Kamran Shaukat

co-founder of Ezbuy

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

Kamran Shaukat is the co-founder of Ezbuy. His career has included roles at Alcatel, McDonald's, Royal Dutch Shell, Walmart Global Sourcing and Astro. He has said he is helping Kian, which provides furniture for the quick service restaurant industry.

Early life and background

Shaukat is the only son of parents who were educationists. His father taught at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur, and completed a master's and PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Shaukat grew up in Scotland. [1]

Education

Shaukat completed his O levels in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He did his FSC at a college in Pindi, which was under a federal board. He then went to UET, Lahore, and completed a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Maryland. [1]

He has said he was never really an engineer. He says he decided he needed an MBA, thinking his engineering degree was misplaced. He was transferred to Chicago so that he could attend the University of Chicago, and his MBA was an executive MBA. He says the MBA gave him confidence that he could run any company in the world. [1]

Career

After returning to Pakistan, Shaukat joined Alcatel as a production planner in 1993. He stayed at Alcatel until 1997. He also joined a Dutch tobacco company, where he worked as a materials manager. [1]

McDonald's

Shaukat joined McDonald's in Pakistan in June 1998. His title there was Equipment Manager. He says his team opened the country in Lahore in September 1998 and broke South Asia records at the opening. He says he made processes that were liked and scaled in the Middle East. [1]

He was transferred in early 2002 and moved to Oak Brook, Illinois. He became a regional equipment manager and then a global equipment manager for certain pieces of equipment. [1]

Shell

Shaukat joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2007. At Shell he became head of CAPEX and OPEX globally for Shell retail, based in Singapore. The role covered the money spent on all global retail stations. [1]

He says a group of 1,000 engineers in 40 countries had to be brought down to 20 within two years. He says he thought there should be five KPIs instead of 90. He says he brought spend on this activity globally from about a billion dollars to $660 million. [1]

Walmart

Shaukat wanted to work for an American company, probably in retail. In 2010 he joined Walmart Global Sourcing as senior director, strategic sourcing, based in China. He had a buy of about $5 billion based in China. His portfolio covered hardlines, health and wellness, electronics, toys and seasonal. [1]

He says Walmart's sourcing volume from Pakistan was $400 million. He stayed at Walmart for about seven years. He says Walmart had become really boring at the end, and he does not like boredom. He says he decided to learn e-commerce because it was the next thing in technology. [1]

Astro

A Malaysian media house, Astro, asked Shaukat to head its e-commerce. He joined Astro in 2017. Astro hired him to run its e-commerce, and it formed a joint venture with Koreans called GoShop. [1]

EZBuy Pakistan

He says all EZBuy Pakistan products are imported, and its range centres on female fashion, lingerie, tank tops, sneakers, bags and opticals. He says customers receive orders in 20 to 30 days. He says the company does not stock products locally, and orders are placed in Shanghai. He says it has moved into white label goods, meaning non-branded products. [1]

Kian

Shaukat says Kian provides furniture for the quick service restaurant industry. He says he is helping Kian across three or four verticals. He says Kian has eight verticals, mostly commercial: outdoor seating, Horeca, hotels, restaurants, quick service restaurants and education. He says Kian builds furniture in Pakistan as far as it can and imports only what cannot be made there. [1]

He says he is in the process of setting up factories in India, Pakistan and Cairo, and is setting up a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. He says Kian's quick service customers include McDonald's, KFC, Americana and Burger King. He says Kian's hotel customers include Movenpick, Ritz-Carlton and Sheraton. He says Kian serves the Middle East and Africa, and also sells in Pakistan. [1]

Views

Shaukat says a good process gives the same product each time. He says Pakistani production often lacks processes and systems, so the output is one-off. He says American companies succeed because they take the best out of people. He says a person's own brand matters more than any company they work for. [1]

He says physical things will become redundant and extinct, if not in our lifetime. He says he urged his mentees to learn technology and e-commerce and set up their own ventures. He says he thinks Pakistan is the largest underserved retail market in the world. [1]

