Top 10

Entrepreneurs of
Pakistan
Muhammad Qasim
BM-26764
Entrepreneurship
 Monis Rehman

"In the game of can-you-top-this entrepreneurial

hardshipwho slept the least, whose office was tiniest,
who choked down the most Ramen noodlesMonis
Rahman holds some formidable trump cards."

Internet entrepreneur with 15 years of experience

setting up online businesses in emerging markets
and delivering results. Expertise in raising venture
capital, maximizing returns on small budgets,
managing sales organizations and product
development teams, mergers and acquisitions,
remote team management and out-of-the-box
marketing to make the universe conspire with me.
 Monis Rehman

Monis Rahman is a Pakistani internet entrepreneur, venture

capitalist and businessman.

Rahman is the co-founder and executive chairman of Naseeb

Networks, Inc. a business-oriented social network used
primarily for online job recruiting.

Rahman has been listed among the top entrepreneurs of 21st

century several times. Forbes named him at #6 on its list of
top "Ten Big Hitting Asian Businessmen under 50"
 Monis Rehman
After completing his studies at Wisconsin, Rahman went to
work at Intel.

With the Intel team, he developed an Itanium microprocessor

chip between 1991 to 1996 and left the job after looking at
the dot-com bubble rise in order to start his own company.

In 1997, Rahman and a partner started a company that

installed cameras in daycare centers, allowing parents to
watch the video streams online in real time. Edaycare.com
attracted $2.5 million from investors, including Ron Conway,
an early stage investor of Google and PayPal. A year later
Rahman and his partner ran out of money, forcing them to
sell the company for stock that was beneficially worthless.
 Monis Rehman
Launched company from a small room in my house to a 130
employee venture capital back leader in online recruitment
platforms.

We run ROZEE.PK, Pakistan's most powerful recruiting

platform used by 66,000 employers and 5 Million job
seekers. The site processes 40,000 job applications each is
was visited by 60% of all Internet users in Pakistan in 2013.

Naseeb Networks also runs Mihnati.com, Saudi Arabia's

leading indigenous recruiting portal after a recent
acquisition. Mihnati has the largest database of Saudi
professionals in the world and has worked on projects with
the Ministry of Labor as part of its Saudization initiative.
 Monis Rehman
Finja, a recent entrant in Pakistans FinTech scene, today
announced the pilot launch of its new mobile wallet and its
appointment as a Super Agent by Finca Microfinance Bank
under the branchless banking framework approved by the
State Bank of Pakistan.

Finja is jointly conceived by co-founders Qasif Shahid and

Monis Rahman, who are known industry veterans with
extensive domain experience.

Monis is one of Pakistans Internet pioneers. He launched

ROZEE.PK, Pakistans largest online recruitment
powerhouse in 2007, serving 65,000 employers and 5.5
Million registered professionals. He has raised $11 Million
to date in venture funding for online startups.
 Qasif Shahid

We believe banking products should look

more like social networks than conventional
banking products,

My specialization lies in effectively driving change and

innovation through the introduction of new-age retail
banking products, service and solutions and in making
money from future oriented business ventures.

I have been in the industry for close to 20 years now. Part

of my experience involves multi-cultural/geographical
experience in conceiving, building, marketing, managing
and growing digital led payment businesses.
 Qasif Shahid
Qasifs specialization also stretches into the management and the build-
up of supporting delivery channels to these businesses such as
ATMs/CDMs, Point-of Sale terminals, E-commerce channels, Call Centers,
branch and service center management and in forging cross-industry
alliances and in developing winning partnerships with payment
associations, technology solution providers, outsourcing entities and in
working closely with the regulators.

Additionally, I offer a critical view on micro-finance and the growth

potential offered by digitization. I believe that the analog nature of all
three touch points of micro finance business case has deprived it of its
true potential which can be drastically altered through digitization.
Hence, I am currently modifying the business case for micro-finance in
two countries Pakistan and Tanzania. In Pakistan, I am leading the core
team under FinJA working in partnership with FINCA Microfinance Bank
in building the FINCA mobile wallet. In Tanzania, I was the lead
consultant for the digital strategy for Access Bank. This includes
changing the micro-finance business by digitizing the on-boarding,
disbursement and lending in both Pakistan and Tanzania.
 Qasif Shahid
Started his career from ABM Amro Bank, The position reported to the
Managing Director of ABN AMRO consumer businesses in Singapore,
Indonesia & Malaysia. Duties included conceptualising and implementing
branding strategies to achieve the banks mission of becoming a
significant and profitable consumer banking business in Singapore.

