Jehan Ara
Jehan Ara is a Pakistani businesswoman who was the president of P@SHA for over 20 years. She resigned at the end of April 2021 to start Katalyst Labs, a startup accelerator and women leadership program.[1] She also headed the Nest i/o, a startup incubator supported by Google and Samsung. She also served as a member of the Prime Minister's Task Force on IT and Digital Economy and on the Board of Punjab IT Board, the Central Depository Company and IDEAS.
Early life
[edit]Ara was born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Hong Kong where her father was working as a banker.[2] She received her early education from Rosaryhill School.[3]
After completing her graduation, she started her career as a journalist in a Hong Kong newspaper for a year before moving into advertising.[4][2]
She worked in Dubai for several magazines and journals when her father moved to the United Arab Emirates where she worked for Gulf News in the advertising marketing department.[5][2]
She later moved back to Hong Kong and joined Headway Media Services as managing director.[5] She moved to Pakistan in the mid-1990s after the retirement of her father.[3][2]
Career
[edit]After moving to Pakistan, Ara started her own multimedia company, Enabling Technologies in 1994.[4][2] In 2007, Ara became president of P@SHA.[3] In November 2018, she became a member of the Prime Minister's Task Force on IT and Telecom.[6][7]. In 2021 she launched her own company named Katalyst lab, an accelerator and innovation hub for startups in Pakistan. [8]
Recognition
[edit]In 2016, Ara was invited by US President Barack Obama to speak at Global Entrepreneurship Summit.[9][10] In 2023, she was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan.[11]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Arshad, Aleena (2021-04-30). "P@SHA wishes Jehan Ara good luck in starting a new journey!". P@SHA. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ^ a b c d e "Pakistan's Only Powerful Women In Business". Pakistan Today. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ a b Magazine, Spider (7 May 2013). "Women that defy". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ a b "The Big Bird's-eye view of Pakistan's IT Industry". Pakistan Today. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "17-member PM's Task Force on IT and Telecom granted cabinet approval". DAWN.COM. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Cabinet approves 17-member PM's task force on IT and telecom". Pakistan Today. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "HBL | News And Media | Hbl And Katalyst Labs Partner For Startup Acceleration And Women Leadership Enablement". www.hbl.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "Obama invites Pakistani tech entrepreneur to address global summit". The Express Tribune. 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ Baig, Mariam Ali (2016-08-15). "Life in the start-up lane". Aurora Magazine. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ "President confers Pakistan civil awards on 253 personalities". Dunya News. Retrieved 2023-04-08.