Asad Umar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Asad Umer SI
Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives
In office 19 November 2019 – 10 April 2022
President	Arif Alvi
Prime Minister	Imran Khan
Preceded by	Khusro Bakhtiar
Succeeded by	Ahsan Iqbal
Chairman Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs
In office 8 May 2019 – 30 November 2019
President	Arif Alvi
Prime Minister	Imran Khan
Succeeded by	Faiz Ullah Kamoka
Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs
In office 20 August 2018 – 18 April 2019
President	Arif Alvi
Prime Minister	Imran Khan
Deputy	Hammad Azhar (Minister of State for Revenue)
Preceded by	Shamshad Akhtar (caretaker)
Succeeded by	Abdul Hafeez Shaikh (Finance and Revenue Advisor), Hammad Azhar (Economic Affairs Minister)
Chairman Standing Committee on Industries and Production
In office 2013–2018
President	Mamnoon Hussain
Prime Minister	Nawaz Sharif
Succeeded by	Sajid Hussain Turi
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 August 2018
Constituency	NA-54 (Islamabad-III)
In office 16 September 2013 – 31 May 2018
Constituency	NA-48 (Islamabad-I)
Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf
In office December 2021
Personal details
Born	(1961-09-08) 8 September 1961 (age 62) Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Political party	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
Relatives	Muhammad Zubair Umar (brother)
Alma mater	Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Awards	Sitara-i-Imtiaz

Asad Umar (Urdu: اسد عمر; born 18 September 1961) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since September 2013. He served as the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives, from 19 November 2019 to 10 April 2022.

He has previously served as Chairman House Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs from 8 May 2019 till 30 November 2019 and Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs Minister of Pakistan from 20 August 2018 to 18 April 2019. Prior to entering politics, he was a business executive, serving as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Engro Corporation from 2004 to 2012. He is currently serving as secretary-general of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf since December 2021.

Early life and education

In an interview, Umar said he was born in Rawalpindi in 1961 and is the youngest of six brothers and one sister. After his father's retirement from military, he moved to Karachi along with his family. Umar received a degree in Commerce (B.Com) at the Government College of Commerce & Economics. He graduated from IBA Karachi in 1984 from where he received an MBA degree..

Asad Umar's father, Major General (retd) Ghulam Umar, was an army officer who was considered a close aide and served as first Advisor of National Security Council (NSC) created by the government of President Yahya Khan. He is also the youngest brother of Mohammad Zubair, who currently serves as Chief Spokesperson of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Safdar and was also appointed as 32nd Governor of Sindh by Pakistan Muslim League-N government.

Professional career

He worked in HSBC Pakistan after graduation for seven months. He joined Exxon Chemical Pakistan in 1985 as a business analyst and was based in Canada. He was the only Pakistani employee of Exxon working abroad (in Canada) when the famous management buyout of Engro took place in 1991. Umar came back to Pakistan and in 1997 was appointed the first CEO of Engro Polymer & Chemicals, the group’s petrochemical arm.

He became the President and CEO of Engro Corporation in 2004. He immediately made the company take a global perspective, becoming the first Pakistani private sector firm to hire the top (and expensive) US consulting firm McKinsey & Company to help create the Engro’s strategy. As a result, Engro made changes to its corporate structure and went on a global expansion kick, buying out a US-based food company and started expanding into the fertiliser business in North Africa to supply the European market.

In 2009, he was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz for his public service.

He took an early retirement as president and CEO from Engro in April 2012 at the age of 50 amid speculation that he would pursue a political career.

Umar is credited for turning a chemical company into a major conglomerate and is considered one of the most popular and highly paid CEOs in Pakistan. During his tenure as CEO of Engro Corporation, Umar was paid about PKR 68.6 million for the year 2011.