Syed Khalid Mahmood

Having started his professional career during his student life in the 1980s, Syed Khalid Mahmood has evolved into an acclaimed writer, journalist, author, biographer, broadcaster, editor, publisher, blogger, analyst, presenter and motivational speaker, having worked for many prestigious organizations. He has authored the highest number of books (17) on the subject of sports in Pakistan. 

  

After having studied at Cadet College Petaro and Government Delhi College, Karachi, he graduated as a civil engineer from NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, in 1986. Choosing to devote more time and energy for writing-related works, he became founder member of the editorial team of The News, the famous English daily launched by Jang Group of Newspapers in 1991. He officiated as News Editor and Editor for Daily News, the first-ever evening newspaper of Pakistan. He also worked for The Frontier Post besides having a brief stint with The Mississauga News. 

Jumbo Karachi Guide, the first-ever guidebook of its kind of any city of Pakistan, was conceptualized and launched by his team in 2011. They have plans to bring out similar guidebooks of other cities and countries from the platform of Jumbo Publishing which has already produced numerous high-quality books.

Founding a youth club by the name of The Young Champs in 1984, library activism has featured prominently in his social sector engagements. He has headed Rotary International’s National Library Promotion Committee besides serving as Advisor to a couple of library associations. He is Acting President of Delhi Anglo-Arabic Schools & Colleges Old Boys Association. He is co-founder of Karachi Festival of Books and Libraries which was inaugurated by the President of Pakistan in March 2024. 

 

He himself was an energetic all-round cricketer, being a lively fast bowler and an accomplished top-order batsman. He captained his club’s outfit with great success with his ‘trust in teamwork and believe in yourself’ mantra. He also played hockey, basketball, table tennis and scrabble in his eventful student life.

Asma Hassan

 

Asma Hassan has emerged as one of the most promising and energetic motivational writers from Lahore, whose first book Mayar-e-Zindagi, published in 2020, became a success story as it was lauded profusely by experts and high achievers of different fields. 

Having written prolifically on social issues, Mayar-e-Zindagi, brought out by Jumbo Publishing, showcased the collection of her articles published in various newspapers and magazines over the years. The book was launched with great fanfare at Karachi Press Club and her work was recognized by distinguished speakers for having motivated a large number people through her precise and crisp write-ups. 

She has been contributing for a number of leading newspapers and online platforms as her write-ups attract massive audience of all age groups. She is hailed as the voice of new generation as she takes up a number of current issues and advises solutions to lead more prosperous and purposeful life. 

She completed Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, in 2005 while she had done Bachelors in Education from the Virtual University in which leadership and management were her majors.

Salma Ahmed Alam

 

CEO, Durbeen | Education Reformer | Teacher Educator

Salma Ahmed Alam is a dedicated educationist and the CEO of Durbeen, a non-profit organization committed to enhancing the quality of public schools in Pakistan. With a strong background in teaching and policy, she has been at the forefront of efforts to improve teacher education and public-sector schooling.

Salma’s journey in education began at S.M.B. Fatima Jinnah Government School in Karachi, where she volunteered with Zindagi Trust for four years. She later pursued her higher education at Harvard University, graduating in 2013. Following this, she spent two years working as a consultant with the World Bank, contributing to educational development projects.

Her passion for teaching led her to Singapore, where she obtained a primary teaching qualification. In 2016, she returned to Pakistan and was appointed as the CEO of Durbeen, taking charge of a pioneering public-private partnership at the Government Elementary College of Teacher Education, Hussainabad, Karachi. Under her leadership, Durbeen has been instrumental in reforming teacher training programs and elevating public education standards.

Beyond her executive role, Salma remains deeply connected to teaching. She currently teaches mathematics B.Ed. courses at the college, shaping the next generation of educators. Her work reflects a strong commitment to systemic change in Pakistan’s education landscape, bridging policy, practice, and teacher development.

Omar Shahid Hamid

Omar Shahid Hamid has served as a police officer for two decades. As a member of the Sindh Police’s Counter Terrorism department, he has faced numerous challenges, including surviving an ambush by gangsters, being falsely implicated by colleagues, and narrowly escaping a bombing of his office by the Pakistani Taliban while serving as CID chief.

Following the 2011 attack on his office by the Pakistani Taliban, he took a five-year sabbatical to focus on writing and worked as a political risk consultant. In 2016, he resumed his role as a Counter Terrorism Officer. His insights and experiences have been widely quoted in major international publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Le Monde, Reuters, CNN, and BBC.

