Umar Ahsan Khan

CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance

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

Umar Ahsan Khan is the CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance. Born in Rawalpindi and raised in Lahore, he studied at the London School of Economics from 1986 to 1990. Arçelik acquired Dawlance in November 2016, and Khan rejoined as CEO in 2019.

Early life and background

Khan was born in Rawalpindi. He grew up in Lahore, where his parents lived. He has said that his parents earned everything in Pakistan and invested in him. [1]

Education

Khan attended Aitchison College from O-levels to A-levels. After A-levels he went to London to study at the London School of Economics (LSE). He took a BSc at LSE with a specialisation in accounting and finance, and completed a one-year master's degree. He was at LSE from 1986 to 1990. He had applied to study law at LSE but was not admitted. [1]

Career

Khan went to ICI Pakistan for its management trainee scheme. He worked across many functions, including sales, supply chain, marketing, business management and finance, with finance as his core. He moved through Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and then came back to Karachi. He was the corporate finance manager, the number two to the CFO. He has recalled asking why he would leave his ICI career. [1]

Dawlance

Khan met Dawlance's founder and owner at the Dawlance head office, and joined as CFO. He has said that his core role at that time was first to devise a strategy. Options discussed included corporatising and an IPO, but everything got shot down for various reasons. He has said that the requirement was a buyer who would retain the brand. [1]

Arçelik acquired Dawlance in November 2016. Khan describes Arçelik as a very large company, and a Turkish one. He rejoined as CEO in 2019. [1]

Khan has said that DAW in the Dawlance name comes from Dawood and LANCE from appliance. He has said that in Pakistan people put cooking pots inside their fridges, and that earlier fridges were very narrow. According to Khan, because the technology was not available, companies from China and Europe were engaged to design fridges to local requirements. [1]

Research and design

Khan has said that there was a major investment of millions of dollars in setting up the R&D centre in Karachi, where 60 engineers work purely on the design of the company's products. He describes this R&D centre as the only Arçelik R&D centre outside Turkey, and says it also designs for another subsidiary. According to Khan, all of the products the company sells in Pakistan are designed in Pakistan, and the company is exporting its design services. He has said that the company has another R&D centre in Islamabad. [1]

Products and markets

According to Khan, the company has launched televisions, a men's shaver range, and a front-load washing machine that it is assembling. Dawlance launched dishwashers in Pakistan a few years ago. Khan has said that a new function called CX, customer experience, has been started, and that a project called Omni is under way. He has said that the company has its own website and works through marketplaces, particularly Daraz. [1]

Khan has said that the company manufactures everything in Pakistan, while Dawlance still imports many of its raw materials. He has said that Dawlance decided in 2019 to make its own air conditioners. He has said he sees a lot of air conditioners being exported from Dawlance into the Arçelik network, and that he is not going to the government asking for subsidies. [1]

Khan has said that Dawlance exports products to Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq, and that the stated policy is to make Pakistan one of the group's export hubs. He has said that Dawlance is unlikely to go abroad under its own brand name. He has said that Arçelik has taken no dividend out of Pakistan in seven years, and he estimates that what has been reinvested is more than about 150 million dollars. [1]

Sustainability

Khan has said that Arçelik is a sustainability leader in its industry globally, and that Arçelik and Dawlance are committed to net zero by 2050. He has said that Dawlance aims to cut scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to cut water extraction per unit of product by 45% by 2030. He has said that the purpose the company came up with was progress today, preserve tomorrow, and that Dawlance rebranded its message on 14 August to build better habits at home for Pakistan. [1]

According to Khan, work on solar will start inside all three of the company's factories, and 25% of the plastic Dawlance uses will be recycled by year end. He has said that washing the same dishes in a dishwasher takes 9.5 litres of water, and that water is not priced correctly in Pakistan. [1]

Employees and operations

Khan has said that the company did not lay off a single person and that its factories were shut for almost six months. He has said that the company has had to pass the cost on to the customer and the products have become expensive, and that the market has shrunk sharply. He has said that the company does not hire anyone who is not a matriculate. [1]

Views

Khan has said that everything the company does is driven by consumer insights, that local insight is very critical, and that customer service is paramount in the industry. He has said that reliability matters a lot. He has said that one advantage of Dawlance becoming part of Arçelik was access to its data, and that the availability of data in Pakistan is very low. [1]

