Key highlights about myself:
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Born in Pakistan and moved to Canada at age 16.
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Began my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, before transferring to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University – a decision inspired by a promise to join a childhood friend from Pakistan there (a long story in itself) (2002–2005).
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Moved to London to begin my career in finance, starting at Lloyds Bank (2005–2010).
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Completed a Master of Liberal Arts at Harvard University, an experience that deepened my intellectual curiosity (2010–2012).
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Moved to New York to work in management consulting with Gallup (2012–2014).
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Transitioned into real estate and investments, where I have been active ever since (2014–present).
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Earned an MBA from University of Oxford, Oxford is a magical place (2019–2020).
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Debated with the Upper-Intermediate Squad at the Oxford Union Society, one of the world’s most historic debating institutions (2019–2020).
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Guest lecturer on real estate and investing, with past talks at McMaster University, University of Sussex, and The College of New Jersey.
Likes:
- Fav Authors: Dan Brown (typical I know), Yuval Harari, Dean Koontz, Lesley Hazleton, and James Reston Jr.
- Fav Books: An Unfinished Life, After the Prophet, Sapiens, Billion Dollar Whale, Intensity, Demon Seed, Warriors of God, Blink, Tales of Alhambra, and Black Wave.
- Sports (to watch and play): Tennis, Squash, and Cricket.
- Favorite destinations: Florence, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Cannes, Dubai, and Granada. Check out my city snapshots.
- Fav Documentaries: The World at War, Unsolved: Netflix series, American Crime Story Season 1, and Mission to Mars.
- Watching successful leaders answer questions (you can learn a lot from it).
- Voices I listen to: Jordan Peterson, Jamie Dimon, Sandeep Swadia (aka MIT monk), Tom Lee, Mehi Hasan, Tucker Carlson, Naval Ravikant, and Yuval Harari.
- Love to travel and have visited more than 70 countries.
- History buff and love reading about ancient empires. Particular interest in the Mughal Empire, Roman Empire, Mongols, the story of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, and the Moors of Spain.
- Nature fascinates me, I study and observe it regularly – it not only helps my understanding of our planet but also shields me from falling prey to the ‘God complex’.
- I believe life exists in some form beyond our planet in this vast universe.
Wishlist:
- Country bar in Montana.
- Lunch with Stephen King and Dan Brown.
- Night in an igloo.
- A month in a Shaolin monastery.
Pet peeves:
- Ice in water. Ice carries bacteria and is just unpleasant in a glass of water – don’t you agree?
- Shirtless men in fitness classes. Seriously Gents, the floor could do without the sweat. More on sweat during workouts.
- Cappuccino served in mugs the size of a cereal bowl. Here’s more on the appropriate size of a Cappuccino. Needless to say I am not much of a coffee drinker.