Zaigham Haque

chief executive of SCAFA Limited

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

Zaigham Haque is the chief executive officer of SCAFA Limited. He moved to Dubai in 1988, has worked in private equity, and made a company for document management.

Early life and background

Haque was born in Lahore. His father was a naval officer. He spent his first four years and his early schooling in the United Kingdom. As a child he was a year younger than most of his classmates. [1]

Education

Haque attended Karachi Grammar School for about six or seven years and spent a year at school in Rawalpindi. He finished his schooling at Aitchison College in Lahore. [1]

He studied at the University of Essex in Colchester from 1979. He arrived at Heathrow that year and was told that, as a Pakistani passport holder coming for university, he did not need a visa. He was accepted for a degree in Literature and Philosophy and, within a day or two of arriving, changed it to Accountancy, Finance and Economics. He says his three years at university were possibly the best of his life as a student in the United Kingdom, and he still counts some of his instructors and professors as friends. [1]

Career

Haque recalled that the qualification rate was 6% when he did his CA the first time. After his CA he took a job in the UK for a short time before moving to the Middle East. He moved from accountancy into investment brokerage, where his work covered foreign exchange, financial markets, futures and options. [1]

Haque moved to Dubai in 1988. He had applied for jobs in both Dubai and Bermuda, and his Dubai role was to open his UK employer's operation there. He says that soon after he came to Dubai, his UK employers ran into a City scandal. He says one advantage of Dubai was that he could reach Pakistan quickly and his parents could visit him, and he said Dubai was then a place to earn tax-free income and accumulate capital. [1]

Haque worked for Dow Jones Markets, a division of Dow Jones. He asked whether he could buy his region, not the global business, and got together with a VC to fund it. He says he had to leave the company because he could not run the management buyout from inside it. The management buyout did not succeed. [1]

He then worked for the VC, which was also a project developer. He also says that after Dow Jones he worked in private equity until about 2000. [1]

Haque made a company for document management. He says his company had climate-controlled storage facilities in Jebel Ali, including media vaults, and was retained by consultants to the Ministry of Education to mark optically marked papers. His company got a contract with Dubai Municipality, and he says one of its projects involved digitizing every piece of construction in Dubai. He says he had a team of 45 people working on a project for almost three or four years. [1]

He says the Islamic Development Bank and Gulf Finance House together created a VC called Injazat Technology Fund, and that he was its first investment. He says Aramex was an eager buyer and that he sold it to them at that time. [1]

SCAFA

Haque is the chief executive officer of SCAFA Limited. He says there are other culinary institutes in Pakistan but only one SCAFA. [1]

A friend told him, laughingly, that he should bring Cordon Bleu to Dubai. He says a trip to Cordon Bleu was in 2010. He reached out to Andre Cointreau and met him once or twice. He found that there was competition and that there was one competitor. [1]

He says developing the concept took him a couple of years, and that he hired a third-party company to test the feasibility of the idea. The Dubai premises were found in 2011, and he says that they started in 2012. [1]

Views

Haque describes himself as an optimist and says businesspeople should be natural optimists. He says he has been successful enough, not crazy successful. He says that whatever the system, there is a need for strong leadership, and that changing a culture takes rules with severe penalties for breaking them, and time. [1]

He names social media and the directions that AI might take as accelerators. He says the kind, benevolent UK is now under threat more than ever, and he thinks Europe will probably become a less desirable place to live. He thinks the Middle East will prosper and says climate change is a serious threat. He expects food shortages to push prices up, says a commodity super cycle was exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia war, and says the global population will reach 10 billion by 2050. [1]

Personal life

Haque says he had been married for a little while and that his wife was pregnant with their first child. He says they are downsizing and want their lives to be smaller. He says it scares him that his children and grandchildren will not have this world. [1]

Haque learned how to play squash in Karachi. He stopped playing squash and now plays golf, and says he still plays three times a week. He says he loved reading, though he no longer reads very much. [1]

Timeline

1979
Began studies at the University of Essex in Colchester[1]
1988
Moved to Dubai[1]
2000
Private equity work ended around this year[1]
2010
Made a trip to Cordon Bleu[1]
2011
Found the Dubai premises[1]
2012
Said to have started[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-09-29 The seventy good years might have been the aberration Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Zaigham Haque?

Zaigham Haque is the chief executive officer of SCAFA Limited. He was born in Lahore and moved to Dubai in 1988. He has worked in private equity and made a company for document management.[1]

What does Zaigham Haque do?

Zaigham Haque is the chief executive officer of SCAFA Limited. He says there are other culinary institutes in Pakistan but only one SCAFA.[1]

Where did Zaigham Haque study?

Zaigham Haque attended Karachi Grammar School for about six or seven years and finished his schooling at Aitchison College in Lahore. He studied at the University of Essex in Colchester from 1979.[1]

Where is Zaigham Haque from?

Zaigham Haque was born in Lahore. His father was a naval officer, and he spent his first four years and early schooling in the UK.[1]

When did Zaigham Haque move to Dubai?