Then moved to Standard chartered and later MCB in digital banking

arena, Head of Payments was responsible for managing all banking
transactions and payments in the retail-banking environment as a
business. The role came with bottom-line responsibility and required
management and oversight of all aspects of existing retail banking digital
products, channels and services along with the responsibility of
developing new ones.

He later moved to Singapore and launched FinSurgents, it is a financial

services startup consultancy incorporated out of Singapore with a current
portfolio of clients in Pakistan, UAE, and Tanzania.
 Qasif Shahid

Finja, a recent entrant in Pakistans FinTech scene, today announced the

pilot launch of its new mobile wallet and its appointment as a Super
Agent by Finca Microfinance Bank under the branchless banking
framework approved by the State Bank of Pakistan.

Finja is jointly conceived by co-founders Qasif Shahid and Monis

Rahman, who are known industry veterans with extensive domain
experience.

Qasif recently led the development of mobile payment and wallet

platforms at MCB Bank Pakistan and AccessBank Tanzania. He
previously headed digital banking at ABN AMRO playing a lead role in
introducing mobile led commerce in Singapore during the early 2000s.
 Agha Sahab
The conventional definition of management
is getting work done through people, but
real management is developing people
through work.

In the words of former BCCI chief financial officer Masih

ur Rahman "I remember looking into his eyes and
seeing God and the Devil balanced equally in them."

Agha Hasan Abedi also known as Agha Sahab (14 May 1922 5
August 1995) was a Pakistani banker and philanthropist who
founded the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) in
1972.

BCCI was, at one point, the seventh largest private bank in the world,
but it collapsed in 1991 after regulators in the United States and the
United Kingdom found it was involved in a money laundering
scandal. Mr. Abedi underwent a heart transplant operation in 1988,
and died of a heart attack on 5 August 1995 in Karachi.
 Agha Sahab

Agha Hasan Abedi was born in a well-off Shia Muslim family in

Lucknow, British India and migrated to Pakistan after the
independence of Pakistan in 1947. He received his master's degree in
English Literature and a Law degree from Lucknow University.

Beginning his career in 1946 with Habib Bank before independence

of Pakistan, he brought about significant changes in Pakistan's
banking culture when he founded the United Bank Ltd (UBL) in 1959
in Karachi. He was the Founder and the first President. Under his
stewardship, UBL became the second largest bank in Pakistan.

Mr. Abedi introduced a host of professional innovations, including the

concept of personalized service and banking support to trade and
industry, paying particular attention to the bank's overseas
operations.
 Agha Sahab

When banking was nationalised in Pakistan in 1972, Mr. Abedi

founded the Bank of Credit and Commerce International with the
Bank of America NT & SA as a major shareholder. Registered in
Luxembourg, the BCCI began its operations from a two-room head
office in London.

Over the years, it developed into a worldwide banking operation with

branches in 72 countries and 16,000 employees on its payroll. Mr.
Abedi was personally responsible for inducting a large number of
Pakistanis into the field of international banking and almost 80 per
cent of the BCCI's top executive positions at the head office and in
branches in various countries were held by Pakistanis.

"It was founded by the charismatic Agha Hasan Abedi in 1972,

backed by Middle Eastern investors and run mostly by the South
Asians".
 Agha Sahab

Agha Hasan Abedi Auditorium at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of

Engineering Sciences and Technology, Swabi, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, was named after him.

The Gold Medal at the National University of Computer and

Emerging Sciences (FAST), awarded to the highest CGPA Holder of
the batch, is known as the Agha Hasan Abedi Gold Medal.

Agha Hasan Abedi was given the Civilian Award (Hilal-i-Imtiaz) in

2015 for his services to the nation by the President of Pakistan.

Known internationally for questionable business practices, in

Pakistan he is remembered for supporting leading health and
educational institutions like FAST, GIKI and SIUT."
 Risha Ameen

On a macro-level, debt does matter, although what

policy-makers now need to focus on is how to improve
the means of transmission of credit through the
economic system, rather than on increasing the
money supply.

Mr. Risha Ameen Mohyeddin is Senior EVP & Group Chief-Treasury

Management at National Bank of Pakistan. Mr. Mohyeddin was
previously employed as Head-Treasury & Financial Markets by
Commercial Bank of Qatar and Group Executive-Treasury & Capital
Markets by United Bank Ltd.

He received his graduate degree from Boston College and an MBA

from Melbourne Business School
 Risha Ameen
Rigorous and results focused professional with over 15 years
experience working at senior management levels with global
financial institutions and regional firms in the Middle East.
Hands on experience of setting up and managing Treasury
businesses and an in depth knowledge of Balance Sheet and
Capital Management, Equities, FX & Derivatives, Fixed Income
and Structured Products.