He says Pakistan's furniture scene already supplies most of what it needs locally, and that the machinery needed is already in Pakistan. He says manufacturing in Pakistan is up because of geopolitical developments. He says a $20,000 furniture package can now come with $20,000 in logistics costs. He says Pakistan's location sits at the centre of the region. [1]

He says India cannot do business with Central Asia, Iran or the Middle East without Pakistan, and that China cannot do business with Central Asia or the Middle East without Pakistan. He expects Chinese firms to offshore manufacturing to Southeast Asia and Pakistan. He estimates about 3 million Chinese may live in Pakistan within three to five years. He says no country is destined to stay behind. [1]

He says a private enterprise sector that works hard and with good intent can help Pakistan. He says import duties on commodities are too high, and the government should not decide what is essential. He says setting up a company should take hours, not months. He says nobody has asked him for a bribe in three and a half years. He says Pakistan could be a major production hub by 2030 if regulation is eased and investment is welcomed. [1]

Shaukat plans his career three to five years ahead. He credits his career moves to right time, right place, risk and luck. He advises working hard, taking risks and believing in yourself. [1]

Personal life

Shaukat and his wife relocated to Malaysia. He had three children by the time he moved to Malaysia. He says that within six months of arriving in Malaysia he decided not to go back, and that a green card was not on his mind when he moved. He applied for citizenship and was granted it in two to three months. [1]

He says he was happy but not content in the markets where he lived before. He says he is content in Pakistan because he belongs here. [1]

Timeline

1993
Joined Alcatel as a production planner.[1]
1997
Stayed at Alcatel until this year.[1]
2002
Transferred in early 2002 and moved to Oak Brook, Illinois.[1]
2007
Joined Royal Dutch Shell.[1]
2010
Joined Walmart Global Sourcing as senior director, strategic sourcing, based in China.[1]
2017
Joined Astro.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-11-05 Pakistan is the largest underserved retail market in the world Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Kamran Shaukat?

Kamran Shaukat is the co-founder of Ezbuy. His career has included roles at Alcatel, McDonald's, Royal Dutch Shell, Walmart Global Sourcing and Astro.[1]

What company did Kamran Shaukat found?

Kamran Shaukat is the co-founder of Ezbuy. He says EZBuy Pakistan started piloting in March 2018 and launched on 1 August.[1]

Where did Kamran Shaukat study?

Kamran Shaukat completed his O levels in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and did his FSC at a college in Pindi. He went to UET, Lahore, and completed a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Maryland. His MBA was an executive MBA, and he was transferred to Chicago so that he could attend the University of Chicago.[1]

Where has Kamran Shaukat worked?

Kamran Shaukat joined Alcatel in 1993 and McDonald's in Pakistan in June 1998. He joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2007, Walmart Global Sourcing in 2010 and Astro in 2017.[1]

What did Kamran Shaukat do at Shell?

Kamran Shaukat joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2007. He became head of CAPEX and OPEX globally for Shell retail, based in Singapore, and the role covered the money spent on all global retail stations.[1]

What is Kian, and how is Kamran Shaukat involved?

Kamran Shaukat says Kian provides furniture for the quick service restaurant industry. He says he is helping Kian across three or four verticals.[1]

What does Kamran Shaukat think about Pakistan's retail market?

Kamran Shaukat says he thinks Pakistan is the largest underserved retail market in the world. He says Pakistan could be a major production hub by 2030 if regulation is eased and investment is welcomed.[1]

