I spent the first few years of my career working for organisations in the private, government and development sectors, largely in energy and minerals, before deciding to become a development consultant. This has allowed me to work on some of the largest country-level issues, such as climate, public finance, investment, energy finance and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). I’ve successfully completed assignments for the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and USAID, to name just a few.
I was always drawn to the public sector, as it is fascinating to see and contribute to initiatives at a national level. Some of the projects I have worked on have had a profound impact, which makes me very proud.
Growth is outside your comfort zone
I had the opportunity to work as the Pakistan national coordinator for a pre-feasibility study for the Asian Development Bank’s Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). The mechanism examines where a country can accelerate retirement of its high-carbon assets, and involves identifying pre-requisites for undertaking a transaction, such as the willingness of investors, government support for a low-carbon economy, and the need for a robust energy system. If these three things are present, then opportunities can be figured out and negotiated between relevant parties. It’s fascinating stuff.
In my country, if you planned a professional career that usually meant you became an engineer or a doctor, but neither of these attracted me. For me, it’s always been numbers and spreadsheets so I decided to pursue accounting and finance and study for my ACCA – even though it was seen by many as a scary option, with exams that were nearly impossible to pass!
These sayings resonate with me, and are especially important for young professionals: ‘Growth is outside your comfort zone,’ and, ‘You will not run out of knowledge if you share it.’
You need to be able to make things work with teams located across the world
If I had law-making powers, I would introduce legislation that would teach some financial knowledge to younger children in school. The average child is not given enough knowledge about the real world or how finance works. We should show them how to make money, how to raise capital and start a business.
I enjoy being an independent consultant, though it means I must be available beyond the normal nine to five. In the development sector you also need to be able to make things work with teams located across the world, which again means being flexible about your working hours.
My biggest achievement was developing the SOEs database model for Pakistan and Bhutan. This tool helps the governments keep track of reporting lines, total count, and financial and non-financial information about their state-owned companies. It also generates output for SOE performance reports at a country level. I’m very happy to have made such a contribution, especially as governments in developing countries often struggle with transparency and the monitoring of their companies. Some of these SOEs can date back 70 years and are labyrinthine.
I enjoy travelling and exploring new places. On my travels I like to collect souvenirs, such as key chains, models and pictures.
