People at Karandaaz

At Karandaaz Pakistan, we believe our people are our biggest assets. Our culture revolves around a set of guiding values that all our employees live by every single day. Every day at Karandaaz Pakistan, there is an opportunity to collaborate and innovate with the best in class talent to come up with solutions to make a difference in the society we work in. We, as an employer, strongly believe that our people are our biggest strength and asset for our long term growth and success. We encourage our employees to be innovative, creative, versatile and empowered. We invest in our people by providing them with opportunities for growth and an environment where they can learn, transform, collaborate, thrive and develop. Our integrity, objectivity, and policy of open and honest communication foster trust and collaboration. The flexibility and diversity in our approach towards solving real issues instill a culture in which people share knowledge and bring out the very best in each other.

Ali Sarfraz

Chief Executive Officer, Karandaaz Pakistan

Ali Sarfraz has vast experience of leading initiatives in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. He was engaged in advising private sector firms while working in senior strategy and operational roles in Asia and Europe. He also developed new strategies for increasing revenue streams of a major mobile operator in Pakistan. While working in senior policy positions in public sector, he focused on building conducive business environments, developing skilled workforce, and adopting technology use for the government. He has an MBA from INSEAD and BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Texas, Austin.

Navid Goraya

Chief Investment Officer, Karandaaz Capital

Navid Goraya brings with himself over 25 years of global experience in asset management, investment strategy, product development and corporate finance. Before joining Karandaaz as the CIO, he was leading a Strategic Advisory Firm, White Oak Advisors Inc, in New York where he was involved in serving private equity funds, family offices, banks and insurance companies in support of global investments in the US, Middle East, South East Asia and South Asia. Earlier, at HSBC USA, Navid advised approx US$6 billion in specialized funds of HSBC and led a global wealth team covering North America, the GCC, and South East Asia. He has also led specialized Investment Banking teams at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Qatar National Bank. At IICG Bahrain, he led a Capital Markets Group managing proprietary funds and endowment portfolios. In Pakistan, Navid has led an award-winning research team at a leading brokerage house in the Karachi Stock Exchange. Navid has an MBA from IBA (University of Karachi) and has also attended the High-Performance Leadership Programs at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, and London Business School. He also serves on the advisory boards of firms in life sciences and financial services in New York.

Rehan Akhtar

Chief Digital Officer, Karandaaz Digital

Rehan Akhtar has 19 years of diverse work experience in the fields of strategic market & segment planning, market research & analysis, new market penetration, project management, business planning, new product development, and analysis and forecasting. Prior to joining Karandaaz, Rehan worked at Telenor Pakistan since 2006 and headed various functions. In his role as Director B2B (Financial Services, GSM & IOT Markets) at Telenor, he transformed traditional postpaid focused B2B teams to a holistic business unit and created unique propositions for business customers combining GSM, internet of things and financial services products and solutions. He also served as Director Customer Care, Director Customer and Service Excellence, Director Business Segment and Head of Segment - Corporate, SME and Postpaid Markets at Telenor Pakistan. Prior to Telenor, Rehan worked at Chevron Oil Pakistan (Caltex Oil) as strategy, planning and pricing analyst.

Mehr Shah

Director, Knowledge Management & Communications

With over 15 years of experience in a wide range of local, regional and global development agendas, Mehr Shah is currently leading Karandaaz Pakistan's Knowledge Management & Communications portfolio. She has worked in notable organisations like the Pakistan Microfinance Network, Hagler Bailly (Pvt.) Ltd., and has been a consultant with The World Bank in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Her key success areas include organizational strategy, primary and secondary research methodologies, organization and project management, team building and profiling for nascent and re-aligned organizations, and research and advocacy. Mehr is a Fulbright scholar and holds an MBA from Syracuse University's Martin J. Whitman School of Management (USA) and a BSc (Hons.) from LUMS. Mehr has a passionate interest in global and local politics and was awarded the Carnegie Fellowship by the New America Foundation in Washington DC, USA in 2013 where she researched the devolution of education in Pakistan.