Khan has said that vocational training has been relegated far down and that a lot of investment is needed in training and development. He has said that Pakistan should not be exporting any of its raw materials. He describes himself as an eternal optimist, and he has said that he sees Pakistan in 2050 as a thriving country. He has said that 55% of Pakistanis are fluent in English, and that one should never forget the strength of positivity. [1]

Personal life

Khan is married and has a son. He has said that he has no regrets and is really happy he came back. He has said that whatever he has done matches his personal purpose statement, which he wrote down on paper years ago. [1]

Timeline

1986
Began at the London School of Economics, where he stayed until 1990[1]
2016
Arçelik acquired Dawlance in November[1]
2019
Rejoined as CEO[1]
2019
Dawlance decided to make its own air conditioners[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-08-30 How Dawlance became a Pakistani engineering story Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Umar Ahsan Khan?

Umar Ahsan Khan is the CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance. He was born in Rawalpindi, grew up in Lahore and studied at the London School of Economics.[1]

What does Umar Ahsan Khan do?

Umar Ahsan Khan is the CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance. He joined Dawlance as CFO and rejoined as CEO in 2019.[1]

Where did Umar Ahsan Khan study?

Umar Ahsan Khan attended Aitchison College from O-levels to A-levels. He then went to London to study at the London School of Economics, where he was from 1986 to 1990.[1]

What degrees does Umar Ahsan Khan hold?

Umar Ahsan Khan took a BSc at the London School of Economics with a specialisation in accounting and finance. He also completed a one-year master's degree there.[1]

Where is Umar Ahsan Khan from?

Umar Ahsan Khan was born in Rawalpindi. He grew up in Lahore, where his parents lived.[1]

When did Arçelik acquire Dawlance?

Arçelik acquired Dawlance in November 2016. Umar Ahsan Khan, the CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance, rejoined as CEO in 2019.[1]

