Zeeshan Hasib Baig

Country General Manager of Syngenta

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

Zeeshan Hasib Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta Pakistan. His career has included roles at Ericsson, Deloitte and Careem, where he was country head. He graduated from FAST in 2008 and from LUMS in 2012.

Early life and background

Baig was born and raised in Pakistan. He grew up in a military family, and his father served in the Air Force. His family lived in several Pakistani cities, including Peshawar and Karachi. His father left the Air Force in 1999 by taking early retirement. [1]

Baig's father resigned, and the family decided to move to Lahore. After leaving the military, his father started a consultancy. Baig describes his father as his source of inspiration. [1]

Education

Baig missed university admissions for a year while pursuing an Air Force route. He says it is okay to fail, and that people face failures many times in life. [1]

Baig studied engineering, having heard since childhood that he was to become an engineer. In his second year of engineering he realised that engineering was not for him. He chose to study telecom engineering and joined FAST for his university studies. He graduated from FAST in 2008. [1]

Baig realised he wanted to pursue an MBA. He joined the LUMS MBA program in 2010 and graduated from LUMS in 2012. [1]

Ericsson and Deloitte

Baig joined Ericsson's Graduate Trainee Program, which Ericsson launched in Pakistan. His team managed a network and all of its towers. He spent about a year or two at Ericsson. He says he was not a hardcore tech person, and that he was drawn more to the commercial side of business. [1]

Baig joined Deloitte's Dubai office and worked at Deloitte for about five and a half to six years. He says that with two or three more years at Deloitte he would certainly have become a partner. He left Deloitte in 2017. [1]

Baig says he had long looked for a reason to move back to Pakistan. He names his attachment to his father and mother, who were alone, as a major factor. When weighing a move to the US, he said he wanted to go back to Pakistan. [1]

Careem

Careem was a new company that had only just launched in Pakistan, in 2016. Baig joined as an operations manager for Lahore. He describes the move as basically a compromise, and says the salary was very low. He says he was very clear that he wanted to be based in Lahore. [1]

Baig says he joined Careem because he could see its impact, including the independence the gig economy gave women. He was an assistant general manager, heading Punjab. He took on the role of managing director, which was called general manager, and was given the responsibility of replacing the person then holding that role. He held that general manager role for almost three and a half to four years, and he was country head of Careem. [1]

Syngenta

Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta. He says Syngenta Pakistan has more than 400 direct employees. He estimates that, counting everyone together, the total is roughly 1,500 to 2,000 people. He says Syngenta's leadership team has supported him fully. [1]

Baig says Syngenta is the largest agricultural input company. He says it is number one in crop protection and number three in seeds globally. He also says it has the highest market share among multinationals in Pakistan. [1]

Baig says his company launched a fourth business vertical, described as a new farming ecosystem. It includes lending, insurance and drone services. He launched a new division called Digital and Digital Services and Business Development. He says a pilot was run on corn in which farmers receive insurance against weather, and that the mix of digital and physical is called figital. [1]

Agriculture and investments

Baig made an angel investment in an agriculture company. He says he has long wanted to own a farm. [1]

Views

Baig says agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy, at about 22% of GDP. He says Pakistan's cultivated area is about 22 million hectares. He also says that every 20% of growth adds 0.04% to Pakistan's GDP, which he says brings almost 400,000 households out of poverty. [1]

Baig describes focusing on sugarcane and rice as, in his view, criminal, and says Pakistan should focus on cotton and maize. He says the biggest issue in cotton is seed, where there is no innovation in the genetics. He proposes setting up cotton zones, saying the government can mandate that cotton be grown in a given area. [1]

Baig says price caps have destroyed the agriculture industry and that the economics of fertilizer are, at present, completely distorted. He says Pakistan ranks among the top three or four countries for water scarcity, and he argues that the first step should be to start taxing water. He says taxes should be levied on output. He expects partnerships rather than acquisitions, and does not think acquiring a company makes sense for a multinational at present. [1]

Baig says he is generally very positive about Pakistan. He says Pakistan is a market of scale where one can eventually make a profit. He sees Pakistan's youth as a major asset if used well. [1]

