Profile: Shahid Mahmud, ’01, Pakistan
December 2006
“We called ourselves the Millennium Fellows,” Shahid Mahmud says of his “class” of 2001 Multi Nation Program Fellows. “We all came (to the program) with varied professional backgrounds and cultures, but we wanted to live in a peaceful world by respecting each others’ cultures, religions, and political beliefs. We all had a singular concern for humanity at heart.”
A few months later, on September 11, 2001, “the world became a different place,” he says. But Mahmud’s outlook did not waver. “My experience as a Fellow continued to give me hope.” Now, six years later, he strives to incorporate this hope into the lives of others, thanks to what he learned during his fellowship.
Mahmud is a pioneer and innovator in the communication field as the CEO of Interactive Communications (Private) Ltd., which was formed by the Hasan Group in 1984. He was brought on as a partner in 1985 to develop the company’s technology sector, and over the years, he oversaw the formation of Pakistan’s first privately owned telecommunications entity and introduced a number of advanced technologies, such as the first private satellite television network, Indus Vision; the first privately owned FM radio stations; and the first wireless cable television network.
While on his fellowship, his goal was to meet with and learn from a broad spectrum of industry leaders to address convergence in the fields of media, telecommunications, and information technology. And while he gained vast knowledge about his profession, Mahmud’s fellowship impacted him in more personal ways as well.
“When I returned to Islamabad after my fellowship, I realized that I knew more about my profession, and I had some understanding of how high achievers from 24 different countries got to be leaders in their respective fields,” he explains. “But more importantly, I realized that in order to be a productive part of the global family, I needed to spend more time educating myself about my country and its people. This is a simple but critical fact that we don’t often acknowledge in the rush to be leaders in our professions.”
So to address this lack of knowledge, Mahmud returned to school. He was admitted to be the first private-sector candidate at Pakistan’s National Defense College (NDC), an institution that trains leaders from various sectors of the Pakistan community to assume higher responsibility at policy planning and execution levels. He remains a visiting faculty member to this day. “The fellowship and my graduation from NDC changed my career from being a technology man to being a more involved person in the socioeconomic development of our country,” he says.
This impact was evident when a devastating earthquake hit Pakistan in October 2005. Mahmud worked extensively on relief efforts in Rara, District Bagh, and set up two relief support radio stations. His office also ran a fundraising website, www.pakistan-earthquake.org. To be sure, as Mahmud wrote to EF at the time, many Fellows are actively engaged in ways about which EF headquarters has not heard.
His dedication to Pakistan is echoed in his devotion to Eisenhower Fellowships. He is a member of the Alumni Advisory Group, sits on the local nominating committee (which he earlier coordinated), and has attended numerous EF conferences around the world, including Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the U.S.
Mahmud says that his activity with EF helps him stay connected to not only Fellows, but also the global community. “By being a member of the Alumni Advisory Group, I have learned about many burning issues in the past few years and how they are tackled globally,” he explains. “I try to share what I learn with my fellow countrymen in the respective field.
“Each conference I attend has further enriched my understanding about current affairs and how we as individual nations are struggling for the betterment of our citizens,” Mahmud continues. “It helps me explain to those at home the different points of view and how we should be positioning ourselves for global peace.”
Mahmud concludes that his experience with EF was certainly a life-altering one – not only professionally, but personally as well. “What I took away from my time as a Fellow is a sense of responsibility,” he says. “I gained a desire to do more for Pakistan and the humanity at large in my own humble way. I gained a passion for speaking out for world harmony, while keeping in mind the sensitivity of all concerned. This is something I may never have learned had I not been a Fellow.”