Fahad Yousaf

head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Fahad Yousaf is the head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan. He worked at Mobilink and Zong before moving to Nestlé, where he began in the dairy business. He was born in Lahore and graduated in 2004 after being admitted to LUMS.

Early life and background

Yousaf was born in Lahore. He has lived most of his life there, apart from about five years of working elsewhere. He has an older brother and a younger sister. His elder brother was a cost and management accountant. His brother also works for a corporate company. [1]

His mother was a teacher who helped found a school and worked for underprivileged women. He attended a school in Gulberg that his mother co-founded. [1]

Education

Yousaf chose pre-engineering. He then spent two years at a college. His elder brother advised him to take up chartered accountancy. He passed the first level but got stuck at the second, and concluded that chartered accountancy was not his cup of tea. [1]

He completed a BSc in economics and journalism through a private programme, which he did to save time. He applied for an MBA abroad and at LUMS, and was admitted to LUMS. He lived in the LUMS dorms for two years and graduated in 2004. [1]

Yousaf says LUMS builds character and personality as well as teaching the MBA. He also says the concept of LUMS is to create diversity. [1]

Yousaf later moved to Islamabad. Mobilink was his first job, and he joined as an assistant brand manager. He worked on the Jazz brand, which he called a huge brand. [1]

He describes Mobilink as a very rich company. He says he thought it was the place to work. He says he learned a lot about production work there, which he sees as central to marketing. [1]

Zong

Yousaf spent about two years at Zong as brand manager. He says he was the one who launched Zong in Pakistan, and that Zong had a small office in Blue Area. He says he has always valued his boss at Zong. [1]

He says the Zong launch covered the whole company, not only marketing, and that it was a defining moment in his career. He recalls that the Zong team reached about five million subscribers within its first three months. He says the launch is considered one of the most successful telecom launches. [1]

Nestlé Pakistan

Yousaf says he had to move back because his mother was ill. He says joining Nestlé was his move back to Lahore, and a family situation was also involved. He says he has been working for about 17 years, of which he has spent 10 to 11 at Nestlé. [1]

He started his Nestlé career in the dairy business and spent about ten years in dairy, across several brands. He held brand manager and marketing manager roles, including almost five and a half years as marketing manager on one brand. He is head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan. [1]

He says dairy makes up about 60 to 70 percent of Nestlé Pakistan's business. He says Nestlé is present in about 150 countries and has a lot of technological expertise. [1]

School

The school had been closed for about 10 to 15 years. Yousaf says he restarted it in about one and a half months. The school offers vocational courses, including sewing and beautician courses, and he says it also gives early education to street children. He says he does not run the school for material benefit. [1]

The school has no formal funding and relies mainly on friends and family. He says it received no donations for two years, and that he and his brother pitch in when donations are short. He says the school kept paying staff during Covid, when it was closed. [1]

He says connecting the school's products with retail vendors could help it sustain itself. He hopes the school can become self-sustainable so that it continues after him. [1]

Views

Yousaf advises young people starting their careers to find a mentor. He says young people today are very clear about what they want, and that children of 12 are already thinking about their stream of income. He says an ecosystem is developing with startups and the people who fund them. [1]

He describes himself as an optimistic person. He says he would not be surprised if something like Facebook emerged in the next 10 to 20 years. He expects a big positive change in Pakistan within the next 15 to 20 years. [1]

Personal life

Yousaf married after about three years living alone in Islamabad. He had a knee injury while in Islamabad. He says he has never liked the food in Islamabad, and that Islamabad is the only city in Pakistan where you can wear a white kameez twice. He says he has many friends in Karachi and visits often. [1]

He says he works, plays sports and gives time to his family, and that he feels proud of the balance he has in life. He says he enjoys sports and that playing sports is his way out of stress. He describes himself as generally calm and composed, and credits sport for it. [1]

His mother had cancer, diagnosed at a late stage. She lived for one year after her diagnosis. [1]

Timeline

2004
Graduated[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2022-06-27 Can consuming less tea solve Pakistan's forex crisis? Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Fahad Yousaf?

Fahad Yousaf is the head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan. He worked at Mobilink and Zong before moving to Nestlé. He started his Nestlé career in the dairy business.[1]

What does Fahad Yousaf do?

Fahad Yousaf is head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan. He has spent 10 to 11 years at Nestlé, by his own account. He has been working for about 17 years.[1]

Where did Fahad Yousaf study?

Fahad Yousaf was admitted to LUMS and graduated in 2004. He also completed a BSc in economics and journalism through a private programme. He spent two years at a college and attended a school in Gulberg that his mother co-founded.[1]

Where is Fahad Yousaf from?

Fahad Yousaf was born in Lahore. He has lived most of his life there, apart from about five years of working elsewhere. He spent a period living in Islamabad.[1]

What companies has Fahad Yousaf worked for?

Fahad Yousaf worked at Mobilink, where he joined as an assistant brand manager, and then at Zong as brand manager. He later joined Nestlé, where he started in the dairy business. He is now head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan.[1]

What was Fahad Yousaf's role at Zong?

