Board of Directors
Mr. Tariq Kirmani - Chairman
Tariq Kirmani has more than 50 years of multifaceted experience in the corporate sector, both domestic and international.
After completing his Master’s degree in Business Administration, he started his career with a multinational oil company (Caltex - later Chevron Pakistan) in 1969 and worked for 7 years in the United States (US), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia in different senior management positions in Marketing, Operations and Finance. In 1991, he became the first Pakistani to be elected as a Director of the company.
In 1999, he joined Pakistan State Oil (PSO) as Dy. Managing Director and in 2001 was appointed as the Managing Director & CEO. He turned around this public sector organization and converted it into a customer focused entity by giving it a new brand image and making it profitable while aggressively competing with multinational companies like Shell, Chevron and TOTAL.
In 2005, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) appointed Tariq Kirmani as the Chairman & CEO, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He served the airline for 2 years during which he introduced customer focus, identified and initiated implementation of major programs in three key areas for improvement (a) Aircraft Fleet Renewal (b) Employee Rationalization (c) Systems and Processes through implementation of IT and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Due to his personal efforts, PSO and PIA became members of the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva, Switzerland.
Currently, he is serving as the Chairman of Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO) and Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL). He is also serving as a Director on the Boards of Professional Education Foundation (PEF), Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF), IBA Selection Board and National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
He had also served as the Chairman of Punjab Energy Holding Company (Pvt.) Ltd. (PEHCL), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), United Bank Limited Fund Managers, Greenstar Social Marketing (GSM), Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Advisory Council and National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) and also served as the President of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
He has previously served as a Director on the Boards of multinational and public sector companies such as Chevron Pakistan, Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL), Pak-Arab Pipeline Company Limited (PAPCO), Pakistan State Cement Corporation (PSCC), Asia Pipeline (Pvt.) Ltd. (APL), Board of Governors in LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL), Pakistan Private Infrastructure Board (PPIB), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Mr. Zafar ul Islam Usmani - Director
Mr. Zafar I. Usmani has held multiple C-level positions with multinational and national companies. He has worked as Chief Operating Officer in Cable & Wireless JV, Paktel; Chief Executive Officer in ExxonMobil JV in Pakistan; Senior Vice President Commercial in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation; Senior Executive Vice President in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited and Chief Operating Officer in CM Pak Ltd (Zong). He has overall 33 years of experience with 17 years in C-level positions, with exposure in the area of management, strategy, planning, marketing, sales, distribution, customer services and finance.
Mr. Usmani’s key strength and experience has been in leading the turn around of struggling and/or financially bleeding companies (ExxonMobil JV in Pakistan), and in accelerating the growth of new and smaller companies to critical mass using technology & out-of-box approach (Zong: China Mobile).
Mr. Usmani served as Chairman of Pakistan State Oil Company Limited for more than 4 years where under his dynamic leadership and the Board’s direction and guidance, the company was able to regain its lost market share, enhance storage capacity and made significant strides in a number of areas, specially in the fields of digital transformation, organization restructuring, policies and process improvements and diversification.
Mr. Usmani has also served on the board of directors of Lahore Electric Supply Company Limited, Genco Holding Company Limited, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, China Mobile Pakistan, Mobil Askari Lubricants Limited, R&D Fund, and USF under Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication. He has also served as member on the Information Technology & Telecom Advisory Board under the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication. He has served on numerous committees of the board of directors in different companies which included Finance, Risk Management, Information Technology & Innovation, Strategy & Diversification, Audit, Procurement, Human Resources, HSE, and Customer Services.
Mr. Usmani holds an MBA degree from Marquette University, Milwaukee, USA under USAID Scholarship and PGD from the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi University, and Chief Operating Officers Program from Cable & Wireless College, Coventry, UK.
Mr. Aftab Husain - Director
Mr. Aftab Husain is a Chemical Engineer, and MPA from IBA, Karachi. He has a career in oil refining with over 40 years of diversified experience with PRL, having led all Operations, Technical and Commercial functions in the Refinery. He has been a member of the National Integrated Energy Plan in the Energy Expert Group of the Economic Advisory Committee and served as Refining Specialist. Mr. Husain has been associated with different committees and working groups on oil pricing mechanism, deregulation and refinery issues with the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), Government of Pakistan.