Farwa Hasnain

Company Secretary & Director Operations

Farwa Hasnain holds both the positions of Company Secretary and Head of Human Resources for Karandaaz Pakistan. As the Company Secretary, she reports to the board of Karandaaz and manages the overall corporate governance and regulatory compliance for the organization. As the Head of HR, Farwa is committed to building a world class team and culture at Karandaaz Pakistan which embodies innovation and teamwork. With more than 12 years of experience in both corporate and development sector of Pakistan, Farwa has expertise in designing Talent Management Systems that are in sync with organizational strategy. Farwa started her career from Tameer Microfinance Bank and has worked on economic growth and energy projects funded by USAID in renowned international development organizations - Chemonics and Engility (IRG). Farwa holds an MBA degree from NUST Business School and a certificate in Performance Management for Non-Profit Organizations from Harvard University, USA.

Adeeb Ali Mirza

Financial Controller, Karandaaz Pakistan

Adeeb Ali Mirza is currently heading the Finance, Admin and Procurement Department of Karandaaz Pakistan. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) having vast experience in planning, implementing, managing, and controlling finance-related activities. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was engaged in public practice as a sole practitioner chartered accountant providing various services included auditing, transaction advisory, financial and tax due diligence etc., primarily to the oil and gas sector companies. At Karandaaz, he is engaged in donor reporting, managing treasury functions, coordinating with auditors, and corporate compliance etc.

Ammar Habib

Head of Risk & Compliance, Karandaaz Pakistan

Ammar Habib has more than nine years of experience in the banking, capital markets, and energy space. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was Head of Risk at National Investment Trust Limited (NIT), which is the largest Asset Management Company in Pakistan, where Ammar was a member of Investment Committee, managing more than PKR 100 billion of capital deployed in equity, and fixed income funds. He was Secretary of the Board Risk Management Committee, while also being Secretary of a committee formed by SECP for development of Exchange Traded Funds in Pakistan. In the energy sector, Ammar has advised on deals with ticket size in excess of USD 2 billion, working on projects ranging from coal mines, off-grid LNG, to solar lease solutions. Ammar was also part of a team managing wholesale risk, risk analytics, and credit modeling at HSBC Bank Middle East. Ammar has completed 2 levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program, while also being a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM). He has a Masters degree in Macroeconomic Policy & Financial Markets from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, as well as an undergrad degree in business from IBA, Karachi.

Hussam Uddin Razi

Specialist - Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Hussam Uddin Razi has been with Karandaaz for more than two years now and joined us as an Analyst in the Knowledge Management Team. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working on National level World Bank commissioned exercises, focusing on designing of research instruments, monitoring & evaluation, developing data collection strategies, collecting primary information, analysis, and report writing. Hussam holds an MSc in Management Consulting from the University of Hull.

Mejzgaan Orakzai

Senior Program Analyst, Karandaaz Digital

Mejzgaan Orakzai provides support in managing portfolio of grants and contracts, ensuring successful implementation of projects and managing and tracking project data for reporting and analysis. She also assists the team in conducting research and gathering data for analysis on digital financial inclusion in Pakistan and at a global level. Mejzgaan has completed her Master’s degree in Policy Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA as a Fulbright scholar, and also holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Prior to joining Karandaaz, she was a visiting faculty at NUST Business School, Islamabad. She started her professional career as a Research Analyst at Research and Development Solutions (RADS) - a public health research company – and contributed to numerous research studies and policy briefs relating to family planning and maternal and child health. She is particularly interested in methodologies testing digital finance service products and solutions for optimal end-user experience and conducting policy analysis for promotion of financial inclusion.

Muhammad Usman Ahmed

Assistant Administration

Muhammad Usman Ahmed currently works as Assistant Administration at Karandaaz Pakistan. Since 2010, he has been working in similar roles at various organizations.

Mushtaq Ahmed

Manager Administration, Karandaaz Pakistan

Mushtaq Ahmed holds more than 20 years of progressive experience working with financial and development organizations. His core expertise lies in financial management and administration. Previously, he served at Management Sciences for Health (USAID Project), Sarhad Rural Support Programme, Financial Sector Strengthening Programme (a project of SDC), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (German Political Foundation), and Search for Common Ground (INGO).