Fahad Yousaf spent about two years at Zong as brand manager. He says he was the one who launched Zong in Pakistan. He says the launch was a defining moment in his career.[1]

Did Fahad Yousaf study chartered accountancy?

Fahad Yousaf was advised by his elder brother to take up chartered accountancy. He passed the first level but got stuck at the second. He concluded that chartered accountancy was not his cup of tea.[1]

References

  1. Can consuming less tea solve Pakistan's forex crisis? . Thought Behind Things , 2022-06-27.
Show the source passages (77 statements)
  1. He was born in Lahore. So, I was born in Lahore. So, main true Lahori hoon.
  2. He has lived most of his life in Lahore, apart from about five years of working elsewhere. I've lived outside Lahore for about five years for work. But other than that, I've spent most of my my life in Lahore.
  3. He attended a school in Gulberg that his mother co-founded. there was a small school in Gulberg called National Finishing School and my mother was actually um she co-founded that school with very close family friends.
  4. He then spent two years at a college. Then I I went to FC College. Uh I spent two years there.
  5. His elder brother was a cost and management accountant. my elder brother um he was a cost and management accountant.
  6. His elder brother advised him to take up chartered accountancy. he basically advised me ke yaar tum chartered accountancy kar lo
  7. He chose pre-engineering. So, anyways, I ended up choosing pre-engineering.
  8. He passed the first level of chartered accountancy but got stuck at the second. So, I passed the first one and then I got stuck in the second one.
  9. He concluded that chartered accountancy was not his cup of tea. Uh and to be honest, I realized after a while ke this was not my cup of tea.
  10. He completed a BSc in economics and journalism. Yeah, it was a simple BSc, economics, journalism. All of that.
  11. He did his bachelor's through a private programme to save time. Uh I did a private bachelors. I had to save time
  12. He applied for an MBA abroad and at LUMS. I applied uh MBA for from abroad and also from for LUMS.
  13. He was admitted to LUMS. I ended up getting into LUMS.
  14. He graduated in 2004. I graduated in 2004.
  15. He lived in the LUMS dorms for two years. because I used to live in the dorms as well, maine do saal wahin guzare
  16. He says LUMS builds character and personality as well as teaching the MBA. which not only teaches you ke MBA mein kya hota hai but it it's a character-building thing.
  17. He says the concept of LUMS is to create diversity. the whole concept of LUMS is to create diversity.
  18. He later moved to Islamabad. Uske baad main aapke shehar mein aa gaya tha, Islamabad mein.
  19. Mobilink was his first job. And uh I still remember ke uh Mobilink was my first uh job.
  20. He joined Mobilink as an assistant brand manager. main as an ABM gaya tha, assistant brand manager.
  21. At Mobilink he worked on the Jazz brand, which he called a huge brand. I became the ABM for Jazz. Aur Jazz was a huge brand.
  22. He describes Mobilink as a very rich company. Plus yeh tha ke Mobilink was a very rich company.
  23. He says he learned a lot about production work at Mobilink, which he sees as central to marketing. I think I learned a lot of production-related work jo ke marketing ke andar communication aur production ek bada important uh leg hota hai
  24. He says he thought Mobilink was the place to work. Maine kaha yaar this is the place to work.
  25. He spent about two years at Zong as brand manager. So, I spent two years in Zong also, jo ke basically main brand manager tha Zong ka.
  26. He says he was the one who launched Zong in Pakistan. Aur I was the one who launched Zong in Pakistan, jab inhone China ne take over kiya Paktel ko
  27. He says he has always valued his boss at Zong. mere jo boss the, main unko bada, I mean, I always value him, Salman Wasi unka naam hai.
  28. He says Zong had a small office in Blue Area. chota sa daftar hota tha, idher Blue Area mein.
  29. He says the Zong launch covered the whole company, not only marketing. It was not about sirf marketing karni hai ya ads banane hain ya communication karni hai ya packages design karne hain. It was literally the whole company launch.
  30. He says the Zong launch was a defining moment in his career. launch was a very defining moment in my career because I got to do a lot of things.
  31. He recalls the Zong team reached about five million subscribers within its first three months. I still remember ke pehle teen mahine mein humne koi five million subscriber ka number hit kiya tha.
  32. He says the Zong launch is considered one of the most successful telecom launches. It's considered one of the most successful launch, launches for, in telecom.
  33. He says he had to move back because his mother was ill. My mother was ill, so I had to move back.
  34. He says joining Nestle was his move back to Lahore, and a family situation was also involved. Nestle, so that was my move back to Lahore. I had some family situation as well.
  35. He says he has been working for about 17 years. Aur I can tell you ke 17 years working, I don't know, maybe ek do saal beech mein tough aaye honge, aate hain.
  36. He says he has spent 10 to 11 years at Nestle. I've, I've really enjoyed my last 10-11 years in Nestle.
  37. He started his Nestle career in the dairy business. So, I started in a dairy business.
  38. He spent about ten years in dairy at Nestle, across several brands. koi maine taqreeban das saal dairy mein kaam kiya, different brands ke upar.
  39. He held brand manager and marketing manager roles in dairy. Different roles, so brand manager, marketing manager, I spent a lot of time on Everyday.