Personal life

Baig describes himself as strongly patriotic. He married in 2015. [1]

Timeline

2008
Graduated from FAST.[1]
2010
Joined the LUMS MBA program.[1]
2012
Graduated from LUMS.[1]
2015
Married.[1]
2017
Left Deloitte.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-08-16 Why price caps are quietly strangling Pakistan's farms Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Zeeshan Hasib Baig?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta Pakistan. His career has included roles at Ericsson, Deloitte and Careem, where he was country head. He graduated from FAST in 2008 and from LUMS in 2012.[1]

What does Zeeshan Hasib Baig do?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta. He launched a new division called Digital and Digital Services and Business Development. He also says his company launched a fourth business vertical, described as a new farming ecosystem.[1]

Where did Zeeshan Hasib Baig study?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig joined FAST for his university studies, after choosing telecom engineering, and graduated in 2008. He joined the LUMS MBA program in 2010 and graduated from LUMS in 2012.[1]

Where is Zeeshan Hasib Baig from?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig was born and raised in Pakistan. He grew up in a military family, and his father served in the Air Force. His family lived in several Pakistani cities, including Peshawar and Karachi.[1]

Where has Zeeshan Hasib Baig worked?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig joined Ericsson's Graduate Trainee Program and worked at Deloitte's Dubai office for about five and a half to six years. He was country head of Careem. He is the Country General Manager at Syngenta.[1]

What is Zeeshan Hasib Baig known for?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig is known as the Country General Manager at Syngenta. He was also country head of Careem. He launched a new division called Digital and Digital Services and Business Development.[1]

What does Zeeshan Hasib Baig say about price caps in agriculture?

Zeeshan Hasib Baig says price caps have destroyed the agriculture industry. He also says the economics of fertilizer are, at present, completely distorted. He says Pakistan should focus on cotton and maize.[1]