Zohaib Jawed

Ecosystem Specialist, Karandaaz Digital

A development professional with almost 6 years of experience, Zohaib Jawed has worked on cross-cutting portfolio on projects commissioned by both public & private sector entities including State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce, The World Bank, USAID, Water.org etc. He has previously worked with a global consulting firm, Enclude, The World Bank, Grant Thornton Pakistan, and Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in various capacities. He holds a BS degree in economics & finance from Institute of Business Management (IoBM) and an MS degree in economics from IBA, Karachi.

Mehwish Shams

Senior Analyst, Human Resources

Mehwish Shams has almost 5 years of work experience. Previously, she was working as Assistant Manager (HR Strategy & Special Projects) at PTCL where she worked on variety of projects including annual HR strategy formulation and implementation, employee engagement interventions, corporate social responsibility, and corporate communications. Prior to PTCL, she worked as an HR Executive for eConceptions where she was managing various HR functions. She is a graduate of NUST Business School with a BBA in marketing and MBA in human resource management.

Hasaan Anwar Raza

Technical Project Manager, Karandaaz Digital

Hasaan Anwar has a rich experience in the telecom and financial services industry – spanning across more than 9 years. Currently, he is working in Karandaaz digital team as Technical Project Manager. Previously he was working at Telenor Pakistan as a financial services technology expert where his focus was on the technology strategy and architecture while collaborating with Telenor Group and its business units. Other than easypaisa, he has also worked for DTAC (Telenor’s BU in Thailand) and Zong (CMPak). He is a graduate of LUMS with a BSc. Honors degree.

Taimoor Ali

Associate Director Innovation, Karandaaz Digital

Taimoor Ali brings with him more than 8 years of work experience of the telecommunication sector with expertise in the field of managing mobile money partnerships, product development, project management, strategy & pricing, P&L analysis, and direct business sales. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working at Telenor Pakistan (Easypaisa) as Assistant Manager Corporates and Online Payments (Financial Services – Digital Payments). He has also worked as ERP Specialist (Project Management) at PTCL.

Izza Fayyaz

Senior Specialist Finance

Izza Fayyaz brings around 6 years of professional experience in the field of finance, accounting, research, and corporate strategy. Previously, she has worked for Telenor as Corporate Strategy Executive & Cash Management Analyst. She has also worked with UNDP as Financial Researcher and Analyst. She also has ACCA (UK) certification.

Murium Hadi

Women Financial Inclusion Advisor, Karandaaz Digital

Murium Hadi brings with her over 15 years of diverse experience in financial sector with commercial and microfinance banks, Telecom as well as development sector. Prior to joining Karandaaz, she was working with CARE International as Sector Team Lead – Women Economic Empowerment & Acting Head of Strategic Program Unit where she was responsible for identifying industry potential for inclusion of women in the value chain, leveraging of digital finance, and creating entrepreneurship opportunities in a financially inclusive manner. She has also worked as Manager New Products & Consultant Corporate Finance for Tameer Microfinance Bank. She has also worked with leading Telecoms of Pakistan including Mobilink, Paktel (acquired by Zong), and Telenor in Treasury & Finance department. Murium holds an M.Sc. in International Finance from Leeds University Business School, UK and Master of Business Administration from University of Peshawar, Pakistan.

Faisal Mahmood

Associate Director, National Payments Infrastructure, Karandaaz Digital

Faisal Mahmood comes with over 16 years of work experience in the IT and banking industry with special focus on project management, process re-engineering, branchless & e-banking and business development. Previously, he was working as Head of IT & ADCs with National Bank of Pakistan’s Islamic Banking Group (NBP-Aitemaad), where he was leading the IT and e-banking portfolio. He also worked in the capacity of Head of IT Procurement & Vendor Management and Head of PMO at NBP. Prior to NBP, Faisal was associated with SunGard as a Consulting Practice Manager, where he was the Project Manager for core banking implementation/post implementation management for MCB bank, MCB Islamic bank, Burj bank & Faysal bank. He has also worked with Experton, AMZ Group, and UBL and has various certifications on project management and Islamic banking. Faisal also holds MCS (IT Management & E-commerce) degree from SZABIST and Bachelors from FAST & PIMAST.

