Give a brief overview of your professional journey. What made you choose your current industry and technology as your career?
My professional journey was not one that I had planned since childhood. Rather, it was a result of decisions made in key moments that drew me towards this path. I did not even know what a computer was until the 1990’s and I did not really start using them until the late ‘90s. At that time, there was a large boom in IT, everyone was talking about it, and I become excited about the possibilities this field would have based on the advice from my elder brother Dr. Liaquat Ali Khan, which is what led me to pursue a degree in IT engineering.
I was fortunate to have some really great opportunities in my early career to work at top companies including Siemens, Lockheed Martin and Marriott. These opportunities and experiences gave me a broader vision of the field and led me to pursue further studies abroad. I ended up getting a job at the UN HQ in Copenhagen and later at Novo Nordisk, one of the largest companies in Scandinavia.
My current industry was not a “career” move in the traditional sense; rather, I saw this as an opportunity to give back. It was always in my heart to return and serve the mountain communities where I grew up. When a CIO opportunity opened at the University of Central Asia (UCA), which specializes in mountain societies, I felt I had to pursue the opportunity. UCA is also part of the larger Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), to which Aga Khan University (AKU) belongs, and my journey continued as now CIO of AKU.
Describe your working style in a few words?
My working style is to make sure I follow the principles that are set out by my organization. At Aga Khan University, these are IQRA – Impact, Quality, Relevance and Access. They have been set by the University’s Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan.
In addition to making sure my team’s work and goals are consistent with these principles, I see myself as an enabler. I am grateful to be surrounded by strong and capable talent, and I have confidence and trust in the colleagues that I work with. I help set the direction in which we are going and am there when it comes to resolving any challenges that are ahead. I try to provide as much guidance as I can when asked, but I also let my team members think through solutions themselves to problems that arise. Overall, I think we are a well-knit and capable team, and I see myself as a supporting individual who helps everyone else achieve their goals.
How would others define your communication style? Do you prefer to be close to your employees or maintain a healthy distance, and why?
In my view, I think we are a single team and have to approach everything with this mentality and perspective. I try to be always professional with my team members, but I would say I am neither too distant nor too close. There is a great deal of respect between everyone, but not to the point that something that needs to be said cannot be said; it’s important to have a cordial and warm atmosphere, where we can discuss challenges and resolve them together. At the same time, I want to ensure I have a strong team that continues to grow and achieve their goals, and I do everything that I can to support them in their endeavours. So, I think the communication style is always open, always frank, but at the same time cordial and warm.
There should be a feeling that we are all one team, and we are supporting one another, that is the most important thing to me for my team. I always try to meet and discuss with everyone regularly, I update my team on items pertaining to the organization, and I seek to constantly understand how things are going and how we can keep doing better – this for me is having strong communication.
As a leader, it is extremely crucial that one is decisive and rational. What do you do when you are stuck or confused?
As a leader, yes, you often have to make some very tough and very quick decisions. However, I have learned that, when possible, it is better to invest time in making the best decision possible, and to understand that we have our own limits and recognize that we have other leaders to turn to for guidance. In my view, we are always learning, all the time, from one another, at every level of the organization. Therefore, I make sure, before deciding, that I understand the views of my own relevant team members, that their views are heard and accounted for, as I see them as leaders too, and experts in their own domain. Finally, I report to the University’s Provost, and when needed, I can have a discussion with him on any matters that are difficult to resolve. That access to other leaders’ viewpoints and thoughts are critical and important when there are tough decisions to be made.
Mention some of the honourable awards received by your person and the company?
Throughout my career, I have been recognized for my work. I have received over 40 national and international awards, including the prestigious DXInspire Award in 2022, which represents the highest accolade a CIO can receive. I have also been honored with the World CIO 200 Legend Award in consecutive three years in 2023, 2022 and 2021 by the Global CIO Forum. In addition, I was awarded the Thought Leader’s Excellence Award by the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, at the closing ceremony of the Global Digital Summit in January 2023. Prior to this, I was named “Innovator of the Year” at Novo Nordisk and have published a book. I had the honor of being Pakistan’s nominee for the United Nations’ highest technology position, Chief Information Technology Officer – Assistant Secretary General.
Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to conduct online public lectures with over 50 global technology leaders, including Vint Cerf, who is considered the ‘Father of the Internet’, and Toomas Ilves, the former President of Estonia (https://careerfinder4all.com/technology-lectures-2/).