  40. He spent almost five and a half years as marketing manager on one brand. Toh Everyday pe maine, I spent almost five, five and a half years as a marketing manager.
  41. He says dairy makes up about 60 to 70 percent of Nestle Pakistan's business. Nestle Pakistan mein jo hai, woh primarily dairy brand hi hai, dairy business hi hai, taqreeban 60% business humara, 60-70% business jo hai
  42. He says Nestle is present in about 150 countries. Nestle is in, I don't know, 150 countries
  43. He says Nestle has a lot of technological expertise. there is a lot of expertise that exists, technological expertise.
  44. He has an older brother and a younger sister. mera ek bada bhai hai, ek choti behen hai
  45. His brother also works for a corporate company. my brother also works for a corporate, he works for Pepsi
  46. His mother was a teacher who helped found a school and worked for underprivileged women. And she was a teacher herself, like I told you ke she helped found a school and she did a lot of things for women as well, underprivileged women.
  47. His mother had cancer, diagnosed at a late stage. So my mom had cancer and she it was diagnosed at a very late stage.
  48. His mother lived for one year after her diagnosis. So she only survived for one year after that.
  49. The school had been closed for about 10 to 15 years. it was closed for last I think 10-15 years kyunki woh boodhe ho gaye the
  50. He says he restarted the school in about one and a half months. Ek dedh mahine mein maine usko restart kiya
  51. The school offers vocational courses, including sewing and beautician courses. hum log vocational courses karate hain jisme silai kadhai, beautician ke courses.
  52. He says the school also gives early education to street children. jisme hum street children ko bhi education dete hain early early years ki.
  53. He says he does not run the school for material benefit. jo main kisi material benefit ke liye nahi kar raha.
  54. The school has no formal funding and relies mainly on friends and family. So there's no formal funding mechanism. Basically, it's friends and family.
  55. He says the school received no donations for two years. We didn't get donations for two years running.
  56. He and his brother pitch in when donations are short. Aur jab koi nahi hota toh me and my brother pitch in.
  57. He says the school kept paying staff during Covid, when it was closed. humne apne logon ko salaries dete rahe, haanla ke school band tha Covid mein.
  58. He says connecting the school's products with retail vendors could help it sustain itself. we can connect with some retail vendors jo ke unko back end pe yeh log use kar sakte hain and whatever income comes can also help self-sustain the school in a way.
  59. He hopes the school can become self-sustainable so that it continues after him. umeed hai ke eventually we'll find a way to make it self-sustainable taake yeh hai ke humare jaane ke baad bhi chalta rahe.
  60. He says he works, plays sports and gives time to his family. Main kaam bhi kar raha hoon, I play sports, I give time to my family
  61. He says he feels proud of the balance he has in life. I feel very proud ke I have a good balance in life.
  62. He says he enjoys sports. meri zindagi mein, I enjoy sports. Agar main, agar mujhe yaad hai main football bahut khelta tha
  63. He says playing sports is his way out of stress. mera way out is playing sports.
  64. He describes himself as generally calm and composed, and credits sport for it. but I'm generally very calm and composed. Uh, uski wajah yahi hai ke jahan maine apna woh gubaar nikalna hota hai na, woh ya golf course hota hai ya football field hoti hai
  65. He had a knee injury while in Islamabad. while in Islamabad, I had a knee injury.
  66. He married after about three years living alone in Islamabad. teen saal main Islamabad mein akela tha, uske baad I got married.
  67. He says he has many friends in Karachi and visits often. Main, bohat saare mere Karachi mein dost hain, main Karachi bohat zyada jata hoon, mujhe Karachi bohat pasand hai
  68. He says he has never liked the food in Islamabad. Other than that, mujhe khana Islamabad ka kabhi pasand nahi aaya.
  69. He says Islamabad is the only city in Pakistan where you can wear a white kameez twice. Islamabad is the only city in Pakistan jahan pe aap safaid kameez do dafa pehn sakte hain.
  70. He advises young people starting their careers to find a mentor. Aur main logon ko, young, young logon ko yahi advice karta hoon hamesha, jo bhi career start karein ke yaar, find a mentor
  71. He describes himself as an optimistic person. meri generally outlook towards things is very positive and very I'm a optimistic guy in general.
  72. He says young people today are very clear about what they want. young people becoming they're very clear about what they want.
  73. He says children of 12 are already thinking about their stream of income. Yahan pe 12-12 saal ke bacche they are already thinking about ke meri stream of income kya hai.
  74. He says an ecosystem is developing with startups and the people who fund them. there is a ecosystem developing with these startups, with the people who are funding it
  75. He says he would not be surprised if something like Facebook emerged in the next 10 to 20 years. I won't be surprised ke agle 10, 15, 20 saalon mein something like Facebook
  76. He expects a big positive change in Pakistan within the next 15 to 20 years. I think jo another 15-20 years, I think you will see a big change in Pakistan on the positive side.
  77. He is head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan. Muhammad Fahad is with us today, he is the head of business at Nescafé, Nestlé Pakistan.