Ahsan Zafar Syed is the 5th President and CEO of Engro Corporation and the 7th Chief of Engro since the exit of Exxon. Today, Engro is one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, with a business portfolio spanning across four verticals including petrochemicals, energy, telecommunication infrastructure and food & agriculture, and a steadfast commitment to helping solve some of the country’s most pressing issues.

Ahsan began his journey with Engro in 1991 as a young engineer, accumulating three decades of experience in operations, project management, and strategic leadership across the petrochemical, energy, and food & agriculture sectors. He is regarded as a mettle of Engro and has achieved significant milestones for the Company; he was the driving force behind the $1.1 billion fertilizer expansion project and played a pivotal role in executing the $2 billion Thar dream, aimed at indigenizing energy for Pakistan. Ahsan’s journey is synonymous with Engro’s enduring legacy and is a testament to Engro’s robust organizational prowess, serving as a source of inspiration for aspiring young graduates in the wider industry.

Before his appointment as President and CEO of Engro Corporation, Ahsan led Engro’s flagship fertilizer business. Under his leadership, Engro Fertilizers became the most valuable fertilizer company on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The increase in valuation is attributable to portfolio optimization where the company divested low return noncore businesses, improved market positioning of Engro urea, scaled up specialty fertilizers, enhanced digital presence to better serve the farmers, and completed one of the largest turnaround activities at the Plant site focused on driving efficiencies and debottlenecking urea capacity. In his earlier role in the Company, Ahsan led the construction of the $1.1 billion Enven Plant, a milestone achievement for Engro and one of the largest projects completed in Pakistan.

During his tenure as CEO of the Energy vertical, Ahsan played a pivotal role in realizing Pakistan’s Thar dream by unearthing indigenous coal and operationalizing a 660MW power plant at mine mouth. This project has been instrumental for Pakistan’s energy security, achieving import substitution of $1.5 billion till date and providing electricity to 9 million people annually.

In recognition of his engineering contributions to Pakistan, Ahsan was awarded the prestigious “National Engineering Excellence Award” by the Institution of Engineers Pakistan in 2024. He has also rendered his honorary services to Engineering Development Board, entity under Ministry of Industries & Production, Pakistan, entrusted to strengthen engineering base in the Country.

Ahsan is an alumnus of NED Karachi and Manhattan College New York, USA. Additionally, he has attended advanced management program at INSEAD in France.