Muhammad Mustafa

Senior Analyst, Procurement

Muhammad Mustafa was earlier working with Nexicle Consulting and prior to that, he worked as a Procurement Assistant on a USAID-funded project in Pakistan being implemented by International Resources Group (IRG). Mustafa has done his Bachelors in Business Studies (Hon) from University College Lahore and received his degree from London School of Economics (external program).

Muhammad Fahad Khan Niazi

Policy Lead, Knowledge Management

Muhammad Fahad Khan Niazi brings with him over 13 years of diverse work experience in the fields of strategic planning, policy formulation and compliance, techno-commercial and regulatory analysis, business process management, cyber-governance management, and production & international coordination. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working with Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication (MoIT) as Joint Director (Business) where he was primarily responsible for preparation of cases to resolve policy and regulatory issues related to Telecom sector in coordination with relevant government and private stakeholders. He was an active part of the team that formulated Telecommunications Policy 2015 and was the member of working group on payment infrastructure constituted as a part of overall e-commerce framework of Pakistan. He has also worked with MoIT as Project Manager (International Coordination). Prior to joining the Ministry, he was also associated with US Prepaid Telecom (USA) as Product Marketing Manager and Supremesoft Corporation, USA as Business Analyst. Fahad holds an MBA (Finance) from Oklahoma City University, USA and BSc. Textile Engineering from UET, Lahore.

Ahmed Kamal

Senior Specialist, Finance

Ahmed Kamal has around 6 years of work experience in finance, budgeting, and accounting, and financial reporting. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working at Pakcem Limited (Formally known as Lafarge) finance department as Executive Budgeting & Planning. He has also been associated with SNL Financial as Associate Corporate Outreach and Senior Associate Corporate Outreach. Ahmed is a graduate of NUST Business School with MBA & BBA specializing in finance and investments.

Haroon Shuaib

Senior Manager, Communications

Haroon Shuaib brings with him over 19 years of experience in communications and outreach related planning, content production, management, training, monitoring, evaluation, and research. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working in USAID Pakistan as Development and Outreach Communications Specialist. Prior to that, he has also been associated with Chemonics International Inc. as Team Lead, Public Awareness. He has also worked in the capacity of a consultant with The World Bank and as a documentary director with Serendip Productions.

Sadia Khan

Manager, Finance

Sadia Khan brings with her over 8 years of diverse work experience in the field of finance (accounting and treasury). Prior to joining Karandaaz, she was working with VEON (Vimpelcom Global Shared Service Center) as Manager GL (Record to Report- Finance) where she was primarily responsible for delivering financial services to Jazz. Prior to VEON, she worked at Lafarge Pakistan Cement, overseeing actualization, recording and management reporting. She also worked at Telenor Pakistan as an Accounts and a Treasury Specialist for Local Accounting Services and as an Accounts Expert at Global Accounting Services. Sadia is an ACCA Member (Associate of Chartered Certified Accountant-UK).

Lalarukh Iqbal

Manager, Procurement

Lalarukh Iqbal brings with her over 10 years of diverse work experience in the field of supply chain management (procurement and logistics). Prior to joining Karandaaz Pakistan, she was working with Inbox Business Technologies as Manager – SCM Transformation, where she was primarily responsible for delivering transformation for SCM and finance. Prior to Inbox Business Technologies, she worked at VEON, looking after IT supply chain and strategies for business support systems, enterprise support systems, and application development management. Lalarukh holds MS degree (Management) from Szabist University, Pakistan and also holds MBA degree (Finance) from NUST Business School, Pakistan.

Zafar Iqbal

Assistant Manager, Finance

Zafar Iqbal is part of the finance team and was working with Karandaaz in a consulting role previously. He brings over 6 years of experience in the field of Auditing, Compliance and Finance. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working with Ericsson Pakistan as Executive EGMS Compliance where he was primarily responsible for ensuring adherence to group processes and policies. Zafar is a CA finalist and has worked with A.F.Ferguson & Co. as audit supervisor.

