Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh is a General Partner of New Silk Route Partners.

In addition to providing overall leadership, Dr. Shaikh focuses on private equity opportunities across the Middle East and Asia.

Dr. Shaikh has over 25 years experience in policymaking and management. He was a Minister in Pakistan for six years (2001-2006), holding various portfolios, including Finance, Planning & Development and Privatization & Investment. He was also a Member of the Senate in Pakistan.

During his tenor as Minister, Dr. Shaikh was recognized as a successful finance manager and, amongst others, responsible for 34 transactions worth USD 5 billion which were completed in a transparent fashion in banking, telecom, energy, and manufacturing. This has been the most successful period in Pakistan’s privatization history. The period also saw a 500 percent increase in FDI from USD 1 billion to USD 5 billion per year. In acknowledgement of his contributions to the national economy, he was awarded “Man of the Year” in 2005 by the business community.

Previously, Dr. Shaikh was Country Head of the World Bank in Saudi Arabia. As a Senior World Bank official, he also led assignments and advised more than 18 countries of Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa on economic strategy, governance, and privatization. Some of the countries include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Romania, Czech Republic, Argentina, Bangladesh, Jordan, Qatar, Malta, Botswana, Tanzania, and Ghana. Subsequently, he advised the governments of Iran, Kuwait, and Libya in privatization transactions and national economic strategy.

Before joining the World Bank, Dr. Shaikh worked at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Shaikh also set up the Watan Foundation to provide healthcare, drinking water, and basic vocational training in the least developed parts of Pakistan.

New Silk Route Partners 

New Silk Route is a leading Asia-focused growth capital firm founded in 2006 with appr. $1.4 billion under management. The senior management of the firm includes Rajat Gupta, Dr. A. Hafeez Shaikh, Parag Saxena, and Victor Menezes, each of whom has a track record of building and leading global organizations. The credentials of New Silk Route's senior management and its strategy to create a unique Asia-focused investment platform received strong support from the investment community. Fundraising for NSR’s first fund received commitments of US$1.4 billion from a blue chip roster of Limited Partners.

New Silk Route has a strong and experienced team of investment professionals with deep relationships in a variety of sectors. NSR’s geographical focus also leverages strong and historical cultural links that bind a region to find growth opportunities in several lucrative markets in Asia and the Middle East. New Silk Route invests across rapidly-emerging economies in Asia and the Middle East, in rapidly growing or transforming sectors, and across the life-cycle of companies. The firm follows both a top-down approach focusing on macroeconomic investment themes, and bottom-up analysis which focus on evaluating potential portfolio companies based on their competitive position, track records, management teams and ability to execute a business plan and growth strategy.

NSR has the flexibility to invest across the life-cycle of a company, provided there is a strong and compelling growth profile. The types of investments include:

• Rapidly growing companies that are looking to accelerate growth via an organic or inorganic growth strategy
• Established companies with a track record of growth entering into adjacent verticals
• Diversified businesses hiving off and unlocking value in subsidiaries
• Buyouts where there is substantial scope for value addition and growth

The management teams of our portfolio companies have the opportunity to work closely with NSR’s multi-location teams in New York, Dubai, and Mumbai to develop strategic opportunities across multiple markets in the Asian region and across the rest of the world.