About
MUHammad AZFAR AHSAN
Muhammad Azfar Ahsan is a public advocacy consultant, global outreach practitioner, business connector, change activist, philanthropist, political analyst, and entrepreneur based out of Pakistan.
Azfar has served as Minister of State and Chairman Board of Investment (BoI), Government of Pakistan (technocrat / non-political), with a vision to, open doors for the business community of Pakistan, bring in investment in all sectors of the economy, facilitate investors, ensure ease of business, improve Pakistan’s international competitiveness, and contribute to the country’s socioeconomic development.
During his tenure, Board of Investment was successful in instituting 125 regulatory reforms (Asaan Karobaar Program), establishing Pak-China Business & Investment Forum, signing framework agreement with China, and designing investment strategy to work with Saudi Arabia on joint investments. He led Pakistan’s delegation during trilateral ministerial meeting of Pakistan, Uzbekistan & Afghanistan for “Termez–Mazar-e-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar Rail Project” in Uzbekistan. He represented Pakistan at the Tashkent Investment Forum 2022. He chaired a session on investment and shared the stage with H.E. Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan.
As Chairman Board of Investment, Azfar has remained Board Member of various committees and councils, including BoI Board of Directors, Economic Advisory Council, Economic Coordination Committee, Board of Approvals, Export Processing Zones Authority Board, Cabinet Committee on Investment, Cabinet Committee on Privatization, Cabinet Committee on CPEC, Afghan Inter-Coordination Committee, Afghan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee, Joint Working Group of Industrial Cooperation under CPEC, Joint Coordination Committee under CPEC, Approval Committee of SEZs, and Federal Government Properties Management Authority (BOD).
Azfar is working with the Governments of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. He is contributing intensively to the development of thought and creation of opportunities for the same through involving private and public sectors of both countries with Pakistani counterparts.
In the realm of journalism, Azfar is a frequent contributor to prominent publications such as Business Recorder, Daily Dawn, The News, Arab News, and other regional newspapers and leading digital platforms. His insightful writings cover pivotal aspects of Pakistan’s economy, investment landscape, business dynamics, and Islamic banking.
Azfar is also the Founder of CORPORATE PAKISTAN GROUP (CPG), which represents the elite of Pakistan’s national intelligentsia, including corporate and business leaders, ministers, senators, governors, federal secretaries, politicians, distinguished academicians, energy experts, tech entrepreneurs, defense personnel, police officers, foreign policy experts, media practitioners, and movers and shakers of civil society.
Azfar is the President Marketing Association of Pakistan – an apex body of marketing in Pakistan. He also served as Chairman of MARCON 2016, Pakistan’s flagship marketing event.
Azfar is the Founder & Chairman of Nutshell Group, comprising Nutshell Conferences, Nutshell Solutions and Nutshell Communications. He founded Nutshell Conferences Group in 2003 as an international conference management organization, which has hosted more than 500 national and international conferences, seminars, webinars, training workshops and group discussions in Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, and Bahrain. Nutshell Solutions, a training resource organization offering HR solutions to corporate sector, started operations in 2021. In the same year, Nutshell Communications, a 360 degrees full-spectrum communications firm offering Corporate Communications and Strategic Engagement services, was also founded.
Azfar is the thought leader behind two of Pakistan’s largest corporate events – LEADERS IN ISLAMABAD BUSINESS SUMMIT and THE FUTURE SUMMIT. Both are annual leaders’ conferences, in Islamabad and Karachi, respectively. These conferences attract global leaders and domain experts from various backgrounds as speakers. From the platforms of Nutshell Group and CPG, Azfar has also hosted hundreds of foreign nationals in Pakistan in the last 2 decades.
Health and Education are a priority on his agenda for Pakistan. In the last 25 years, Azfar has managed dozens of community projects all over Pakistan in the respective fields. He is affiliated with several professional organizations, including Pakistan US Alumni Network, Organization for Pakistan Entrepreneurs in North America (OPEN), International Federation for Training & Development Organizations (IFTDO), and English-Speaking Union of Pakistan.
Azfar is the Member of Board of Governor of Iqra University. He is Member of Board of Directors of RYTS Global (Rytsglobal.com) and Make- A-Wish Foundation Pakistan.
He was honored by the Canada Pakistan Business Council (CPBC) in 2019 and received the “Global Outreach Award” in Toronto.
In December 2020, the US State Department featured Azfar in their list of 80 selected alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). These 80 individuals were selected out of 225,000 IVLP alumni worldwide.
In May 2022, he received the “Global Visionary Award for Global Connectivity of Businesses and Communities” by the BSV Blockchain Association, further confirming his commitment to the modernization of businesses.
In 2008 the US State Department invited him as State Guest under the auspices of International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP – the most prestigious program of US State Department) on “NGO Management”.