References

  1. Pakistan is the largest underserved retail market in the world . Thought Behind Things , 2021-11-05.
Show the source passages (99 statements)
  1. He is the only son of parents who were educationists. I'm the only son. Parents are educationists.
  2. His father taught at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur at the time. And my father was teaching at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur then.
  3. His father completed a master's and PhD at the University of Edinburgh. So he did his masters and PhD from the University of Edinburgh.
  4. He grew up in Scotland. And I grew up in Scotland, I didn't mention that, but I have a certain affinity and a love for Scotland.
  5. He completed his O levels in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I did my O levels from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  6. He did his FSC at a college in Pindi, which was under a federal board. Second year maine Sir Syed Pindi se kiya, FSC because federal board tha.
  7. He then went to UET, Lahore. Uske baad I went to UET, Lahore.
  8. He completed a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Maryland. University of Maryland se maine complete ki electrical engineering.
  9. After returning to Pakistan, he joined Alcatel. Wapas aaye Pakistan and I joined Alcatel.
  10. He joined Alcatel as a production planner in 1993. I joined as a production planner in 93.
  11. He stayed at Alcatel until 1997. So Alcatel, I was there till 97.
  12. He says a good process gives the same product each time. if you have a good process, you'll get the same product each time.
  13. He says Pakistani production often lacks processes and systems, so the output is one-off. usually we see production mein ke process nahi hai, systems nahi hai, toh pieces of art hai at the end.
  14. He joined a Dutch tobacco company. I joined this Dutch tobacco company called International Tobacco Machinery.
  15. He worked there as materials manager. Main unka materials manager tha.
  16. He joined McDonald's in Pakistan in June 1998. And I joined McDonald's in June. In Pakistan or in? In Pakistan. In June 98.
  17. His title at McDonald's was Equipment Manager. So the position was called Equipment Manager.
  18. He says he was never really an engineer. truth be told, I was never an engineer, right?
  19. He says his team opened the country in Lahore in September 1998. So September 98, we opened the country, country opening Lahore.
  20. He says his team broke South Asia records at the opening. We broke, broke the South Asia records.
  21. He says he decided he needed an MBA, thinking his engineering degree was misplaced. maybe this engineering degree is really misplaced. I need to get an MBA.
  22. He says he made processes that were liked and scaled in the Middle East. I made some processes that they liked and scaled in the Middle East.
  23. He was transferred to Chicago so that he could attend the University of Chicago. they transferred me to Chicago for the purpose of actually going to the University of Chicago.
  24. His MBA was an executive MBA. Ji, ji, executive MBA tha.
  25. He says the MBA gave him confidence that he could run any company in the world. And that is the confidence that I could run any company in the world.
  26. He was transferred in early 2002. They, they transferred me in early 2002.
  27. He moved to Oak Brook, Illinois. And I moved to Oak Brook, Illinois, Chicago.
  28. He became a regional equipment manager and then a global equipment manager for certain pieces of equipment. I was an equipment manager here, there I became a regional equipment manager and then global for certain pieces of equipment.
  29. He says American companies succeed because they take the best out of people. I think the American companies are very successful because they take the best out of people.
  30. He and his wife relocated to Malaysia. Toh Kamran and his wife then relocated to Malaysia
  31. He had three children by the time he moved to Malaysia. Us waqt tak I had three kids by now.
  32. He says a person's own brand matters more than any company they work for. your own brand is important, more important than any of these companies.
  33. He says that within six months of arriving in Malaysia he decided not to go back. Never, when I landed in Malaysia, 6 mahine mujhe lage, maine kaha maine toh wapas nahi jana.
  34. He says a green card was not on his mind when he moved to Malaysia. No, green card wasn't on my mind.
  35. He applied for citizenship and was granted it in two to three months. So I applied, they gave me a citizenship in two, three months.
  36. He joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2007. I joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2007.
  37. At Shell he became head of CAPEX and OPEX globally for Shell retail, based in Singapore. I became head of CAPEX and OPEX globally for Shell retail out of Singapore.
  38. His Shell role covered the money spent on all global retail stations. money that's being spent on all global retail stations for Shell out of Singapore.