Mr. Aftab Husain is a Certified Director from Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance (PICG). Mr. Husain has twice served as Chairman, Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) in 2015 and 2017. He served as Trustee, Board of Trustees, Karachi Port Trust, from 2015 to 2018 and as a Director of Petroleum Institute of Pakistan (PIP). Mr. Husain has also served as Director on the Board of Pak Grease Manufacturing Company (Private) Limited. Mr. Aftab Husain was a member of the Managing Committee of Overseas Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) from 2014-2016.
Mr. Muhammad Abdul Aleem - Director
Mr. Muhammad Abdul Aleem joined the Board of Engro in 2015 and is Chairman of its Audit Committee.
Mr. Abdul Aleem is currently the CEO and Secretary General of Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce & Industry (OICCI). He has worked in senior positions within both Exxon Chemicals and Engro Corporation, serving in both Singapore and Pakistan. Therefore, he has worked with British American Tobacco Group UK (BAT) in Pakistan and overseas, where he ultimately served as CEO of BAT Operations in Cambodia, Mauritius, and Indian Ocean territory. Since 2004, he has served in senior positions with large Government-owned organizations in Pakistan. His last assignment was as the Managing Director, Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd.
Mr. Abdul Aleem has been a Director and Chairman of Audit Committee of Dawood Hercules Corporation and Meezan Bank until 2018. In the past Mr. Aleem was also a Director of Pakistan Tobacco, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance and Pakistan Refinery Ltd, and Chairman of Faysal Asset Management Company.
As a supporter of leading non-profit organizations in the field of education, Mr. Abdul Aleem is currently Vice Chairman of Professional Education Foundation and Chairman of Intellect School Governing Board.
Muhammad Abdul Aleem is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (Gold Medalist) and Fellow Member of the Institute of Cost & Management Accountant. He has also attended extensive international training programs including at Stanford University.
Mr. Mohsin Ali Mangi - Director
Mohsin Ali Mangi is looking after Corporate Planning & New Ventures, Business Process Re-engineering & Program Management Office as well as leading the Information Technology function of PSO.
He is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of local and international experience working for local and international organisations. His experience spans across diversified sectors in various capacities including Director New Ventures & Diversification, Head Agri-Tech Business, Chief Operating Officer, Head of International Trade, Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker and Equity Research Professional. He is a MBA from LUMS.
Mr. Mohammad Zubair - Director
Mr. Mohammad Zubair is a distinguished leader in the corporate world with a remarkable track record that spans over four decades in the national and international Oil & Gas industry. With a notable career at Chevron (formerly Caltex), a global energy giant, from 1977 to June 2015, he has held key positions such as Country Representative (CEO), Group CFO, and CIA overseeing Country Management, Finance/Internal Audit, and Support Services. His extensive experience includes working across various locations, including Caltex Headquarters in Dallas, Thailand, and Singapore, offering him a deep understanding of diverse manpower and professionals across the globe. A seasoned Board Member, Mr. Zubair represented Chevron on various Boards and Committees in Pakistan, Egypt, and Middle East countries. After his tenure at Chevron spanning over 37 years, he joined Total-Parco as Group CFO & Corporate Head, further enriching his extensive industry knowledge. He holds academic qualifications from esteemed institutions, including Columbia University and the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance, complemented by his status as a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants.
Syed Jehangir Ali Shah- Director
Syed Jehangir Ali Shah is a seasoned veteran of the energy sector. He joined PSO in 1984 and worked at various management positions prior to his elevation to the coveted position of Deputy Managing Director-PSO. His expertise lies in the field of sales and marketing as he has led almost all marketing and sales businesses of PSO. PSO is a national flagship organisation with an extensive supply chain and infrastructure network across the country and has a strategic significance in driving the national economy. Considering the broad experience, strategic vision and leadership traits of Mr Shah, the Ministry of Petroleum, GoP entrusted Mr shah with the responsibility of managing the critical energy supply chain function of the country, an assignment he successfully managed and steered the company through various critical situations in a befitting manner. His illustrious career spanning over 36 years also includes twice serving as Acting Managing Director PSO. Mr Shah holds a Master’s degree from McGill University, Montereal, Canada, as well as from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
Syed Muhammad Taha- Director
Syed Muhammad Taha is known and respected for his transformational skills in the energy sector with over two decades of executive level experience in the industry. He was appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan State Oil on February 26, 2020. Shortly after he took the helm of affairs, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. He deftly steered the company through troubled waters, successfully overcoming a myriad of crises while fulfilling the obligation of fueling the nation in an adverse operating environment and emerging stronger than before.