Azfar is also writing a book titled “PAKISTAN: Charting Its Untapped Potential.” The publication will share the ‘untold story’ of Pakistan with the world and shed light on the untapped potential of the country and its ample resources, with the objective of giving impetus to a fast-evolving geo-economic scenario, especially in the South and Central Asian regions.
Services
As Chairman of the Board of Investment, Muhammad Azfar Ahsan served as a Board Member on numerous committees and councils, including the BoI Board of Directors, Economic Advisory Council, Economic Coordination Committee, Board of Approvals, Export Processing Zones Authority Board, Cabinet Committee on Investment, Cabinet Committee on Privatization, Cabinet Committee on CPEC, Afghan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee, Joint Working Group of Industrial Cooperation under CPEC, Joint Coordination Committee under CPEC, Approval Committee of SEZs, and the Federal Government Properties Management Authority (BOD).
Azfar continues to collaborate with the Governments of Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, contributing to thought leadership and fostering opportunities by engaging both private and public sectors from these nations with their Pakistani counterparts.
A regular contributor to leading publications such as *Business Recorder*, *Daily Dawn*, *The News*, *Arab News*, and other regional newspapers and digital platforms, Azfar’s articles offer deep insights into Pakistan’s economy, investment climate, business trends, and Islamic banking.
Azfar is also the founder of the **Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG)**, a distinguished platform representing Pakistan’s national intelligentsia. CPG brings together corporate and business leaders, ministers, senators, governors, federal secretaries, politicians, esteemed academicians, energy experts, tech entrepreneurs, defense personnel, police officers, foreign policy specialists, media practitioners, and civil society influencers.
Journey
As President of the Marketing Association of Pakistan, the apex body for marketing in the country, Muhammad Azfar Ahsan served as Chairman of MARCON 2016, Pakistan’s flagship marketing event.
Azfar is also the Founder & Chairman of Nutshell Group, which encompasses Nutshell Conferences, Nutshell Solutions, and Nutshell Communications. He established Nutshell Conferences Group in 2003 as an international conference management organization. Since its inception, the group has hosted over 500 national and international conferences, seminars, webinars, training workshops, and group discussions across Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, and Bahrain. In 2021, Azfar expanded the group by launching Nutshell Solutions, a training resource organization providing HR solutions to the corporate sector, and Nutshell Communications, a full-spectrum communications firm specializing in Corporate Communications and Strategic Engagement services.
Azfar is the visionary behind two of Pakistan’s largest corporate events – the Leaders in Islamabad Business Summit and The Future Summit. These annual conferences, held in Islamabad and Karachi, attract global leaders and experts from diverse fields. Through the platforms of Nutshell Group and the Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG), Azfar has hosted hundreds of foreign nationals in Pakistan over the last two decades.
Health and education remain at the forefront of Azfar’s priorities for Pakistan. Over the past 25 years, he has spearheaded numerous community projects across the country in these critical sectors.
Azfar is affiliated with several prestigious professional organizations, including the Pakistan US Alumni Network, Organization for Pakistani Entrepreneurs in North America (OPEN), International Federation for Training & Development Organizations (IFTDO), and the English-Speaking Union of Pakistan.
ACHIEVEMENTS
I am also the Founder & Chairman of Nutshell Group, which comprises Nutshell Conferences, Nutshell Solutions, and Nutshell Communications. I founded Nutshell Conferences Group in 2003 as an international conference management organization, which has hosted more than 500 national and international conferences, seminars, webinars, training workshops, and group discussions in Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, and Bahrain. Nutshell Solutions, a training resource organization offering HR solutions to the corporate sector, started operations in 2021. In the same year, I founded Nutshell Communications, a full-spectrum communications firm offering Corporate Communications and Strategic Engagement services.
As President of the Marketing Association of Pakistan, an apex body of marketing in the country, I served as Chairman of MARCON 2016, Pakistan's flagship marketing event.
I am the thought leader behind two of Pakistan's largest corporate events – the LEADERS IN ISLAMABAD BUSINESS SUMMIT and THE FUTURE SUMMIT. These annual conferences in Islamabad and Karachi attract global leaders and domain experts from various fields. Through the platforms of Nutshell Group and CPG, I have also hosted hundreds of foreign nationals in Pakistan over the last two decades.
Health and education remain priorities on my agenda for Pakistan. Over the past 25 years, I have managed dozens of community projects across the country in these fields. I am affiliated with several professional organizations, including the Pakistan US Alumni Network, Organization for Pakistan Entrepreneurs in North America (OPEN), International Federation for Training & Development Organizations (IFTDO), and the English-Speaking Union of Pakistan.
I serve on the Board of Governors of Iqra University and the Board of Directors of RYTS Global (Rytsglobal.com) and Make-A-Wish Foundation Pakistan. In 2019, I was honored by the Canada Pakistan Business Council (CPBC) and received the “Global Outreach Award” in Toronto. In December 2020, the US State Department featured me in their list of 80 selected alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), chosen from over 225,000 IVLP alumni worldwide.
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