  39. He says a group of 1,000 engineers in 40 countries had to be brought down to 20 within two years. So we have 1,000 engineers in 40 countries. In the next two years, you got to make them down to 20.
  40. He says he thought there should be five KPIs instead of 90. I think we should have five KPIs instead of 90.
  41. He says he brought spend on this activity globally from about a billion dollars to $660 million. bringing my spend, we used to spend about a billion dollars globally on all of this activity to $660 million.
  42. He wanted to work for an American company, probably in retail. I want to work for an American company, probably again, probably in retail
  43. He joined Walmart Global Sourcing as senior director, strategic sourcing, based in China, in 2010. So I joined uh Walmart Global Sourcing as a senior director, strategic sourcing, based in China. In 2010.
  44. At Walmart he had a buy of about $5 billion based in China. I myself had a buy of about $5 billion uh based in China.
  45. His Walmart portfolio covered hardlines, health and wellness, electronics, toys and seasonal. I had all of hardlines, all of uh consumer health and wellness, all of electronics and entertainment, all of toys and all of seasonal.
  46. He says Walmart's sourcing volume from Pakistan was $400 million. Walmart has a hub here, a buying hub in Karachi. Right. We buy and I I use the present tense for all the companies I work for because we have sourcing volume of $400 million from Pakistan.
  47. He stayed at Walmart for about seven years. So then um over seven years I stayed with Walmart
  48. He says Walmart had become really boring at the end, and he does not like boredom. It was kind of, truth be told, really boring at the end. And I don't like boredom.
  49. He says he decided to learn e-commerce because it was the next thing in technology. I need to learn e-commerce because that's the next thing, technology.
  50. He says physical things will become redundant and extinct, if not in our lifetime. All of these physical things, if not in our lifetime, will be redundant and extinct.
  51. He says he urged his mentees to learn technology and e-commerce and set up their own ventures. every mentee I had, I would encourage them to, after three to five years, I'm talking about Chinese mentees, jo Singaporean, learn technology, learn e-commerce, set up your own thing, try.
  52. A Malaysian media house, Astro, asked him to head its e-commerce. a Malaysian uh media house, a billion dollar media house reached out to me, can you head out e-commerce, called Astro.
  53. He joined Astro in 2017. So I moved to Malaysia, borders became pretty seamless and I joined Astro in 2017.
  54. Astro hired him to run its e-commerce, and it formed a joint venture with Koreans called GoShop. So they hired me to run their e-commerce and they made a joint venture with the Koreans called GoShop.
  55. He says he thinks Pakistan is the largest underserved retail market in the world. So you talk about anything in retail, I think it's the largest underserved market in the world.
  56. He says he was happy but not content in the markets where he lived before. in each market where I lived, I was very happy, but I wasn't content.
  57. He says he is content in Pakistan because he belongs here. Content hoon because I belong from here.
  58. He says he chose to do his own thing in Pakistan. I'm going to do my own thing in Pakistan.
  59. He says EZBuy Pakistan started piloting in March 2018 and launched on 1 August. 2018 March mein piloting shuru ki. And we launched on 1st August.
  60. He says EZBuy Pakistan is the second largest cross-border business in Pakistan, if Alibaba, which is Daraz, is discounted. we're the second largest cross-border in Pakistan, if you discount Alibaba, which is Daraz.
  61. He says EZBuy Pakistan had about 28 people in its team. How many people are are in the team now? We're like 28.
  62. He says EZBuy Pakistan is profitable. would you say this is a profitable company now? It's profitable.
  63. He says EZBuy Pakistan launched with the largest range in Pakistan, at 5 million SKUs. So, we launched with the largest range in Pakistan with 5 million SKUs.
  64. He says EZBuy Pakistan later narrowed its range to about two to two and a half million SKUs. So, we've kind of filtered out what we want to offer the public uh to around two, two and a half million SKUs.
  65. He says all EZBuy Pakistan products are imported. These are all imported. They're all imported. 100%.
  66. He says EZBuy Pakistan's range centres on female fashion, lingerie, tank tops, sneakers, bags and opticals. we're into basically female fashion, lingerie, uh tank tops, sneakers, bags, opticals, you name it.
  67. He says EZBuy Pakistan customers receive orders in 20 to 30 days. aapke paas cheez aa jayegi 20 din se 30 din tak
  68. He says EZBuy Pakistan does not stock products locally, and orders are placed in Shanghai. So we don't stock locally. So jab aap order karte hain Easybuy pe, toh order girta hai Shanghai mein
  69. He thinks EZBuy Pakistan is the largest in cash on delivery. I think we're the largest in cash on delivery as well.
  70. He says about 85 to 86 percent of EZBuy Pakistan's customers are female. I think 85, 86% of our customers are female.