Annum Hussain

Senior Associate, Innovation

Annum Hussain is an Associate for the Innovation Challenge Fund in the ICF and M&E Team. Her area of expertise include human-rights, public health, and financial inclusion with an emphasis on the triple bottom line. Her interest in public health and financial inclusion lead to projects with the World Health Organization and Women's World Banking across Latin America and the Middle East. Prior to joining Karandaaz, she worked as a Business Operations Manager at a health-tech start-up in New York. She also brings with her three years of banking experience, as a Cost and Performance Manager at Standard Chartered Bank, where she was responsible for budget planning and strategy development. Annum recently graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Public Administration.

Mahrukh Taimur

Senior Analyst, Human Resources

Mahrukh Taimur is an HR professional with over four years of experience in the field of human resource development, capacity building, and recruitment across two major sectors namely telecommunications and international development. She served as one of the founding members of the human resource department/ function at China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak). She was involved in a variety of activities as a part of the team working for Deloitte Consulting on the USAID Trade Project from capacity building to event management and working for initiatives which strive to promote gender equity. Mahrukh graduated from NUST Business School with an MBA in Human Resources.

Ali Akbar Ghanghro

Manager, Knowledge Management

Over the past 9 years, Ali Akbar Ghanghro has worked in various capacities in non-profits, think tanks and the government in both Pakistan and Canada. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working as a Team Lead Research with Lead Pakistan where he was primarily responsible for managing the Research Portfolio of the Punjab Saaf Pani Project and providing strategic input to the CEO on funding raising opportunities. He was also associated with Pakistan Microfinance Network as Research Manager and Ministry of Finance-Government of British Columbia as Tax Policy Analyst. His areas of interest include public finance, public-private partnerships and financial inclusion. Ali holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Ottawa and brings diverse experience in research and advocacy.

Tahir Qureshi

Manager Innovation, Karandaaz Digital

Tahir Qureshi has more than 9 years of experience of working in the telecom and financial services sectors. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working as Assistant Manager, Corporate Solutions with JazzCash where he was primarily responsible for managing Pan Pakistan Corporate and G2P disbursement projects. He was also associated with Telenor - Easypaisa as Product Executive – Payments for Corporate Collections Segment, and with HSBC Bank as Assistant Manager – MIS, Planning & Analysis. Tahir holds a BBA and an MBA specializing in Finance from NUST Business School.

Izzah Shahbaz

Principal Credit, Karandaaz Capital

Izzah Shahbaz brings with herself more than 10 years of banking experience, primarily focusing on corporate banking, investment banking, credit risk analysis. Prior to joining Karandaaz, she was working with Bank Alfalah as Senior Cluster Manager – Corporate & Commercial Banking where she was managing corporate and commercial relationships (including SMEs) in the major segments such as Oil & Gas, Ship Breaking, Real Estate, Commodities, Textiles, Pharma, Automotive and Services sectors. She has also been associated with Habib Bank Limited as Senior Risk Manager & Project Manager, National Eagles and Angels Association as Equity Research Manager, Burkenroad Institute- Freeman Business School as an Investment Research Manager and Citibank as Senior Relationship Manager. Izzah is a Fulbright Scholar and is a double MBA in Finance, International Business and Energy.

Qamar Aftab

Associate Investment, Karandaaz Capital

Qamar Aftab is a principal investing professional with over 6 years’ experience of private equity, corporate finance, real estate and greenfield projects. During the last 6 years, he has worked with various PE boutiques in Pakistan, UAE and Qatar. Sectors of his focus include; real estate, hospitality, healthcare, retail, food & beverages, transport and logistics, water treatment & recycling and industrial manufacturing. Qamar completed his CFA, ACCA & UAECA in the minimum possible time. Qamar also has a first-class BSc hons from Oxford Brookes

Hasnat Ashraf

Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation

Hasnat Ashraf brings with him over 10 years of diverse work experience, primarily focusing on enterprise development, pro-poor value chains, micro, small and medium financing, risk analysis and product and process innovations. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working with Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC) as Portfolio Manager where he was managing a portfolio of over PKR 8 billion to a wide range of Non-Bank Microfinance Institutions. He has also been associated with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) as Portfolio Manager and HBL as Relationship Manager - Corporate Banking Group. Hasnat holds an M.Sc. International Business and Management from the University of Bradford, UK. He also holds an MBA (Banking & Finance) from University of The Punjab, Lahore.