References

  1. How Dawlance became a Pakistani engineering story . Thought Behind Things , 2023-08-30.
Show the source passages (82 statements)
  1. He is the CEO and Managing Director of Dawlance. Umar Ahsan Khan is the CEO and Managing Director at Dawlance.
  2. He was born in Rawalpindi. meri jo paidaish hai woh to Rawalpindi ki hai
  3. He grew up in Lahore, where his parents lived. mere parents chunkay Lahore mein rehtay thay to meri saari jo early life jo hai woh Lahore mein guzri
  4. He attended Aitchison College from O-levels to A-levels. Main Aitchison, Aitchison College mein tha, O-levels se le ke apne A-levels tak.
  5. After A-levels he went to London to study at the London School of Economics. Phir Aitchison se A-levels karne ke baad main London chala gaya, LSE, London School of Economics.
  6. He took a BSc at LSE with a specialisation in accounting and finance. Wahan maine BSc ki, BSc economics usko kehtay hain but it was a specialization jo thi woh accounting and finance mein thi.
  7. He completed a one-year master's degree at LSE. Uske baad maine wahan pe hi ek saal mein masters bhi kar liya
  8. He was at LSE from 1986 to 1990. So main wahan pe tha 1986 se le ke 1990 tak
  9. He applied to study law at LSE but was not admitted. Jab maine apply kiya to law mein admission nahi hua. Right. LSE mein.
  10. He says he has no regrets and is really happy he came back. I have no regrets. I am really happy I came back.
  11. He says his parents earned everything in Pakistan and invested in him. my parents have sort of earned everything in Pakistan. Have invested in me to go there. So why should I give it back to that society?
  12. He went to ICI Pakistan for its management trainee scheme. ICI Pakistan for their management trainee scheme
  13. He says he was taken straight into the interview process. they took me straight into the interview process
  14. He was the corporate finance manager, the number two to the CFO. I was the corporate finance manager. So this was the number two to the CFO
  15. He worked across many functions, including sales, supply chain, marketing, business management and finance, with finance as his core. Bahut saaray functions mein bhi kaam kiya, sales, supply chain, marketing, business management, finance to obviously mera core tha
  16. He moved through Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and then came back to Karachi. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and then came back to Karachi
  17. He asked why he would leave his ICI career to go there. Main ICI ka career chhor ke udhar kyun jaunga?
  18. He met Dawlance's founder and owner at the Dawlance head office. Dawlance ke founder thay, jo owner thay, Bashir Dawood sahab, unse meri mulaqat hui Dawlance ke head office mein
  19. He joined as CFO. That's when I joined them as the CFO.
  20. He says his core role at that time was first to devise a strategy. Core role us waqt tha to to first devise a strategy
  21. Options discussed included corporatising and an IPO, but everything got shot down for various reasons. Corporateize karte hain, IPO kar lein, but everything got shot down for various reasons
  22. He says the requirement was a buyer who would retain the brand. And the requirement was ke buyer aisa ho jo brand ko retain kare
  23. He says DAW in the Dawlance name comes from Dawood and LANCE from appliance. To DAW jo hai woh Dawood ke liye, Dawood se aaya. Appliance ka LANCE, L-A-N-C-E aaya
  24. He says that in Pakistan people put cooking pots inside their fridges. Pakistan mein to log degcha daaltay hain fridge ke andar
  25. He says earlier fridges were very narrow. pehle jitnay fridge thay bahut narrow hotay thay
  26. He says that, because the technology was not available, companies from China and Europe were engaged to design fridges to local requirements. technology nahi thi to unhone China se, Europe se, different companiyon ko engage karke yahan ki local requirement ke hisaab se fridge ko design kiya
  27. He describes Arçelik as a very large company, and a Turkish one. eventually phir we we Arçelik acquired us and now we are part of a very large company, a Turkish company
  28. He says Arçelik acquired Dawlance in November 2016. 2016 ke November mein eventually Arcelik acquired Dawlance in Pakistan
  29. He rejoined as CEO in 2019. in 2019, You joined back as the joined back as the CEO
  30. He says 60 engineers work in the R&D centre, purely on the design of the company's products. usmein 60 engineers kaam kar rahe hain, purely in the design of our products
  31. He says all of the products his company sells in Pakistan are designed in Pakistan. Aaj hamare jitne bhi products hum Pakistan mein bech rahe hain, unki designing hamare local Pakistan mein hoti hai
  32. He says there was a major investment of millions of dollars in setting up the R&D centre in Karachi. bahut major investment hui hai into millions of dollars in setting up that R&D center in Karachi
  33. He says this R&D centre is the only Arçelik R&D centre outside Turkey and also designs for another subsidiary. yeh waahid Arçelik ka R&D center hai outside of Turkey, jo kisi aur subsidiary ke liye bhi designing kar raha hai
  34. He says his company is exporting its design services. so we are exporting our design sort of services
  35. He says his company has another R&D centre in Islamabad. Islamabad mein hamara ek aur R&D center hai
  36. He says his company has launched televisions. humne televisions is saal launch kar diye hain
  37. He says Dawlance has launched a men's shaver range. Shavers humne for men, men's care range le aaye hain
  38. He says everything his company does is driven by consumer insights. everything is driven off consumer insights
  39. He says a new function called CX, customer experience, has been started. ek naya function shuru kiya hai which is called a CX customer experience
  40. He says customer service is paramount in their industry. So my point is that for for our industry, customer service is paramount