  71. He says EZBuy Pakistan has moved into white label goods, meaning non-branded products. So we're not into brands, we're into white label goods
  72. He says Kian provides furniture for the quick service restaurant industry. They provide furniture for the quick service restaurant industry.
  73. He says he is helping Kian across three or four verticals. Toh teen char verticals pe you know, I'm helping them
  74. He says Kian has eight verticals, mostly commercial: outdoor seating, Horeca, hotels, restaurants, quick service restaurants and education. But unke aath verticals hain, all commercial mostly and they are outdoor seating, Horeca, hotels, restaurants and then quick service restaurants, uh education mein hai
  75. He says Kian builds furniture in Pakistan as far as it can and imports only what cannot be made there. we build furniture as far as we can from here. Sirf agar nahi ban sakta phir main import karunga
  76. He says he is in the process of setting up factories in India, Pakistan and Cairo. I'm in the midst of setting up factories in India, Pakistan and Cairo.
  77. He says he is setting up a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. I was just in Cairo last week and I'm setting up a joint venture in Saudi Arabia.
  78. He says Kian's quick service customers include McDonald's, KFC, Americana and Burger King. So our customers would be like McDonald's, KFC, Americana, you know, Burger King in QSR only.
  79. He says Kian's hotel customers include Movenpick, Ritz-Carlton and Sheraton. Our customers in hotels, Horeca, hotels, restaurants, cafes would be Movenpick, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, any hotel, right?
  80. He says Kian serves the Middle East and Africa, and also sells in Pakistan. that's basically servicing the Middle Eastern African market. And Pakistan, ji. And also Pakistan. So it's also selling in Pakistan as well.
  81. He says Pakistan's furniture scene already supplies most of what it needs locally. Pakistan, especially on the furniture scene, locally toh apni provide kar raha hai. Very few things come from abroad.
  82. He says the machinery needed is already in Pakistan. Machine sab hain yahan.
  83. He says manufacturing in Pakistan is up because of geopolitical developments. I think manufacturing is up in Pakistan because of whatever is happening geopolitically.
  84. He says a $20,000 furniture package can now come with $20,000 in logistics costs. Is waqt $20,000 ka furniture package hai aur $20,000 hi logistics ho gayi hai.
  85. He says Pakistan's location sits at the centre of the region. So we happen to have a real estate which happens to be right in the center of the region.
  86. He says India cannot do business with Central Asia, Iran or the Middle East without Pakistan. India can't do business with Central Asia or Iran or the Middle East without us.
  87. He says China cannot do business with Central Asia or the Middle East without Pakistan. China can't do business with Central Asia or the Middle East without us.
  88. He expects Chinese firms to offshore manufacturing to Southeast Asia and Pakistan. Toh Chinese uh will offshore into Southeast Asia and Pakistan to make stuff for the Middle East and Africa.
  89. He estimates about 3 million Chinese may live in Pakistan within three to five years. And I estimate in the next three to five years, maybe 3 million Chinese living here.
  90. He says no country is destined to stay behind. koi bhi mulk in you know, destined nahi hota
  91. He says a private enterprise sector that works hard and with good intent can help Pakistan. at least from a private enterprise sector, if you do it well and you are well intentioned with hard work
  92. He says import duties on commodities are too high, and the government should not decide what is essential. Matlab import duties itni high karna on commodities and to define what's essential shouldn't be up to the government.
  93. He says setting up a company should take hours, not months. It should take hours, not months to set up a company.
  94. He says nobody has asked him for a bribe in three and a half years. touch wood, it's been three and a half years. Nobody's turned up at my door and said ke yaar mujhe itni bribe chahiye aur yeh envelope mein kuch paise.
  95. He says Pakistan could be a major production hub by 2030 if regulation is eased and investment is welcomed. I think if we if we just provide a little bit of uh wohi main keh raha tha regulation and let people get on with whatever they're doing, welcome investment from abroad, uh by 2030, so another 10 years, 35, we should be a major production hub.
  96. He plans his career three to five years ahead. Main toh apni career plan karta hoon teen se paanch saal.
  97. He credits his career moves to right time, right place, risk and luck. It was just about right time, right place, I think taking the right risk and uh luck.
  98. He advises working hard, taking risks and believing in yourself. work hard, take risks and believe in yourself and God and eventually it works out.
  99. Kamran Shaukat is the co-founder of Ezbuy. with the co-founder of ezbuy, Kamran Shaukat.