Under his leadership, PSO spearheaded the clean energy revolution in Pakistan by becoming the first oil company to introduce Euro V fuels in the country. He streamlined management and marketing, focused energy on human resource, reinventing the company’s internal architecture and ensured long term sustainability by leveraging technology through business process reengineering, automation & digitization, infrastructural projects, strategic financial management and focus on high margin products with safety and ethics being underpinning drivers of all initiatives.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Taha worked as an Executive Director in Oasis Energy, heading the Program Management Office of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, Nigeria, where he led a global team of subject matter experts to provide strategic and operational support to the leadership team of the distressed utility while successfully spearheading and executing multidisciplinary and multimillion dollar projects.
Mr. Taha worked at K-Electric Limited as Chief Distribution Officer and a vital member of the Senior Leadership Team. While effectively managing revenues of USD 1.9 billion, he successfully improved the productivity & effectiveness of 8000+ employees and served 2.4 million customers in Karachi. He has been a key member of the change management team where he was an integral part of the leadership teams that turned around struggling enterprises into highly profitable concerns.
Mr. Taha has also worked for over 9 years at Pakistan State Oil Company Limited (PSO), the country’s largest oil marketing company, where he held several senior positions and led various functions as Head of Corporate Affairs, Retail Fuels, Cards Business and Corporate Planning and worked directly under CEOs.
For around 6 years starting from 1993 to 1999, Mr. Taha worked for Shell Pakistan, Caltex Pakistan (A Chevron Company) and Pakistan Steel Mills at various positions.
Mr. Taha holds an Engineering degree with MBA in Finance from the Institute of Business Administration Karachi.
Ms. Tara Uzra Dawood- Director
Ms. Dawood is Chief Executive Officer of 786 Investments Ltd, an Asset Management Company initially launched on the instigation of Asian Development Bank. She is presently on the Board of Mutual Fund Association of Pakistan, Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd; she has also served as an Independent Director on the Board of LESCO.
She holds a Doctorate in Judicial Science from Harvard Law School and Bachelor of Arts Honors from Cornell University and Oxford University. Having specialization in mergers, acquisitions and corporate law, she worked for law firms in New York, Toronto, Amsterdam, Brussels and California. She speaks globally at numerous international mutual fund and banking conferences as an authority on shariah-compliant finance. Ms. Dawood has also served as a Visiting Lecturer on Islamic Law and Finance at the Faculty at Danube University Krems (Austria) as recommended by International Investment Funds Association and EBAMA.
Ms. Dawood is also President of Dawood Global Foundation, a Trust established to empower women and youth in the society and hosts the national LADIESFUND awards for women of Pakistan. Her mission is to educate 1 million deserving girls around the world under the award-winning Educate a Girl project in partnership with Facebook’s internet.org foundation and with the support of the World Bank.
Ms. Rushna Fawad- Director
Mr. Zahid Mir - Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Zahid Mir is working in Pakistan Refinery Limited, Karachi as Managing Director & CEO since 1st August 2019. He is a Petroleum Engineer, and an MBA. Mr. Mir has over 32 years of diverse Technical and Management experience working for both public & private sector companies in the oil and gas industry. He also has significant experience of both onshore and offshore operations having been involved, at a senior level, in all stages of upstream operations. He has a strong HSE background and has extensive experience in negotiating commercial & fiscal agreements, developing strategy, joint ventures & license management, new ventures, economic evaluations, mergers & acquisitions and dealing with the government regulators.
Mr. Mir also has experience of managing field operations including production operations, conceptual engineering and project development and execution. This experience has been gained through working with national and multi-national oil and gas producers both in Pakistan and United Kingdom. He has previously worked for Shell, Kufpec, Premier Oil and OGDCL. His last appointment was as MD/CEO of OGDCL.
Mr. Mir is a Director of Petroleum Institute of Pakistan (PIP).