Mentoring and advising early-stage startups on valuation, fund raising and investment-readiness

Business licensing services

Investment advisory, Sustainability consulting, and Fractional CFO services

Heading the business development function of the Group, I lead planning efforts for Group’s new ventures, expansion of existing lines and collaboration with potential JV partners. I am also part of various interview panels for hiring of senior executives. Between August 2018 and 2022, I had been on secondment to SkyElectric Pvt Ltd, an associate company of the Group. At SkyElectric, I am directly involved with;- Developing company’s medium-term business plan - Leading company’s alliances with financial institutions for structuring solar financing products for residential and commercial customers- Obtaining and evaluating business intelligence about industry and market trends, competitive threats, potential legislation/policy impact and business opportunities- Maintaining liaison with government/regulatory bodies like NEPRA, AEDB, SBP and BOI for improving existing policies/procedures

Reporting to Group-CEO and heading a team of investment associates, I was actively involved in Group's all key business development efforts including; • Business/financial modelling and valuation scheming for a co-investment opportunity with a leading UK-based investment fund in Group’s healthcare project• Business/financial modelling and valuation scheming for a potential divestment (partial) of Group’s textile project• Commercial negotiations with brand owner (franchisor) and local distribution partners for bringing a reputed Italy-based lifestyle magazine in Pakistan • Potential JV agreements, fund raising, contract negotiations with project developer/consultants, business planning and coordination with foreign majority partner for Group's active real estate development project • Business research and support for Group’s active investment in a scaled up and globally distributed trans-national solar power utility company

Dairy farming, processing and marketing

Reporting to Group-CEO in matters related to business development and investment advisory. Specific tasks included:• Identifying, analyzing and developing business opportunities that create strategic fit with the Group’s overall objectives• Developing business and financial models for existing and potential investments• Assisting various Group companies in development of their annual business plans, management dashboards, performance appraisal systems, and respective budgets• Preparing investment-related information briefs and presentations for the members of Executive Committee• Maintaining close interaction with existing business partners, potential investors/clients, regulatory bodies and government agencies• Establishing new business contacts and relationshipsMajor projects included;Fast-food Franchise Operations in PakistanWorked on master-franchise opportunity of a leading global fast-food brand in Pakistan. Responsible for conducting market research, market intelligence, meeting potential vendors/supply-chain partners, pitching potential investors (local and foreign) and preparing financial models. I was also actively involved in commercial and legal negotiations with the franchisor that spanned over four months. SCM/RDF ManufacturingSpearheaded team’s efforts on Saif Holding’s joint-venture with Lafarge Industrial Ecology Division for processing of Solid Combustible Material (SCM) into Refused Derived Fuel (RDF). The deal involved JV’s long-term off-take agreement with Lafarge Pakistan Cement Limited. The supply-side was secured through a sub-contractor agreement between the JV and Lahore Compost (Pvt.) Ltd. Was responsible for coordinating technical and commercial studies, developing business plan and negotiating commercial terms with the JV partner and lead customer.

The team worked as the Private Investments Arm of the Saif Group. The investment mandate was to provide growth and expansion capital to selected private businesses in Pakistan, although capital could also be deployed in pursuit of “green field” opportunities. My role was to provide technical and managerial support to the team across the full investment cycle, covering: • Deal Sourcing/Origination Work • Evaluation/Due Diligence • Negotiation/Execution/ Structuring • Monitoring • Exit StrategiesMajor deals originated and analyzed involved growth and greenfield capital investments in;• Branchless banking service operations• Operations of independent ATM network in Pakistan• Distribution and logistics service company• Educational institution providing professional coaching in finance and accounting• Plastic packaging products manufacturing company• Commodity rail freight operation under the Open Access Policy of Pakistan Railways on a Build, Operate and Own (BOO) basis set up as a Public-Private Partnership scheme• BOO-mode multi-grain storage facilities under Public-Private Partnership scheme with Government of Punjab

In the capacity of Financial Analyst and later as Senior Financial Analyst:• Worked as a member of Rating Committee to provide entity ratings of companies in the financial and real estate sector• Wrote detailed company credit reports, press releases and summary opinions for publication• Developed financial summaries, stress projections, peer ratio analysis and other comparable models to supplement rating recommendations used in internal committee and external issuer meetings with CEOs and CFOs• Worked as part of team to create Developer Grading Methodology for Real Estate Developers• Produced credit reports on associate companies of three of the largest groups of UAE; Emaar, MAF, and Enshaa

Various assignments included:• Operational Restructuring of Abu Dhabi Municipality Department, UAE• Annual Audit of Attock Refinery Limited, Rawalpindi