His literary career began with The Prisoner (2013), which was longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015 and is now being adapted into a feature film. His second novel, The Spinner’s Tale (2015), won the 2016 Karachi Literature Festival Prize. He received the same award again in 2018 for his third novel, The Party Worker (2017), which is currently being adapted for a TV series. His fourth novel, The Fix, delves into the intricate world of cricket match-fixing. Betrayal marks his fifth novel.

Mahmood Aslam

Mahmood Aslam is a well-known Pakistani actor, widely recognized for his versatile performances in television dramas. He has been a part of the Pakistani entertainment industry for many years, earning fame for his acting skills and strong screen presence. Known for his character roles, Aslam has portrayed a wide variety of characters, ranging from supporting roles to lead performances, often playing authoritative, humorous, or dramatic figures.

He has acted in numerous popular Pakistani television serials, where his ability to adapt to different roles and genres has made him a favorite among audiences. Aslam is particularly appreciated for his natural acting style, which adds depth and believability to the characters he plays.

Over the years, Mahmood Aslam has built a solid reputation as a reliable and talented actor, contributing to the success of many TV shows. His performances resonate with viewers, and he continues to be an important figure in Pakistan’s television industry.

Ibrahim Amin

Mr. Ibrahim Amin is a successful businessman in the financial services sector and is a highly qualified self-motivated professional with a prompt and decisive style of management rendering hassle- free services to all valued clients.

He started his career by working with a renowned Leather Garments Manufacturers / Exporters at Sialkot for two years and attained rich experience of Administration, Foreign Trade, and versatile business techniques. He has achieved a certificate from Leather Industrial Development Organization and was also operating a retail shops in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

There-after, he started his own business of a Collateral & Valuation Management working with Banks in Lahore. Initially with Allied Bank, MCB Bank and The bank of Punjab. He struggled and established a good repute in North by establishing a company “Tristar International Consultant Pvt. Ltd.” which is registered on the approved panel of Pakistan Banks Association as “Any Amount” and all major Local / Foreign Banks for the last 18-years.

He came to Karachi in 2015 to establish and develop business in this big city and he successfully established all services operations in South as well by maintaining high quality standards and good relationship with banks and corporates.

While working with the financial institutions he began contemplating on finding IT solutions for enhancing the customer experience.

Then he started working extensively on training needs of the banking and financial sector specializing in payment systems and IT for which he established an associated Firm under name & style of M/S. Dellsons Associates. This company has its credit numerous conferences on the subjects of Digital Banking, E Money Institutions, Cyber Security, IFRS9 and Forensic Accounting and Fraud Risk Management, just to name a few.

He has to his credit the introduction of an EBot which enriches the banking experience of the CIB through one click of a button. He executed induction of Cyber Security Control Systems in various Banks and also started consultancy services to cater their sophisticated needs by using the modern technologies for up-grading Operational Systems and professional competence of Human Resource amongst Banks & other Organizations.

He has worked on a payment system to help improve the movement of finances for the freelancers of Pakistan and in order to broaden the scope of business-to-customer (B2C) transactions through legal channel, he was engaged with SBP to allow these payments so that freelancers will not have to face any hassle and due to his continuous and countless efforts, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has also enhanced payment limits against freelance services in computer and information systems and other freelance services from $ 5,000 to $ 25,000 per individual per month. After long struggle he succeeded to establish “Pakistan Freelancers Association” (PAFLA) which is a non-profit organization founded to empower Pakistani freelancers through mentoring, providing opportunities, collaborating with government, industry and academia, and providing them a platform as well as a support group to help grow their career and overcome their challenges.

Recently he has partnered with IBA CICT for Digitization of Banking Sector of Pakistan. The project aims to build the capacity of overall banking sector of Pakistan in order to bring technology disruption.

He is also a Mentor and Judge at IBA – Sindh Research Incubation Centre. This is a project initiated by the Information Science & Technology Department, Government of Sindh in collaboration with IBA - CICT to provide the selected start-ups incubation facilities for 6 to 12 months which include co-working space at IBA, utilities, seed capital and access to investors. The objective is to ensure sustainable growth for early stage IT-enabled product based ideas by providing domain specific mentorship and investment opportunities to create commercially viable technology startups from Sindh. He is mentoring Ain Savaree (http://www.ainsavaree.com//) , a new start up providing mobility services exclusively for women.

He has also partnered with PwC Pakistan (A. F. F. Ferguson), PIAIC, ISACA, ACCA and ICMA.