References

  1. Why price caps are quietly strangling Pakistan's farms . Thought Behind Things , 2023-08-16.
Show the source passages (79 statements)
  1. Zeeshan Hasib Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta. Zeeshan Hasib Baig is the Country General Manager at Syngenta.
  2. He was born and raised in Pakistan. born and raised in Pakistan, so by heart, a strong Pakistani.
  3. He grew up in a military family, and his father served in the Air Force. Fauji family mein born and raised, so father was in Air Force
  4. His father left the Air Force in 1999 by taking early retirement. '99 mein father decided to leave Air Force, he took an early retirement.
  5. His family lived in several Pakistani cities, including Peshawar and Karachi. Across Pakistan different cities mein rahe, Kamra, Peshawar, Karachi mein.
  6. His father resigned and the family decided to move to Lahore. so he resigned and he decided, my mother was very supportive, so he decided we'll move to Lahore.
  7. He describes his father as his source of inspiration. he's, he's a, he's my source of inspiration.
  8. After leaving the military, his father started a consultancy. eventually civil mein jab aaye to unhone similar projects ke upar consultancy start kar di
  9. He missed university admissions for a year while pursuing an Air Force route. Air Force ke chakkar mein pehle saal I missed out all the admissions
  10. He says it is okay to fail, and that people face failures many times in life. it is okay to fail, face failures many a times in life, right?
  11. He studied engineering, having heard since childhood that he was to become an engineer. bachpan se sun rahe hain engineer banna hai, so engineering ki
  12. In his second year of engineering he realised that engineering was not for him. doosre saal mein maine realize kar liya tha ke engineering nahi hone wali.
  13. He chose to study telecom engineering. So, I ended up choosing telecom engineering.
  14. He joined FAST for his university studies. Aur maine, I joined FAST.
  15. He graduated from FAST in 2008. 2008 mein I graduated.
  16. He joined Ericsson's Graduate Trainee Program, which Ericsson launched in Pakistan. Role tha Graduate Trainee Program, so Ericsson ne Pakistan mein first time management trainee ki tarah ka Graduate Trainee Program launch kiya
  17. His team managed a network and all of its towers. Warid ko hum manage kar rahe the, Warid ke jitne bhi towers hote the
  18. He spent about a year or two at Ericsson. Ericsson mein do ek saal lagaye
  19. He says he was not a hardcore tech person. Ke main jo hardcore tech side thi na, so I wasn't that person.
  20. He was drawn more to the commercial side of business. mujhe zyada inclination thi on the commercial side.
  21. He realised he wanted to pursue an MBA. that's where I realized ke MBA karna hai.
  22. He joined the LUMS MBA program in 2010. I joined LUMS 2010 mein, MBA start hua.
  23. He graduated from LUMS in 2012. after LUMS, so I graduated in 2012.
  24. He joined Deloitte's Dubai office. So, mera hua Deloitte ke Dubai office mein.
  25. He worked at Deloitte for about five and a half to six years. by the time I was leaving, I was there for almost five and a half, six years.
  26. He says that with two or three more years at Deloitte he would certainly have become a partner. So mujhe do teen saal aur lagane the I would have been for sure a partner.
  27. He left Deloitte in 2017. 2015 mein but I left in 2017.
  28. He had long looked for a reason to move back to Pakistan. hamesha se main Pakistan mein koi bahana dhoondta tha ke Pakistan chala jaun.
  29. He names his attachment to his father and mother, who were alone, as a major factor. ek yeh bhi bada factor tha ke father se bhi bada main attached hoon, mother se bhi hoon so they were they were alone.
  30. He describes himself as strongly patriotic. I by heart na main bada wo patriotism andar bahut bhara hua hai.
  31. When weighing a move to the US, he said he wanted to go back to Pakistan. Idhar se US bhi ja sakte hain, Pakistan bhi ja sakte hain. Kya karein? Lekin main Pakistan jana chahta hoon.
  32. He married in 2015. meri shaadi hui 2015 mein
  33. Careem was a new company that had only just launched in Pakistan, in 2016. Pakistan mein nayi company abhi abhi launch hui thi Careem 2016 mein
  34. He joined as operations manager for Lahore. So I joined as an operations manager Lahore.
  35. He describes the move as basically a compromise, and says the salary was very low. So it was basically a compromise. And salary was very low.
  36. He says he was very clear that he wanted to be based in Lahore. Ek toh very I was very clear I want to be based in Lahore.
  37. He was an assistant general manager, heading Punjab. hum log the Assistant General Managers. So I was heading Punjab.
  38. He took on the role of managing director, which was called general manager. Managing Director. General Manager usse kehte the. So I took on this role.
  39. He was given the responsibility of replacing the person then holding that role. I was given the responsibility ke aake Junaid ko replace karun.
  40. He held that general manager role for almost three and a half to four years. So almost three and a half, four years. Four years.
  41. He was country head of Careem. So I was country head of Kareem.
  42. He made an angel investment in an agriculture company. One of the companies named Taza, abhi bhi agriculture mein hi hai by the way. So unko main help kar raha tha, maine angel invest kiya hua tha
  43. He says Pakistan is a market of scale where one can eventually make a profit. Pakistan is a market of scale jahan pe you know, eventually you can make profit.