Strong track record of new business initiatives, innovative

product development and driving profitable growth, both at
strategic and operational levels, taking a disciplined approach
to implementing best practice across all functions. Proven
ability in exceeding business targets, and commitment to
excellence in customer satisfaction and stakeholder
management, with highly developed leadership and
communication skills.
 Risha Ameen
Rigorous and results focused professional with over 15 years
experience working at senior management levels with global
financial institutions and regional firms in the Middle East.
Hands on experience of setting up and managing Treasury
businesses and an in depth knowledge of Balance Sheet and
Capital Management, Equities, FX & Derivatives, Fixed Income
and Structured Products.

Strong track record of new business initiatives, innovative

product development and driving profitable growth, both at
strategic and operational levels, taking a disciplined approach
to implementing best practice across all functions. Proven
ability in exceeding business targets, and commitment to
excellence in customer satisfaction and stakeholder
management, with highly developed leadership and
communication skills.
 Nabila Maqsood

She believes that the image she gives her clients

must always be as meticulous as her own.

Nabila Maqsood, opened her first salon in May 1986 in Karachi and
through sheer hard work she is the gigantic name we all know
today. Nabila is considered an integral part of the fashion industry of
Pakistan. She has been associated with the fashion world for the past
20 years or so. However she does not let that get in the way of her
business, she has expanded her salon all over Pakistan and has
recently opened a mens saloon N-Gents as well as a Nail Salon.
 Nabila Maqsood
Nabila Maqsood Pakistani hair stylist and makeup artist well
known and respectable beautiful lady.

She is very hard working woman. She has been enhancing the
beauty and style world by adding her innovative and artistic ideas.
Stylist Nabila is tremendously proving herself through her make-
overs and latest styling techniques. One of her big hits is styling Lux
Style Awards outstandingly. 2006 marks the third time the Lux
Style Awards have roped Nabila in as creative stylist.

The best thing about Nabila is the professionalism, she maintains

and the fact that she is a go-getter is every sense of the word. She
has trained a team of extremely professional stylists and has salons
in Lahore as well as Karachi. She brought Pakistans first high end
nail bar to both cities and one can vouch for the fact that once
youve been to Nail Express, no other nail service can be good
enough.
 Nabila Maqsood
Hairstylist, entrepreneur, and all-around diva, Nabila is
someone who has made a brand out of sheer talent, business
skill and hard work. She shares insights of her busy life that
is often shaped around major events in the fashion world in
Karachi and Lahore. Nabila says, organization is key and
timing is the most important thing! A new running joke in my
office is that if anyone wastes one minute of my time, he or
she owes me Rs1,000!

Twenty years into the business Nabila is an icon in herself a

diva who in fact has more star power than most of the
celebrities. She serves with Pakistans A-class superstars
on her client list actors, actresses, musicians, cricketers, vjs
and models included that is no small feat.
 Kalsoom Lakhani
entrepreneurs have the power to change the
world.

Kalsoom is the Founder/CEO of a company called

Invest2Innovate, which aims to support and unleash
the potential of young entrepreneurs in growth
markets like Pakistan.

She has also trained young entrepreneurs, changemakers, and civil society
leaders in Cambodia, Ireland, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, and
has spoken at numerous venues, including the World Economic Forum, U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, U.S. State Department, and the Global
Entrepreneurship Summit. She was previously a Washington, D.C. co-
ambassador for Sandbox, a global network of innovators under 30,
(renamed the Thousand Network) and was a World Economic Forum
Global Shaper. She was featured in Diplomatic Courier's Top 99 Foreign
Policy Leaders under 33 in 2012, and was named an Ashoka
Changemakers/ American Express Emerging Innovator for 2013.
 Kalsoom Lakhani
We operate three verticals (1) Incubate (under which we run
an annual accelerator program in Pakistan, as well as startup
competitions linked to global brands like 1776 and Slush to get
Pakistani entrepreneurs on the global stage, and
support/strengthen other entrepreneurship support programs
in countries like Bangladesh and Iraq), (2) Invest (where we
work with local angel investors, and will be raising an
investment fund to deploy early-stage capital), and (3) Insight,
which provides data-driven research to support the broader
ecosystem, as well as mitigate risk for players looking to
operate/invest in Pakistan (weve released research like
entrepreneurship mapping studies on Pakistan and the Pakistan
Investor Toolkit, and are partners with players like Stripe Atlas
to help Pakistani companies set up operations in the United
States to further grow their businesses).
 Kalsoom Lakhani
Kalsoom also founded the popular blog, CHUP, or Changing Up
Pakistan in January 2008, and has written for the Washington Post,
The Next Web, the Huffington Post, Foreign Policy, NextBillion and
Pakistans Dawn Newspaper. She has a B.A. from the University of
Virginia in Foreign Affairs and Middle East Studies, and an M.A.
from The George Washington Universitys Elliott School of
International Affairs in International Affairs/Conflict Resolution.