Shahzada Dawood

Mr. Shahzada Dawood joined the Board of Engro in 2003 and currently serves as the Vice Chairman. He has over 2 decades of experience in corporate governance and transformation of industries, including growth and innovation opportunities through mergers and acquisitions of diversified public-listed companies across textiles, fertilizers, foods, and energy.

Shahzada is a leading voice for the institutionalization of key international networks, including the World Economic Forum (WEF). Under his guidance, Engro has become Pakistan’s first company to sign a commitment sponsored by WEF’s International Business Council to implement Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, and has also Shahzada Dawood Vice Chairman & Chairman, BIC joined WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership to promote a circular economy. He aspires for a sustainable future, and believes in inclusive business models involving low-income communities, building value chains along business interests. In line with this, Shahzada serves as Trustee on the Boards of both Engro Foundation and The Dawood Foundation. In December 2020, Shahzada also joined the Board of Trustees of the SETI Institute. He serves as Director across Boards of various companies within the Dawood Group, including Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd and Dawood Lawrencepur Ltd, instituting high standards of corporate governance and perpetuating the future proofing of these businesses.

Shahzada holds a M.Sc. in Global Textile Marketing from Philadelphia University, USA, and a LLB from Buckingham University, UK.

Mubashir Saddique

A Simple Man From a Small Town, Mubashir Saddique recently crossed 3.6 million+ followers on his YouTube channel, Village Food Secrets. The channel has majorly amassed an international following which resurfaces due to the nostalgia that can be observed in Saddique’s videos regarding our very own traditional village life and recipes.

The channel offers an insight into the life of a technology less cooking where simpler and less modern methods are used to prepare delicious continental and traditional dishes. Mubashir shares his story where he was a factory worker and barely earned Rs15,000 per month as his wage. He has a limited educational background that caused various problems but he always felt the need to do better. When he posted his first video it led to an incredible response from the audience. With limited equipment and expertise for Youtube and social media at that time Mubashir was flabbergasted and earned way more than his monthly salary just by posting the single video.

From there on his success journey began. He learned camera and editing skills and to date has posted a total of 1177 videos where each video has above 500k plus views. In his exclusive interview for Page 3, he still remains humble and kind at heart and thanks God for all his blessings. We wish him best of luck for his future and more success to follow for this wonderful youtube star!

(Courtesy : https://page3magazine.com)

Farrukh H. Khan

Mr. Farrukh Khan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited (PSX). He qualified as a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, United Kingdom (UK), and also holds a BA (Hons.) in Economics and Finance from the University of Manchester.

With over 30 years of senior management and board-level experience, Farrukh is an experienced entrepreneur, and leading business and financial advisor who has advised on many landmark transactions. Previously he has held senior positions with Acumen in Pakistan & the UK, including Country Director & CEO, Pakistan, Senior Director Business Development, Chief Business Development Officer and member of the Management Committee. Mr. Khan was the founding partner and CEO of BMA Capital Management Limited. Under his stewardship, BMA established itself as the leading investment banking group in Pakistan and received several international awards, including the 2010 Euromoney award for the best investment bank in Pakistan. His experience includes lead managing the US$813 million GDR offering and London listing of OGDCL, Pakistan’s largest listed company, and successfully advising Etisalat on their $2.6 billion acquisition of Pak telecom, the largest mergers and acquisition transaction and the largest foreign direct investment in Pakistan’s history. Other historical transactions include the US$ 1.5 billion privatisation of Kot Addu Power Company and the US$898 million GDR offering for Pak Telecom. He has advised, either on the buy or sell side, on almost 50% of all successful privatisations in Pakistan, totaling over $4 billion in value. He has also worked with American Express Bank in Pakistan and Deloitte in London.

Mr. Khan has an excellent network and deep knowledge of global business and investments. He has previously served as President of Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI), Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Pakistan Chapter and on the boards of prominent public and private sector organisations. He was also associated with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan as a member of its Policy Board from 2018 to 2019. Mr. Khan was selected by Euromoney as one of the top 50 global financial leaders, below the age of 40 years. His philanthropic interests include children’s health and education.

Dr. Zubaida Sirang

Dr. Zubaida Sirang Eye surgeon and Best-selling author has started doing ophthalmology clinics at the Aga Khan Diagnostic Centre, Jutial main city Gilgit.

The clinic is equipped with state of the art equipments & Lasers for the quality eye care & the following services are being offered: Management of cataract, retinal disease including diabetic retinopathy, pediatric eye diseases, corneal diseases, glaucoma & diseases related to eyelids.

The clinic operates from Mon - Sat, 9 am to 4 pm. For appointments, kindly call at 05811455813.

Ps: Our Ophthalmology services are being expanded to Chitral soon.