  44. He says he joined Careem because he could see its impact, including the independence the gig economy gave women. Kareem maine isliye join kiya because I could see the impact, you know, ke gig economy create ho rahi hai, females ke liye you know, you're creating a lot of simplification, they are now independent
  45. He says a lesson he learned is not to chase money but to pursue impact. one also learning for me was you know, do not run after money. Go for impact.
  46. He says the impact being made was tremendous and was the biggest thing that drove him. the impact we were making was tremendous and I think that was the biggest thing that drove me.
  47. He says Syngenta's leadership team has supported him fully. My leadership team in Syngenta I think hats off. They have supported me 100%.
  48. He says Syngenta is the largest agricultural input company. So Syngenta is the largest agricultural input based company.
  49. He says Syngenta is number one in crop protection and number three in seeds globally. crop protection mein globally Syngenta is number one. Seeds mein it's number three globally.
  50. He says Syngenta has the highest market share among multinationals in Pakistan. Pakistan mein jitni bhi multinationals hain we are the number one highest market share
  51. He says Syngenta Pakistan has more than 400 direct employees. head count hamara Pakistan mein 400 plus hain jo direct hamare Syngenta ke employees hain.
  52. He estimates that, counting everyone together, the total is roughly 1,500 to 2,000 people. So in sab ko milayein toh takreeban 1.5 hazar 2 hazar hoga probably iske around hoga.
  53. He says his company launched a fourth business vertical, described as a new farming ecosystem. Aur abhi fourth business vertical jo humne launch kiya hai is basically new farming ecosystem.
  54. The new farming ecosystem includes lending, insurance and drone services. Lending ho gayi, insurance ho gaya, you know, drone services ho gayi, all of that.
  55. He launched a new division called Digital and Digital Services and Business Development. So I ended up launching a new division called Digital and Digital Services and Business Development
  56. He says a pilot was run on corn in which farmers receive insurance against weather. So humne corn ke upar pilot kiya ke ji usko farmer ko insurance milegi against weather.
  57. He says the mix of digital and physical is called figital. Digital and physical. We call it figital.
  58. He says that every 20% of growth adds 0.04% to Pakistan's GDP, which he says brings almost 400,000 households out of poverty. Turns out every time we grow by 20% we are adding 0.04% to Pakistan's GDP. Really. Which means we are bringing almost 400,000 households out of poverty.
  59. He says people work for impact, not just for money. People work for people and people work for impact.
  60. He expects partnerships rather than acquisitions, and does not think acquiring a company makes sense for a multinational at present. Partnerships hongi most likely. I don't think acquisition at least from an MNC point of view at this point in time it makes sense to acquire any company.
  61. He says agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy, at about 22% of GDP. agriculture of course is the backbone of economy. 22% hai aapki GDP ka.
  62. He says Pakistan's cultivated area is about 22 million hectares. Hamara cultivated area hai 22 million hectares.
  63. He describes focusing on sugarcane and rice as, in his view, criminal. Focusing on sugar cane and rice in my view is criminal to be honest.
  64. He says Pakistan should focus on cotton and maize. We should focus on cotton. Cotton ko pakad lein. Maize ko pakad lein.
  65. He says the biggest issue in cotton is seed, where there is no innovation in the genetics. The biggest is seed. Theek hai. Cotton mein seed jo genetics hain na us pe innovation nahi ho rahi.
  66. He says price caps have destroyed the agriculture industry. Overall I think price caps has destroyed the agriculture industry.
  67. He proposes setting up cotton zones, saying the government can mandate that cotton be grown in a given area. Cotton zone set up karein. Aap kahein ji is area mein cotton hi lagega. Government can mandate that.
  68. He says the economics of fertilizer are, at present, completely distorted. the economics of fertilizer right now are completely screwed up.
  69. He says Pakistan ranks among the top three or four countries for water scarcity. Pakistan is you know pehli teen chaar countries mein aati hai water scarcity ke point of view se.
  70. He argues that the first step should be to start taxing water. Pehli cheez yeh water ko tax karna shuru kar dein.
  71. He says taxes should be levied on output. For example, aapki output ke upar taxes honi chahiye.
  72. He says he is generally very positive about Pakistan. So, I am generally very positive about Pakistan.
  73. He says agriculture will transform by 2050. 2050 mein, I see agriculture sector really transforming and, you know, really making a big impact in the economy.
  74. He sees Pakistan's youth as a major asset if used well. jo hamari youth hai, usko sahi tarah utilize karein, there's huge potential in Pakistan.
  75. He calls for more young, talented people to look inwards and help solve agriculture's problems. there is the requirement for more young, smart, talented folks to start looking inwards towards Pakistan
  76. He says agriculture is the sector most able to make an impact in Pakistan. And if any sector can make an impact, that is agriculture.
  77. He says that, in his view, attitude wins over credentials. in my view attitude wins over credentials.
  78. He describes talent as the biggest asset of consulting firms. Consulting companies hain jiske paas the biggest asset is talent.
  79. He says he has long wanted to own a farm. main hamesha se ek khwab tha ke farm hona chahiye apna.