Zaigham Haque moved to Dubai in 1988. His Dubai role was to open his UK employer's operation there. He says one advantage of Dubai was that he could reach Pakistan quickly and his parents could visit him.[1]

What did Zaigham Haque study at university?

Zaigham Haque was accepted for a degree in Literature and Philosophy at the University of Essex. Within a day or two of arriving, he changed it to Accountancy, Finance and Economics.[1]

What is Zaigham Haque's work background?

Zaigham Haque moved from accountancy into investment brokerage, covering foreign exchange, financial markets, futures and options. He worked for Dow Jones Markets, a division of Dow Jones, and later worked in private equity until about 2000. He also made a company for document management.[1]

References

  1. The seventy good years might have been the aberration . Thought Behind Things , 2023-09-29.
Show the source passages (72 statements)
  1. Zaigham Haque is the CEO of SCAFA Limited. Zaigham Haque is the CEO of SCAFA Limited.
  2. He was born in Lahore. I was born in Lahore, in CMH in Lahore.
  3. His father was a naval officer. my father was a naval officer.
  4. He spent his first four years and early schooling in the UK. My first four years and my early schooling was in was in the UK.
  5. As a child he was a year younger than most of his classmates. I was small in my class because I was a year younger than the other kids.
  6. He says he had already been away from Pakistan for 10 years. I'd already been away from Pakistan for 10 years
  7. He attended Karachi Grammar School for about six or seven years. I I I went into Karachi Grammar School. Right. So I was there for about six seven years.
  8. He spent a year at school in Rawalpindi. Um went to school in Pindi for a year.
  9. He finished his schooling at Aitchison College in Lahore. And then I finished my schooling in Lahore at Aitchison.
  10. He studied at the University of Essex in Colchester from 1979. Um I went to Essex, University of Essex, um in Colchester in 79.
  11. He was accepted for a degree in Literature and Philosophy. the degree I applied for and that I was accepted for was Literature and Philosophy.
  12. Within a day or two of arriving, he changed his degree to Accountancy, Finance and Economics. one or two days later finding myself at university going directly to the admissions office and changing my degree to Accountancy, Finance and Economics.
  13. He says he loved reading, though he no longer reads very much. I loved reading. I I don't read very much anymore.
  14. He still counts some of his university instructors and professors as friends. I've continuing friends who are who were my instructors and professors at university.
  15. He says his three years at university were possibly the best of his life as a student in the UK. easily the best three years of my life possibly as a student in the UK.
  16. He recalled that the qualification rate was 6% when he did his CA the first time. I remember when I did my CA the first time qualification rate was 6%.
  17. After his CA he took a job in the UK for a short time before moving to the Middle East. after I did my CA, I had job opportunities to stay on there and I took one of them for a short time, then I moved to the Middle East.
  18. He says he wanted to leave the UK after a long time there. I really wanted to get out of the UK. Uh, I'd been there for a very long time
  19. He moved from accountancy into investment brokerage. I'd moved into uh, investment brokerage.
  20. His brokerage work covered foreign exchange, financial markets, futures and options. trading foreign exchange, financial markets, um, uh, futures, options wagera wagera.
  21. He moved to Dubai in 1988. Jab main Dubai aaya tha na 1988 mein,
  22. He says one advantage of Dubai was that he could reach Pakistan quickly and his parents could visit him. is Dubai ka fayda ye tha ke main ghante mein Pakistan pahunch sakta hoon. Mere maa baap mujhe milne aa sakte the,
  23. He had applied for jobs in both Dubai and Bermuda. I applied for jobs in uh, Dubai and I applied for jobs in Bermuda.
  24. His Dubai role was to open his UK employer's operation there. it was a a job I was doing in the UK, which brought me to to open up their operation over here.
  25. He says that soon after he came to Dubai, his UK employers ran into a City scandal. Uh, not very long. Uh, soon after I came to Dubai, jo jo mere jo UK employers the na, they ran into some city scandal
  26. He said Dubai was then a place to earn tax-free income and accumulate capital. Dubai was a place you came to to earn a tax-free income and to accumulate capital.
  27. He says he had been married for a little while and that his wife was pregnant with their first child. I was married. I'd been married a few a little while and Dina, my wife was pregnant with our first child.
  28. He says he wants to be a good Pakistani but does not know what that means anymore. I want to be a good Pakistani and I don't know how to be one.
  29. He says he still plays golf three times a week. main abhi bhi hafte mein teen dafa golf khelta hoon.
  30. He stopped playing squash and now plays golf. I'm getting old. I can't play squash anymore. So I play golf.
  31. He learned how to play squash in Karachi. I was fortunate to learn how to play squash at the Fleet Club in Karachi
  32. A friend told him, laughingly, that he should bring Cordon Bleu to Dubai. mere dost ne laughingly mujhse kaha ke Zeigham, you should bring the Cordon Bleu to Dubai.
  33. He reached out to Andre Cointreau and met him once or twice. uska naam hai Andre Cointreau, usko reached out, uske saath meri ek do mulakatein hui
  34. He says the other side's pace did not match the speed at which he wanted to move forward, so he went independently. uska pace jo tha, jo jis raftar se main aage is baat ko badhana chah raha tha, woh match nahi ho rahe the. Toh phir I went independently.
