Recipient of the 2013 Oslo Business for Peace Award, Arif Masood Naqvi is the Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Abraaj Group which he established in 2002. Arif Naqvi is the first Chief Executive from the United Arab
Arif M. Naqvi
Recipient of the 2013 Oslo Business for Peace Award, Arif Masood Naqvi is the Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Abraaj Group which he established in 2002. Arif Naqvi is the first Chief Executive from the United Arab Emirates and from within the global private equity industry to receive this award.
Under Arif Naqvi's leadership, The Abraaj Group has emerged as a leading investor in growth markets with US$ 7.5 billion in assets under management and returning US$ 4 billion to investors. Employing over 300 people, the Group has 33 country offices spread across 6 regional hubs in Bogotá, Dubai, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi and Singapore.
With over 25 years’ experience of investing in public and private companies, Arif Naqvi has led the Group’s involvement in some of the most notable private equity transactions in growth markets.
Arif Naqvi is a Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact, Pakistan Human Development Fund and the Chairman of the British Asian Trust Advisory Committee – Pakistan. He also serves on the Board of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, IMD Foundation, Endeavour Global and the Advisory Board of Columbia University’s Middle East Research Centre.
Arif Naqvi is associated with numerous think tanks and policy groups such as the WEF Arab Business Council and the Middle East Centre Advisory Board of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Arif Naqvi has previously worked with Arthur Andersen & Co., American Express Group, Saudi Arabia’s Olayan Group and the Cupola Group, which he founded in 1994.
Arif Naqvi has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the highest civilian honour in Pakistan. In 2011, he was named as one of the 50 most influential people in the global private equity industry by Private Equity International.
In 2008, Arif Naqvi and his family established the Aman Foundation, a private not-for-profit trust in Pakistan, which supports sustainable development in healthcare, nutrition and education.
Arif Masood Naqvi was born on 13 July 1960 in Karachi, where he attended the Karachi Grammar School. He completed his higher education at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he obtained a BSc in Economics with honours, specializing in Economic Institutions and Planning.