Anees Khawaja

Early life and background

Khawaja grew up mainly in Multan. He says the family business started with his great-grandfather, who traded leather around 1935, before partition. A leather tanning unit was put up, and the family still owns and runs it. [1]

His grandfather took a ginning factory at the time of partition. Khawaja says nationalisation came in the mid-1970s during Bhutto's regime. His grandfather also invested in agricultural land. According to Khawaja, his grandfather told him that his job was to make the effort and leave the result to God, and kept going to the office every day until the end of his life. [1]

Education

Khawaja attended Beaconhouse for his early schooling and went to a government college. He applied to LUMS, but his grandfather and father wanted him to stay in Multan. He studied up to a master's degree in Multan. [1]

He took short courses at the London School of Economics, going for a couple of months each year. He has also gone to London Business School, Harvard and Wharton. He completed his education in mid 2003. [1]

Career

Khawaja says he started working at 21. His father joined, and the family got into the spinning business in the early 1970s. The family business expanded into weaving in the 1990s. [1]

The group diversified into energy and real estate. Khawaja says the group is one of the largest spinners and ginners today, and the only exporter of mangoes to Japan. His brother looks after the mango export business, and a cousin runs the poultry egg business. [1]

He says all of his businesses are based in South Punjab. He was on the board of an electricity distribution company for South Punjab. He also worked in a group on resolving the cotton crisis, and he says he is working on olive, dried mango, dried apple and honey products. [1]

Khawaja invests in startups together with two other people. He says 40 to 50 percent of the startups they review come from South Punjab. He adds that they focus on being mentors as well as investors. [1]

MG Apparel

Khawaja says the group set up the MG Apparel project. He describes it as a trouser-making project. He says the plant has 85% women empowerment and employs around 2,000 people, rising to 5,000 within six months. [1]

Workers at the plant were brought in and trained from the outskirts of Multan. Khawaja says giving back to society was the main objective behind the plant. [1]

Energy and sustainability

The group already has 25 megawatts of solar capacity and is part of a 50 megawatt power plant in Karachi. It was one of the first signups to a net zero coalition and has adopted villages under a smart village concept. Khawaja says the group received a sustainability award at Davos, as the only textile company in Pakistan. [1]

He says the group made women's hygiene one of its pillars. The group sent ration, tents and a female hygiene kit. [1]

Cotton and agriculture

His group plants thousands of acres of cotton in Balochistan with local farmers. He says the group partnered with HBL. A planned organic cotton project will cover 10,000 acres near DI Khan. [1]

Cricket

Khawaja says he is not a professional cricketer. He says they developed a cricket ground on a site that was leftover metro debris. He says the plan is to create first-class standard grounds in all 14 districts within six months. He also says school cricket in South Punjab had not been held for 12 years. [1]

Views

Khawaja describes himself as an optimist about Pakistan and says he sees the country prospering in the future. He says he sees more people in his lifetime who want to do something for the country. He describes Pakistanis as strong people who fight back quickly. He also says the country has made many mistakes and is still on the wrong path. [1]

He says Pakistan needs more out-of-the-box thinkers and risk-taking entrepreneurs, and that Pakistan needs to talk more about sustainable human beings. He says champions of different sectors should be found and given complete power and authority. [1]

On industry, he says he visited most of the major brands and about 90% of their goods came from China. He says governments have not kept industrial policies stable over the long term, and that most Pakistani textile companies are family owned. He says cotton is one of the biggest items Pakistan imports, and that there is no right agronomy and support system for the farmer. [1]

On energy, he says local gas will largely run out within four to five years, and that gas could become at least 10 times as expensive as it is today. He says subsidising gas at current rates will become unsustainable for the government. He calls LNG the biggest disaster, saying a great deal of gas was wasted. He says there is so much red tape that businesses cannot wheel power, and he wants businesses allowed to build their own solar or wind plants and wheel the power to their sites. He also says circular debt is increasing and that energy is being ignored. [1]

On business and markets, he says business is the only productive asset in Pakistan and that businesses in Pakistan do not want to share their success through an IPO. He refers to amnesty on real estate alongside a 30 percent tax on the stock market. He says his core team is a very big reason for the group's success today, and he describes his brother as a true entrepreneur in the family. He says they love their city and the peace they get from it. [1]

Timeline

1935

Leather trading begins in the family business, according to Khawaja.[1]

1970s

The family gets into the spinning business.[1]

1990s

The family business expands into weaving.[1]

2003

Khawaja completes his education.[1]

Appearances

Frequently asked questions

References

1. The industrialist betting on South Punjab's future . Thought Behind Things , 2022-11-14.