I had two undergraduate degrees – one in Film, and one in Creative Arts and Expressions from York University in Toronto, Canada.
After that, I did an MS in Media Management from the University of Stirling in Scotland, and now I’m doing the MBA at Nottingham University.
What sort of work experience do you have so far?
I have been working since 2004. I worked with Starcom Media Vest in Toronto, Canada dealing with media buying and planning – they decide how much money a brand wants to invest in what platform – radio, or television or film.
Then I was involved in our family business, Eveready Group of Companies. We’re into film distribution and production, TV production and marketing and other media-related activities.I was working with branded entertainment, that is, advertiser-funded programming.
And then I moved into business intelligence. I worked with a company called AC Nielsen and with TNS Global for a considerable period of time.
I went on to take charge of my family business – it is around 60 years old and is a mid-size company in Pakistan. I was there for over two years as the CEO.
Why did you choose to do an MBA in Corporate Social Responsibility?
Things like Enron and the BP disaster made me think that the world I’m going to step into for the next five years is going to be very uncertain, and one has to think about more than just making profit today and making profit tomorrow.
Doing business in Pakistan doing business over the last two and a half years, I was hit by the scarcity of resources – no power and water shortages - all because of the mis-management of resources.
I want to be more sensible about these decisions, to be able to survive in the long run and live sensibly in the coming decade. And all of this will be covered by doing this MBA in CSR where the main thing you are taught is being responsible for your decisions, and taking a long-term approach instead of a short-term approach. So it was just to be prepared better as a business leader and a responsible citizen for the times to come.
How did your interest in business start?
I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. I have been working in the family business since I was 14 so the interest has always been there.
And I was very lucky to work in business intelligence too – that really expanded my perspective. It was interesting to see what the market thinks about your business as well as the moneymaking bits, the processes and structure.
Is your previous work experience helping you handle your MBA course better?
Work experience has definitely helped me but coming here, I’ve realised that even when you think you’ve learnt a lot and worked in some big corporations, it’s still not enough. There’s still a long way to go.
What is the best thing about your course and school?
The community feel. The first day I went to class, the academics had planned so well how they were going to get us to break the ice with a lot of interpersonal skills-building sessions. By the third day of school, everybody knew everybody. Not just by names but we were familiar on a one-to-one basis. There was a great feeling of being the class of 2010-2011 and that is quite amazing to accomplish within a few days
Is there any special memory that stands out in your academic life?
With Nottingham University – getting the scholarship! That was special. I thought it was very, very big. It gives me a special connection with the school – it was a place I wanted to come to, and they invited me in a way and I feel quite honoured.
Do you have any tips for future MBA students?
It is important to show your academic drive because an MBA program is not an undergraduate degree which will span over three years, and it is not an MSc which is more relaxed. This is like being at work – eight hours a day, five days a week and more outside of these hours. So this is like a hard-core job and you need drive to finish the program.
Who has been your inspiration?
I admire my grandfather. He was very big in South Asia and he pioneered film distribution first in Pakistan and then India and Bangladesh. He was somebody who did not have a Bachelor’s degree and was not highly educated, but his system and methodology and the way he did things were just fantastic. It’s commendable that employees would stick around for over 45 years and still be coming into office to say hello to the management because they have had such a great experience working in the company.
So what do you do for fun?
I’m very social and love to go out. I have a bit of an explorer in me so I go out and explore the town and places. I like sports – I have won a few awards as well in Pakistan for revolver and pistol shooting. And now, I just enjoy running.
What’s next after your MBA?
What is next is a vacation! I’ll need a really good vacation after this MBA!
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