  35. He found that there was competition and that there was one competitor. So I found there was competition and uh there was one competitor.
  36. Developing the concept took him a couple of years. the development of the concept took me uh a couple of years.
  37. He hired a third-party company to test the feasibility of the idea. toh feasibility ke liye maine ek third party company ko uh hire kiya
  38. The Dubai premises were found in 2011. in 2011 we found the premises we are in today in Dubai
  39. He says that they started in 2012. and we started in 2012.
  40. He says a trip to Cordon Bleu was in 2010. Uh the the the this trip to the Cordon Bleu was in 2010.
  41. He worked for Dow Jones Markets, a division of Dow Jones. I was uh working in uh in Dow Jones markets. It was a division of Dow Jones.
  42. After Dow Jones he worked in private equity until about 2000. after Dow Jones I was in private equity until until 99, 99, 2000.
  43. He asked whether he could buy his region, not the global business, and got together with a VC to fund it. and not the global one, but can we buy our region? And that's when I got together with a VC to fund it.
  44. He says he had to leave the company because he could not run the management buyout from inside it. So because I couldn't run the MBO from inside the company. So I had to actually leave, I exited.
  45. The management buyout did not succeed. No, no, it it it failed. The MBO failed, okay?
  46. He then worked for the VC, which was also a project developer. Um, I then worked for the VC and uh they were a project developer also, they weren't just a pure VC.
  47. He made a company for document management. I made a company called Docman for document management.
  48. He says his company had climate-controlled storage facilities in Jebel Ali, including media vaults. We had uh uh you know, climate controlled storage facilities in Jebel Ali, media vaults.
  49. He says his company was retained by consultants to the Ministry of Education to mark optically marked papers. we were retained by the Ministry of Education's consultants to mark optically mark papers.
  50. He says his company got a contract with Dubai Municipality. we got a contract with Dubai Municipality.
  51. He says one of his company's projects involved digitizing every piece of construction in Dubai. Unhone usko digitize karna tha. Every piece of construction in Dubai. And that was one of the projects we did.
  52. He says he had a team of 45 people working on a project for almost three or four years. I had a team of 45 people working in on that project for almost three or four years.
  53. He says the Islamic Development Bank and Gulf Finance House together created a VC called Injazat Technology Fund, and that he was its first investment. main uh uh Islamic Development Bank and Gulf Finance House ne ek uh mil ke ek uh VC banaya tha called Injazat Technology Fund. And I was the first investment.
  54. He says Aramex was an eager buyer and that he sold it to them at that time. And uh Aramex were an eager buyer. So it was a maine usko phir us waqt unko bech diya.
  55. He says they are downsizing and want their lives to be smaller. So we're we're downsizing. Uh we want our lives to be smaller.
  56. He says he has been successful enough, not crazy successful. I don't think I've been crazy successful. I think I've been successful enough.
  57. He describes himself as an optimist. Um I think I've always been an optimist.
  58. He says businesspeople should be natural optimists. Businesses, businessman should be natural optimists.
  59. He says that those 70 years were an aberration and not normal. ye jo 70 saal the na, ye aberration the. Ye normal nahi hai.
  60. He says it scares him that his children and grandchildren will not have this world. It scares me that my children, my grandchildren will not have this world.
  61. He names social media and the directions that AI might take as accelerators. inke jo accelerators are things like media. Uh you know, the uh uh the social media, the hijacking of social media. The yet to be discovered directions that AI might take us towards.
  62. He says the kind, benevolent UK is now under threat more than ever. I think this kind benevolent UK is now under threat more than ever before.
  63. He says that whatever the system, there is a need for strong leadership. whatever the system, there's a need for strong leadership.
  64. He says that changing a culture takes rules with severe penalties for breaking them, and time. Aapko rules chahiye jinke breakage pe aapke upar sakht penalties ho and you need time. These are the two things that change a culture.
  65. He says a commodity super cycle was exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia war. commodity super cycle hui thi exacerbated by the Ukraine Russia war.
  66. He expects food shortages to push prices up. So food shortages are uh going to push prices up.
  67. He says the global population will reach 10 billion by 2050. the global population is going to hit 10 billion. It will hit 10 billion by 2050.
  68. He thinks the Middle East will prosper. I think uh Middle East uh prosper karega.
  69. He says climate change is a serious threat. Uh climate change is a is a serious threat.
  70. He thinks Europe will probably become a less desirable place to live. And Europe will probably be uh a less desirable place to to want to live in.
  71. When he arrived at Heathrow in 1979 for university, he was told he did not need a visa as a Pakistani passport holder. In 1979, I arrived at Heathrow and I'm scrambling through saying, I have a visa and he says, you're you're here for university, you have a Pakistani passport, you do not need a visa.
  72. He says there are other culinary institutes in Pakistan but only one SCAFA. No, there are other culinary institutes but there's only one Scafe in Pakistan.