Invest2Innovate supports startup communities in growth markets,

and has been operating in Pakistan since 2011. We believe that
startup communities are forming all over the world, but more
fragile or nascent markets can disable and hinder that
entrepreneurial growth. At i2i, we believe the next great
innovators can and should come out of countries like Pakistan,
Iran, and Nigeria, but need the resources and proper ecosystem to
get there. Thats where we come in.
 Asadullah
Good is the enemy of the best.

Asad Ullah Chaudhry is PMP, MVP, Pakistans First

Project+, Asias First IBM WebSPhere portal Solution
Developer,Pakistans First and Early Achiever of
MCSD.NET,Charter Member of MCAD.NET, SCJP,
SCWCD, and OOAD with UML certified professional.

Asad Ullah has served as a Project Management Consultant for

organizations creating project offices, maturity models, and best
practice standardization; currently he is doing workflow management
systems for banking sectors using dot net 3.0 features.

As a leader in professional education, Asad Ullah has trained

organizations how to successfully implement .NET technology,
information technology project management, Database management,
and other courses. He has taught over 5,000 professionals and above
10,000 career beginners.
 Asadullah
Hi! I'm the Program Management Practitioner in AUC
Technologies - we offer Program and Project Management
Consulting, Coaching and Training.

We have consulted companies to achieve their strategic

initiates, through managing their programs, and/or
implementing their PMOs.

We have conducted more than 300+ events and trained

more than 25,000 resource in nine different countries

His clients include Aga Khan University Hospital, Bank

Alfalah Limited, Bank Al Habib, Jaffer Brothers, Microsoft
Pakistan, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pakistan Refinery
Limited, Pakistan Suzuki Motors, Telenor to name but a few.
 Asadullah
As a facilitator, he has more than 300 international events, to his
credit, in four continents, the Americas, Europe, Africa and
Asia. He uses an innovative corporate case study based approach
to transform organizational projects. Academically, he has
contributed to PMIs Standard or Portfolio Management, -
which led to him being selected as one of the 25 global leaders
for Masters in Leadership Program.

Masters in Major Programme Management (MMPM),

University of Oxford, UK [2013- 2016]

Master Certificate, Design Thinking & Art of Innovation,

Stanford University, USA [2011]

Master Certificate in Leadership, PMI Leadership Institute,

USA [2009-2010]
Asadullah
 Mir MAK
Back to the roots, back to my country.

From a government primary school in Karachis

Sharafabad neighbourhood to the centre stage of high
finance on Wall Street, the journey of self-styled
investment guru Mir Mohammad Alikhan was unusual.
But far more unusual has been his journey back from
New York to Karachi.

After founding a full-service investment bank in early 1995 at the age of

29 and then running it as CEO from 110 Wall Street for about four
years, Alikhan currently operates out of a small office located two floors
above a Chinese restaurant on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz in DHA.

In short, the 50-year-old Wall Street veteran who claims to have owned
$2.5 million worth of cars in the United States is now reduced to being a
Facebook celebrity of sorts
 Mir MAK
Mir Mohammad Alikhan is internationally renowned
Investment Banker, Entrepreneur & Capital Markets
Advisor. At the age of 29, he became the youngest Chairman
and Founder of a Full service Investment Bank in America
and the first Muslim to have owned an investment bank on
Wall Street. He has had a successful career as Founder &
Chairman The Financial Group, Inc., Federal Advisor to
Govt. of Pakistan, a Member of New Jersey Governors
Council, a Senior Advisor to New Jersey State Mayors and
US State Senators.

He introduced Islamic Banking Research into mainstream

America by co-sponsoring and advising Harvard University
to launch Harvard Islamic Finance and Information
Program (HIFIP).
 Mir MAK
He also developed "THE WORD'S FIRST ISLAMIC BANKING
BENCHMARK INDEX on WALL STREET Named: KMS-SAMI:
(Socially Aware Muslin Index) Which Is Now A Functional
Index Run By The Dow Jones Indices. He has also been
featured in Whos Who of Top Executives in the World.
Featured in "Humans Of Pakistan" and in 2015 he became
the first Pakistani ever to have a movie produced on his life
through a first time co-production of Hollywood and
Pakistani production house Sermad Films, The Producers
of the movie "JALAIBEE".

His first professional job was with the worlds largest

financial services company at that time, The Prudential
Financial Services. I was hired as a Trainee in Taxation &
Estate Planning Division, at Woodbridge New Jersey.