Umar Hafiz

Academic

Career

Verbatim text

Umar Hafiz
021-35654012, 0345-4995876
umar.haf.wp@gmail.com
Date of Birth: June 21, 1987
Finance

Having graduated in Economics and Finance, I was fortunate to have ended up at some of Pakistan’s leading financial services providers as an analyst, specializing in equity valuation and investment advisory. This allowed me to pursue a career associated with capital markets, an avenue that I had been interested in for several years.

Working in the capacity of an Investment Analyst allowed me to hone the economic and financial skills I had acquired during the course of my academic life. It also provided me with an amazing insight into most aspects of the Pakistani economy in general, and the different industrial and service sectors listed on the capital markets in particular. I eventually came to specialize in the Fertilizer, Automobile and Oil Exploration & Production sectors of Pakistan.

As an independent (external) analyst, I was often perturbed whenever I came across otherwise viable businesses, which were not performing well (financially) due to any variety of functional and/or managerial issues. It was primarily in order to form a better understanding of these areas (and by extension, play an active role in maximizing a business’ value) that I decided to pursue my MBA from IBA, given the institution’s proud track record of having produced some of the finest business managers in the country.

When I started my MBA program, my understanding of business operations (given my line of work) was mainly shareholder-centric. Two years of extensive discussions, case analyses and lecture sessions later however, I have realized the importance of having all stakeholders in an organization working towards a common objective. Listening to the perspectives of students from a host of different professional backgrounds has also widened the scope of my understanding of business operations.

As an MBA graduate, it is my goal to work at an organization that values hard work, initiative and industriousness, without compromising the core set of values that have been ingrained in me during the course of my education and training.

Educational Qualifications:
MBA | 2014 | Institute of Business Administration, Karachi | 3.10
BSc (Hons) | 2010 | Lahore School of Economics, Lahore | 3.12
*CGPA up to the 2nd Semester

Elective Courses
Financial Engineering & Risk Management, Advanced Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling, Security Analysis & Capital Markets, Supply Chain Management, International Financial Management, Regulation of Financial Markets, Entrepreneurial Management.

Major Term Papers I Reports I Projects
• Signed up Abraaj Capital as a client as part of my MBA project on the development of a sustainable healthcare model in Pakistan.
• Conducted a live case report on K-Electric (formerly Karachi Electric Supply Company) as part of my Corporate Strategy term project.
• Undertook a research project on the Mutual Fund Industry of Pakistan.
• Developed full feasibility reports of projects related to poverty alleviation programs (most notably the establishment of a drip irrigation project).
• Completed a research project aimed at critically reviewing difficulties in the estimation of the health damage function in developing countries.
• Undertook a research project aimed at assessing the impact of FDI inflows on the performance of the Karachi Stock Exchange.
• Completed a project on the Mutual Fund Industry of Pakistan.
• Produced a research report on the role of ethnicity in Pakistani politics.
• Wrote a book (compilation of short stories) as part of an end of term project.
• Directed and produced a documentary and research paper on Pakistan’s film industry.
• Have developed social awareness projects on drug addiction, Sufism, etc.
• Have conducted full economic and financial analyses of various projects at both micro and macro level using various evaluation criteria including IRR, NPV, WACC and payback period (both discounted and otherwise).

Extra-Curricular Activities
• Represented LSE at the inaugural Youth Leaders Entrepreneurship Society.
• Member of the Finance Club at IBA
• Volunteered to participate in a drive aimed at educating the uneducated and undereducated staff at Beaconhouse.
• Went for Cliff Diving and Cave exploration with LSE Adventure Society.

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