Maryam Sohail

Admin Officer

Maryam Sohail, prior to joining Karandaaz, has worked in Admin and HR on another DFID funded project, implemented by IMC Worldwide. She has also worked with Creative Associates International as Admin and Grants assistant. Maryam graduated from COMSATS University with a Bachelors in Business Administration.

Abdul Rafay

Senior Analyst, Karandaaz Capital

Abdul Rafay has over four years of experience in banking sector. He has worked with Meezan Bank Limited as Assistant Relationship Manager- Corporate & Investment Banking Group. At Meezan Bank Ltd he has managed diverse portfolio of corporate customers, ranging from textile and garment exporters to a major gas distribution company. Prior to Meezan Bank Limited, he has also worked with The Bank of Punjab as Credit Risk Analyst in Risk Management Department, where he analyzed the credit proposals of SME and Corporate customers. Rafay has done his MBA from Lahore University of Management Sciences and also holds ACCA certification.

Hassan Ali

Principal Investment, Karandaaz Capital

Hassan Ali is an investment professional with more than 13 years of extensive experience on buy-side M&A, Business Valuation, Financial Modeling, Due Diligence across various sectors including Banking, Healthcare, Education and Real Estate and has been involved in the deployment of capital in excess of US$ 3 billion over his career. Prior to joining Karandaaz, Hassan was working as an Associate Director with The Abraaj Group. He has also led the corporate finance team of BMA Capital Management Limited as a Senior Vice President. Hassan started his career with KPMG in Pakistan. Hassan is also a Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants UK and completed his B.Sc. in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University UK.

Muhammad Ali Shah

Senior Specialist, Procurement

Muhammad Ali Shah is a Procurement and Operations professional with over 18 years of diverse work experience with multinational companies and development sector in Pakistan. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he has worked at USAID funded KP Governance Project as Operations Manager. He has also been associated with other USAID projects including Engility Corporation and USAID Safe Drinking Water Project where he was responsible for procurement and contracts management, negotiation, conflict regulation, supplier relationship, logistics and administration. He holds an MBA in Marketing and a BBA from Newports Institute of Communication & Economics. He also holds MS in Supply Chain from Bahria University, Islamabad.

Samia Salik

Senior Analyst, Karandaaz Digital

Prior to joining Karandaaz, Samia Salik was working with Jazz Pakistan as MBB Segment Specialist. She has also worked in Telenor as Channel Planning Executive. She has experience of products, pricing & analytics in Telecommunication Sector. She has also been associated with Launchpad Interactive, a digital marketing firm where she looked after the on ground & digital activations of local brands of Pakistan. She holds an MBA (Marketing) and BBA (Marketing) from International Islamic University.

Hashim Sohail

Senior Analyst, Knowledge Management

Hashim Sohail has over 5 years of work experience in the financial and research sector. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working with Faysal Bank Limited – Investment Banking Group. During his tenure at Faysal Bank, he was an active part of the Equity Advisory and Debt Syndication Team, and participated in the successful closure of landmark transactions where Faysal Bank served as the Mandated Lead Arranger. He has also served as a Buy Side Equity Analyst, where he was a part of the Finance & Investment Management teams at the renowned Asset Management Companies of Pakistan – UBL Fund Managers and Atlas Asset Management and has also worked with Topline Securities as a Research Analyst. Hashim has done his ACCA and holds a First Class Honors in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes as well. In addition, he has also successfully completed the CFA program in June 2017.

Saad Gul Malik

Associate Investment, Karandaaz Capital

Saad Gul Malik is an investment professional with over 5 years of work experience in project finance, buy & sell-side transactions, valuation, research, and investment appraisal. Prior to joining Karandaaz, Saad was working in the Investment Division at Fauji Foundation. He has diversified exposure in different sectors including fertilizer, cement, conventional & alternative energy, banking, infrastructure, food processing, healthcare and education. Saad has successfully passed all the examinations for the CFA, FRM, and CAIA qualifications.