The Aga Khan University (AKU) is a pioneering institution of higher education with 17000+ faculty and staff, that works to improve quality of life in the developing world and beyond. The University operates teaching hospitals – Aga Khan University Hospitals, Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, Medical Colleges, Institutes for Educational Development, Graduate School of Media and Communications, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, East Africa Institute and Institute for Human Development. AKU also runs an Examination Board and manages the French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children. More than 2 million patients per year are treated at seven AKU hospitals and more than 350 medical centres.
AKU was ranked among the top 100 universities for clinical medicine and among the top 200 for public health internationally in the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019 released by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Also, the US News & World Report placed AKU among the Top 20 universities in the world for public, environmental and occupational health. We will be celebrating 2023 the 40th year anniversary of AKU’s receipt of its Charter from the Government of Pakistan. To achieve all this in such a short span of time, in my view, is a remarkable institutional achievement, and no doubt in strong part to the excellent leadership that we have in our President, Board of Trustees, and Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan.
What makes your company different from those existing in the market?
Here, I would highlight again that we are a non-for-profit institution founded to improve quality of life in the contexts where we work, which is currently primarily South and Central Asia and East Africa. Our goals are not for ourselves but for the communities in which we work. We are motivated by the fact that our achievements are positively impacting lives. We have to be sustainable, but we are not motivated by profits, which makes us different.
The other major difference, in my view, is the strong principles of Impact, Quality, Relevance and Access which we adhere to, as I mentioned above, and the benefit of having very strong guiding leadership in our President, Board of Trustees and Chancellor.
Our focus is also on quality, and we cannot compromise on this in any way, that is non-negotiable. I think that has been recognized in the countries where we work, and I think it is a major differentiator. Just like in our professional lives, as an organization, we have to be the best at what we do.
As a technology leader, do you believe in micromanaging every aspect of the business or do you believe in efficient management?
Efficient management. I think the days of having one leader in an organization who told everyone what to do and checked every little thing, it is just not realistic or possible right now. Knowledge has changed and the world is far more specialized. We have to recognize that institutions are led by multiple people, each with specific knowledge in their own domains, and that knowledge grows everyday with work exposure and experience. Also, I think you cannot be an effective leader if you spend all your time micromanaging your people, because you then do not have the time to allocate to the bigger picture and bigger questions that the organization is facing, which is your role.
For me, the key is to be surrounded by great people who are passionate about what they do and seeking to be the best at what they do. I trust in their wisdom, their experience, their judgement, and am always there to support and overcome obstacles so that they can get their work done better. Yes, at the end of the day, I am responsible, and I have to make tough decisions or tough calls, but for me, I try to make sure my team is onboard and aware, because there has to be a rationale for decisions, and I believe that it is best to rely on good experience and good counsel from strong and capable team members.
State us your major achievements and your company’s achievements under your leadership.
Our recent accomplishment of ISO27001 certification and the implementation of a Cyber insurance across Pakistan and East Africa are significant achievements during my role as a Global CIO, which shows the maturity of the Information Commination and Technology division. I think that the DXInspire 2022 Award is another major achievement for me and my organization, which validates all the hard work that we have been doing, especially with the recent implementation of the largest Electronic Health Record project in East Africa. This is a huge digital transformation that completely changes the healthcare industry in East Africa and will have a major impact on patient quality of care and our ability to better serve our patients. More importantly, the greater access to anonymous but consolidated data will aid in important health-related research in a part of the world that is often neglected or data poor. The reality is that many new drugs and medical interventions are tested primarily on populations in western countries, whose bodies, due to diet and environment, may respond differently. So, the potential impact on research will be tremendous. In addition, in December 2023, The Aga Khan University (AKU), in collaboration with AIM Consulting, hosted the inaugural Health-Tech Summit in Pakistan, marking a historic step towards advancing technology in the healthcare sector (https://tribune.com.pk/story/2453432/aku-hosts-first-health-tech-summit-in-pakistan).
What would you advise to the young emerging leaders?
Follow your passion and realize that success is achieved through hard work. I have not met any successful person yet who has built something without hard work as the primary ingredient. Also, surround yourself with mentors and people who can guide and help you make better decisions, because we cannot have all the answers on our own, so have good teams and good mentors. There is no reward without risk, but you can minimize the risk as much as possible and try to maximize the reward with good thinking and effective planning.
