2006-2008); b) Banking Laws Review Commission for 4 years until 2007; and c) the Advisory Board of Kashf Microfinance Bank Ltd.; and d) several government Committees and Task Forces set up by the Federal and Punjab Governments at various points in time since mid 1980s.
Syed Zahoor Hassan
Professor Lahore University of Management Sciences
Syed Zahoor Hassan is a professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences where he served as Vice Chancellor between 2001 and 2008. He has served on boards of various organizations including PTCL and currently is on the board of Systems Limited. Dr. Zahoor completed his PhD and two masters degrees from Stanford University.
Tariq Shaikh
CEO & Managing Partner RHT Partners
Tariq has some 15 years international experience in private equity, venture capital investing, advising, valuing, raising finance and structuring transactions for companies and investors in the Education, Healthcare, Energy, Industrial, Business Services & TMT sectors. Tariq has a broad set of experience having worked on numerous transactions with cumulative aggregate value in excess of 30 Billion dollars, in the US, Europe and the Middle East. During his early career at Credit Suisse First Boston, Tariq worked in the Energy, Utilities, Infrastructure & Project Finance Group in London, where he evaluated and executed a number of European and emerging market transactions for both governments and corporates, across Southern Europe, Turkey & the Middle East as well as a variety of domestic UK and cross border transactions involving UK and US electricity supply and distribution companies (including CalEnergy, National Power, Mid American, IVO/Fortum, and Scottish & Southern Energy). Tariq relocated with Credit Suisse (and subsequently UBS) to New York and Silicon Valley, working with the leading Venture Capital firms, growth companies and large multinationals to enable and finance growth and realise exit monetisation for investors through M&A, IPO or recapitalisations. Tariq relocated from San Francisco to London with UBS in 2004 and was appointed to Head the European Semiconductor and Advanced Industrial Investment Banking Team for UBS Europe (one of the youngest Heads of Group in front office) where he executed a number of high profile M&A and IPO transactions in Europe (including (Wacker Group) the largest IPO in German history amongst others. In 2006 Tariq was backed by a number of prominent investors from the GCC and Europe to establish RHT Partners a leading Sharia-compliant principal investment management firm based in the UAE. Tariq is the Founder and Managing Partner of RHT Partners and holds various board & advisory board positions for portfolio companies. Received his Bachelor of Arts & and Master of Arts reading Economics at Cambridge University, England