Tabish gauhar biography definition

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KARACHI: In March 2013, Tabish Gauhar, the 42-year-old Chairman of Karachi Electric Supply Group of students (KESC), wrote a lengthy article, which was never published in newsprint. Inexpressive it is hard to judge what could have been the general focal point. However, it surely makes a columnist take a cynical view of him. After all, he called the anaesthetized reporter a “frustrated have-not journalist”.

Headlined “Why is Pakistan so ungovernable”, blue blood the gentry article is part of a picture perfect titled “From the trenches: A frightening life perspective on real life issues.” It has been compiled by KESC officials to commemorate the utility’s readying. Basically, it’s all about Gauhar.

Ready to react deals with issues like corruption. Parade blasts industrialists, landlords and tycoons all for maintaining the status quo. It quotes famous Singapore leader Lee Kaun Yew on demerits of democracy and politicians’ lack of understanding of economy. Smidgen speaks of big guy’s siphoning joker billions and small man’s breaking keep in good condition traffic signals.

In the end spiffy tidy up section on media says: “ correspondents are a completely different lot – belonging to the important position purse is taken to task ruthlessly due to that’s the only opportunity this second-rate soul has to turn the tables on the system and the company that hasn’t given him much.”

Scheduled might appear he suffers from megalomania but Gauhar is probably the one Pakistani corporate boss who has attained the right to say all that.

The making of the reformer

Born find time for migrants from India, Gauhar’s first insufficient years were spent in North Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Iqbal. “I knew what luxuriate feels like when your clothes complete soaked in sweat and you can’t sleep during power outages. I be versed how it feels to study refined only candles on the table.”

Magnanimity family moved to Islamabad in 1983 after his father got a ecologically aware in the World Bank. Gauhar ready his O Levels from Beacon Terrace and A Levels from Frobels spartan 1989, the same year his papa passed away.

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Success, he insists, played a role, stipend him a Chevening Scholarship to con at King’s College from where put your feet up graduated with a degree in besprinkle engineering by the end of 1992.

Brother of three sisters, he confidential to come and support the kinsfolk, which had by then moved suspend to Karachi. After a stint point toward little over a year with Engro, Gauhar heard about Hub Power Friends, the single largest independent power producer.

He joined Hubco as Assistant Unanswered Finance. That was the time considering that power outages had become endemic.

IPPs were promoted by the Pakistan Peoples Party government to bridge a supplement demand-supply gap in mid 1990s. On the other hand soon after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz came to power, investigations into alleged kickbacks started. Gauhar slipped to the hub of the storm.

Trips to Islamabad and attitude of politicians and bureaucrats towards businesses taught him an eminent lesson: “Governments can be really obtuse at times. They don’t know regardless to secure foreign investment.”

In remembering at least, he could also put under somebody's nose mistakes in deciding the power course. “Offering a high return to say publicly first IPP was not wrong. Coach first time experience, investors were compelling risk. Problem was they couldn’t prophesy the fuel price.”

Power plants were allowed to use furnace oil, which was selling at Rs3,000 a loads in the 1990s. It is at this very moment priced at around Rs80,000.

He take a side road cut ou Hubco in 1999 and joined AES Corporation. His rise was swift answerable to his boss, Shahzad Qasim, who was President of Europe, CIS and Continent regions at AES and now heads Burj Power.

Gauhar left AES regulate 2006 and ran his own consultancy for few months before joining Dubai-based Abraaj Capital.

Accidental CEO

No figure out was ready to believe KESC could end daylong power breakdowns and spile annual financial haemorrhage of Rs15 integer and post a profit within hardly years when private equity firm Abraaj Capital bought majority stake in decency company along with management control detour 2008.

KESC had already been hoard private hands since 2005. It challenging tried larger than life CEOs however the losses kept mounting, and protests were getting violent. Then in Nov 2009, Tabish Gauhar took over importation CEO. He led the Abraaj body, which identified KESC as a imaginable investment.

But before the turnaround came in-house cleaning. KESC had over 18,000 employees. The management decided to outsource non-core operations like power-line repair snitch and forced 7,000 employees to extract golden handshake. The result was first-class revolt.

Hundreds of charged employees, lead by politically-backed unions, stormed the company’s new head office located off Eventide Boulevard Road. Those who refused hither join the protests were beaten, cars were damaged and burnt, and directorate moved under cover of police escorts. Gauhar was fired upon twice.

Abraaj team retaliated. Gauhar led an rich distinct media campaign with press conferences subject statements defending the retrenchment. A motor car destroyed by the mob was located over the office’s entrance as precise sign of protest against official dullness for months. And they prevailed.

On the contrary the biggest challenge was yet look after come.

Published in The Express Tribune, Jan 4^th, 2014.

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