Join us on Friday September 15th 2017 for a Welcome to NY College VIP at 15 Waverly Place, Manhattan Khane.
Shortest lines in NY and entrance is Free. Biryani and beverages on us.
Dress Code: Represent your city. Bring out your Heat jersey, Patriots swag, Cricket gear or if you love the college you’re at already, come down in your college sweatshirt.
A night of fun, mingling and food for all new and returning students. Graduates and professionals welcome, but may be forced to do a rap, breakdance performance. Want to help out or need more information? Email Saba Karim at [email protected]
Author: IPN
The Washington DC Jamatkhana invites all University Students and Young Professionals to a dinner and social get together on Saturday, September 16th, after Jamatkhana ceremonies. This welcome event is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances and meet new friends.
New students and young professionals are requested to register by clicking Here!
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Khudabuksh K. Walji
IPN Spotlight: Khudabuksh K. Walji (U.S. & Int’l Legal Advisor, Walji International Law Firm)
Born in Dar-es-Salaam, Khudabuksh came to the U.S. as a first-generation immigrant for college. His grandmother always wanted him to be a doctor, so he studied pharmacy to prepare for medical school. While working as a pharmacist, Khudabuksh also served on Jamati committees. At the time, in late ’70s, several community members were being deported. These were heartbreaking incidents, and he felt there had to be a way for them to be helped. Khudabuksh turned his sight to law school and in 1985, started his law practice as an immigration lawyer. After his clients obtained their legal status, many became entrepreneurs with new legal needs. Thus, Khudabuksh attended seminars and CLE courses focusing on business and tax laws to expand his legal practice. In 2002, he was asked to work as Senior Director at AKU in Karachi where he developed projects in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and East Africa. These international experiences opened his eyes to emerging opportunities and transformed his career as an international legal advisor.
What skills have helped you in your career?
Active listening, strong analytical and persuasive skills, project and risk management plus team collaboration skills. As my law practice and staff expanded, my management responsibilities increased and so did my oversight role in execution of legal strategies. These skills became valuable with large clients. As an example, I was engaged by a Middle East group of companies with multi-faceted legal issues relating to U.S. Army contracts valued over $500 million. I had to hire legal and non-legal experts, oversee the work and ensure we were one team. This approach helped rebuild trust and confidence with the U.S. Army HQ, and most of the disputes were resolved. And, when a major contract dispute involving millions of dollars against a Fortune 500 company did not settle amicably, I pursued arbitration route in U.K. instead of litigating in U.S. court to avoid potential risks of collateral damage. We were awarded the full amount claimed by London Court of International Arbitration.
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
I should have taken more time to enjoy the journey of life. I came to the U.S. at age 17 and was quickly thrust into survival mode for myself and family. As a result, I continuously expanded my professional knowledge and worked very hard to improve the quality of life of my family. In addition, I served on Jamati institutions and community organizations as a way of giving back to society. As a result, I did not take sufficient time out for my family, including taking regular vacations. I also did not participate in sports although I loved tennis and table-tennis as a youngster. Furthermore, I did not spend time enjoying cultural and art events until recently. Finally, I spent a little time reading about areas of my interest, e.g. autobiographies of world leaders and thriller novels. To summarize, I did not maintain a great “work-life balance” equation. Goals continuously change and therefore enjoying the journey of life is more important than racing to destinations.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
Pursue new areas of knowledge – in my case; these new areas were primarily triggered by my clients as they experienced new levels of successes – and challenges too. Therefore, I took professional courses and attended seminars in diverse areas of law, including intellectual property, franchising, real estate development as well as bankruptcy and white-collar criminal law defense. Now as my clients are reaching quasi-retirement phase, I am acquiring more knowledge in wealth and legacy planning as well as impact philanthropy and probate laws.
Serve in community organizations in diverse fields, especially those which require working with domain experts, and which encourage acquiring new knowledge to achieve the best outcomes.
Obtain formal credentials – they open new opportunities, e.g. my additional qualifications as U.K. Solicitor and Dubai Legal Consultant, and the professional certifications, enabled me to become successful in my role as a U.S. and Middle East Advisor.
What is next for you in your career?
My career growth has been defined mostly by my clients as they succeeded in their endeavors. The next phase of my career is to advise clients regarding asset protection, business, and succession planning as well as wealth and legacy planning. In addition, with my clients’ trust and confidence, I am increasingly engaged as their Counselor/Mediator, particularly by global affluent families in solving their sensitive and complex family and business disputes in a confidential manner. I also work to restore the family relationships – this is particularly critical for these families in their succession and legacy planning efforts. I would like to complete my doctoral thesis and obtain my doctorate degree in international relations and diplomacy. And having served as a leadership academy facilitator internationally, including in Malaysia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey, I will be exploring opportunities to teach in academia as well as advise corporate and not-for-profit boards.
What advice would you offer to others?
Take time to enjoy life – work hard and play harder! Develop wider interests beyond work and family. Engage in voluntary services with challenging assignments – they provide opportunities to learn from experts and encourage you to take relevant courses. Let me share an example – during my appointment as National Board Member on the Conciliation and Arbitration Board for USA, I was given the responsibility to develop and conduct mediation training programs for the Regional Board Members. To ensure we were utilizing the best practices, I enrolled at Harvard Law School and obtained Certification in Mediation. This new knowledge from a premier institution was remarkable, however, what was more important to me was the access to these distinguished professors to pick their brains. As a result, our mediation training programs were very successful – the Boards handled over 100 new cases per year with a 75% success rate. Finally, learn to be more patient and practice Mindfulness.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Mentoring professionals and entrepreneurs, especially in their start-up phase and/or when they are in crisis situations.