  41. He says reliability matters a lot. reliability matters a lot
  42. He describes himself as an eternal optimist. I'm an eternal optimist
  43. He says he sees Pakistan in 2050 as a thriving country. the 2050 Pakistan that I see is a thriving Pakistan
  44. He says 55% of Pakistanis are fluent in English. 55% of Pakistanis are fluent in English
  45. He is married and has a son. I got married like five years ago, I had a son uh a couple of years ago
  46. He says Arçelik is a sustainability leader in its industry globally. Arcelik jo hai uh is is is the leader in on sustainability in our industry globally
  47. He says Arçelik and Dawlance are committed to net zero by 2050. as Arcelik and Dolance, we are committed to being net zero by 2050
  48. He says Dawlance aims to cut scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 50% by 2030. By 2030 hum ne apne teeno scope jo hain 1, 2 and 3 ke emissions ko 50% pe le ke aana hai
  49. He says the purpose they came up with was progress today, preserve tomorrow. the purpose we came up with was progress today, preserve tomorrow
  50. He says Dawlance rebranded its message on 14 August to build better habits at home for Pakistan. on the 14th of August we rebranded that slightly and we said build better habits at home for Pakistan
  51. He says work on solar will start inside all three of their factories. hamari teeno factoryon ke andar solar pe kaam shuru ho jayega
  52. He says Dawlance aims to cut water extraction per unit of product by 45% by 2030. water extraction per unit of product, woh hamara 2030 tak hum ne us ko 45% neeche le ke aana hai
  53. He says 25% of the plastic Dawlance uses will be recycled by year end. is saal ke aakhir tak 25% of the plastic that we are using is recycled plastic
  54. He says they have launched a front-load washing machine and are assembling it. front load washing machine hai hum ne yeh launch kar di hai, assemble kar rahe hain is ko
  55. He says Dawlance launched dishwashers in Pakistan a few years ago. Humne abhi kuch saal pehle Pakistan mein dishwashers ko launch kiya
  56. He says that washing the same dishes in a dishwasher takes 9.5 litres of water. Aur wohi bartan jab aap dishwasher mein dhote hain to 9.5 liter mein dhota hai
  57. He says water is not priced correctly in Pakistan. right now the water is not priced correctly in Pakistan
  58. He says his company has its own website and works through marketplaces, particularly Daraz. we have our own website as well. And we are working through marketplaces, particularly Daraz is waqt
  59. He says a project called Omni is under way. hamara ek project chal raha hai, we call it the Omni
  60. He says they did not lay off a single person. humne kisi ek ko bhi lay off nahi kiya
  61. He says their factories were shut for almost six months. Our factories were shut for almost six months
  62. He says they have had to pass the cost on to the customer and the products have become expensive. we've had to sort of pass on the cost uh to the customer and the products have become expensive
  63. He says the market has shrunk sharply. we we've seen a very massive shrinkage in market
  64. He says they manufacture everything in Pakistan. We manufacture everything in Pakistan
  65. He says Dawlance still imports many of its raw materials. we're still dependent on importing a lot of our raw materials
  66. He says Dawlance decided in 2019 to make its own air conditioners. 2019 we took a decision ke nahi humne apna AC banana hai
  67. He says he sees a lot of air conditioners being exported from Dawlance into the Arçelik network. I see a lot of air conditioners being exported from from from Dawlance into the Arçelik network
  68. He says he is not going to the government asking for subsidies. I'm not going to the government asking for subsidies
  69. He says Dawlance exports products to Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq. hamara product Afghanistan bhi ja raha hai. Export. Yemen mein ja raha hai, Iraq mein ja raha hai
  70. He says their stated policy is to make Pakistan one of their export hubs. Our stated policy is we want to make Pakistan one of our export hubs
  71. He says Dawlance is unlikely to go abroad under its own brand name. Chances yeh hain ki Dawlance as a brand nahi jayega
  72. He says Arçelik has taken no dividend out of Pakistan in seven years. Saat saal mein yahan se Arcelik ne ek dollar ka dividend nahi liya
  73. He estimates that what they have reinvested is more than about 150 million dollars. taqreeban 150 million dollar se zyada hi hoga jo humne reinvest kiya hai
  74. He says one advantage of becoming part of Arçelik was access to their data. one of the advantages that we got out of becoming part of Arçelik was we got access to their data
  75. He says the availability of data in Pakistan is very low. data ki availability Pakistan mein bahut kam hai
  76. He says vocational training has been relegated far down. Yahan pe somehow vocational training ko humne relegate karke itna niche le gaye hain
  77. He says a lot of investment is needed in training and development. I think there is a lot of investment that needs to be made in in training and development
  78. He says they do not hire anyone who is not a matriculate. we don't hire anyone without a matriculate
  79. He says we should not be exporting any of our raw materials from Pakistan. We should not be exporting any of our raw materials from Pakistan
  80. He says local insight is very critical. Local insight ek bahut critical hoti hai
  81. He says whatever he has done matches his personal purpose statement, which he wrote down on paper years ago. whatever I've done actually matches with my personal purpose statement which I have and it's written down in a piece of paper from years ago
  82. He says one should never forget the strength of positivity. one should never forget the strength of positivity