Areej Javed

Senior Analyst, Communications

Prior to joining Karandaaz, Areej Javed was working with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in the capacity of Communication and Coordination Assistant in collaboration with stakeholders such as UNDP and the Election Commission of Pakistan. Prior to UNOPS, she worked for CM Pak Ltd. (Zong) in the capacity of Government and Corporate Projects Officer for Zong's Mobile Financial Service. Areej holds a BSc in Economics from NUST Business School and is an avid reader and traveller.

Alina Rashid

Associate Strategic Investments, Karandaaz Capital

Alina Rashid holds a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises from Syracuse University, USA through the Fulbright Student Scholarship Program. Previously, Alina has worked as a Senior Analyst in the SME credit and equity program of the company. She also has over four years of banking experience in corporate banking, strategy and initiatives, and organizational development. Alina holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from LUMS and has cleared CFA Level 2.

Syed Ali Navaid

Senior Associate Credit, Karandaaz Capital

Syed Ali Navaid is a banking professional with over 20 years of successful and diversified job profile, comprising of Corporate, Commercial/Retail, Agriculture and Credit Risk Management (underwriting) banking positions. Before joining Karandaaz, he worked as an Access to Finance Specialist at USAID SMEA. He has expertise in Risk management at United Bank Limited. He also has extensive Corporate Banking experience at KASB Bank, Saudi Pak Bank and Union Bank Limited. He also has Commercial Banking and Credit & Marketing experience from working at HSBC, Bank Alfalah and Union National Bank, Abu Dhabi. He was also nominated as SBP “Master Trainer” and conducted workshops on behalf of SBP for Agriculture Value Chain Financing program.

Umar Saeed

Program Manager, Karandaaz Digital

Umar Saeed has over 14 years of diverse experience of working in business development, project management, product development, internal audit and strategy, and planning department. Prior to joining Karandaaz he was associated with Telenor Pakistan for almost 9 years serving in different roles in the commercial division and CEO office. He has also served in Technology division of Mobilink. Umar holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics and Telecom) from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad. He loves gardening, traveling, reading books on history and playing squash.

Ammar Rafi

Senior Analyst, Karandaaz Capital

Ammar Rafi has worked at Habib Bank Limited, Bank Alflalah Limited and United Bank Limited as well as CFS Management Services Limited in the UK. In his last position, Ammar worked as a Financial Analyst at Agriculture Delivery Unit, Agriculture Department, Government of Punjab. His work with Government of Punjab mainly comprised of developing digital payment gateways for financial inclusion of farmers in Punjab, Product Development on Youth & Women in collaboration with USAID and managing Punjab Fasal Bima (Takaful) Scheme. Ammar has a Bachelor's degree from Manchester Metropolitan University UK and Master's degree from the University of Bradford UK in the field of Finance.

Saif Shafi

Associate Director, Digital Transformation Projects, Karandaaz Digital

Mr. Shafi brings with him over 35 years of work experience in national and international organizations in various roles including R&D, Engineering, Program Management and P&L responsibility. Prior to joining KRN he was working with The Citizens Foundation as Chief Information Officer (CIO). He has also been associated with Jubilee General Insurance Company Limited as Chief Information Officer, Burj Bank Limited as EVP - Group Head Technology, Operations & Branchless Banking and KASB Bank Limited as EVP - Chief Information Officer. Mr. Saif has BSEE Electronics from Northrop University, California.

Shankar Talreja

Senior Analyst, Karandaaz Capital

Shankar Talreja has over three years of experience as a sell-side analyst in leading brokerage houses of Pakistan. Prior to joining Karandaaz, he was working at Topline Securities, Karachi for almost two years in the capacity of Senior Analyst where he was covering the energy sector. He has been associated with Aba Ali Habib Securities as a Research Analyst as well. Shankar is currently CFA level III candidate and has done his BBA (Finance) from the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur.

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