• Advise law students and professionals regarding legal career choices.
• Act as an advisor on challenging Jamati and AKDN projects.
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Khudabuksh K. Walji
If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.
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Faheen Allibhoy
IPN Spotlight: Faheen Allibhoy (Principal Investment Officer at International Finance Corporation)
Faheen Allibhoy is IFC’s Regional Representative for Sénégal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania based in Dakar. She is responsible for coordinating IFC’s investment and advisory operations in these countries and managing the operations of the IFC Dakar Office, which is the hub for West and Central Africa. Before this position, she worked directly with the CEO of IFC’s Asset Management Company with respect to strategic efforts and the financing for development agenda. Prior, she was the sector team lead for IFC’s investments in the renewable energy supply chain, having worked on important transactions with large solar and wind companies such as SunPower, Gamesa and Goldwind. In her 15-year tenure at IFC, she has worked with the Manufacturing and Infrastructure departments. Prior to IFC, Ms. Allibhoy worked at Merrill Lynch in New York in the Investment Banking Division. Ms. Allibhoy holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is on the Executive Committee of the Harvard Business School Alumni Board and a former Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
What skills have helped you in your career?
• Finance
• Business
• People management
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
To be more of a risk-taker and to have veered off the “linear path” from time to time. To take the time to build skills (e.g. business level fluency in a language).
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
Management and leadership skills, language skills
What is next for you in your career?
A leadership role in a global organization.
What advice would you offer to others?
Be ambitious, stay ambitious.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• MBA applications
• International finance
• General management
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Faheen Allibhoy
If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.
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Shamshuddin Lalani
IPN Spotlight: Shamshuddin Lalani (Senior Account Executive, NSX at VMware)
Shamshuddin has over 10+ years of experience in technology sales while working for VMware, Riverbed and Cisco Systems. He started his career in engineering sales and transitioned to account management and strategy. Shamshuddin works with some of the largest global companies, ranging from defense contractors for the US Government to large financial institutions on Wall Street. He has degrees in Economics, Electrical Engineering and an MBA.
What skills have helped you in your career?
Having a technical background has set me apart from most sales executives. Having an Engineering degree in combination with an Economics/MBA has given me both breadth and depth to excel in my career. It brings instant credibility when speaking with leaders in any organization. Listening is another critical skill that speaks volume. Let the customer speak; understand their business issues, drivers and challenges – so you can position your products and solutions accordingly. Most sales executives do not understand how critical this skill is.
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
Networking is the KEY! Building relationships and rapport early in your career goes a long way. Establish trust, work hard and create a “marketing plan” for yourself. Find a mentor, outside of your reporting chain who can help and guide you in your development plan.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I read a lot about new technologies within my direct and adjacent fields. I attend industry seminars and networking events to build relationships. I highly recommend getting a subscription to, The Harvard Business Review, which has some great case studies and the Economist that provides a global perceptive on current events. Staying current is extremely important.
What is next for you in your career?
Continue down the path of technology sales with a focus on running a $100M sales region.
What advice would you offer to others?
Take risks! It is OKAY to fail, use it as a learning experience. You are not going to get it right 100% of the time and things are not always going to end up the way you want. If you do not take risks, you may never know your true potential. Believe in yourself.
In addition, your personal brand and credibility is very important. It is hard to build but easy to lose. If you say you are going to do something make sure you do it.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Leadership development
• Career development
• Mentorship
• Job placement
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Shamshuddin Lalani
If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.
College Expedition West and IPN West present “Living Library”
As part of College Expedition 2017, IPN West will co-host “Living Library”, a networking session at Torrance Jamatkhana after Jamati ceremonies on Friday, October 13th. “Living Library” will host professionals from diverse career paths, including business, engineering, law, medicine, the arts and more. The goal of the event is to provide high-school students a glimpse into the professionals’ lives and the paths they took to success.
We’re looking for more volunteers to participate as speakers in the networking session. If you are able to share your career path with us, please apply Here!
Would you like to expedite your career?
IPN Presents, “Fast-Track Your Career Path: Tips from an Executive Coach on Preparing for C-suite and Leadership Roles”. This interactive event, featuring Zahir Ladhani, Vice President, Aga Khan Council for USA, will be hosted in Dallas, TX on September 23rd 2017 from 12:00pm-3:00pm.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in professional development. Register today by clicking Here!
Webinar Topic: How To Find Your Ideal Next Job
Are you looking for a job? Are you about to quit your job? Did you get laid off? Are you not happy in your current job?
If you answered yes to any one of these questions, you may find this webinar informative and useful. In this session you will learn the framework for building a lifelong network as well as the best practices and tools to find your next job.
Presenter: Akbar Jaffer, is an Executive Coach and a Branding Expert. He currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer of ZorroSign, Inc.
Don’t miss out on the 50 minute session on Tuesday, September 19th 2017 at 7 pm PST.
To register online click Here!
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Moez M. Kaba
IPN Spotlight: Moez M. Kaba (Partner, Hueston Hennigan, LLP)
Moez is the Founding Partner of the law firm of Hueston Hennigan, LLP. Hueston Hennigan is a boutique firm that handles complex civil litigation and business disputes. It has around 40 lawyers and they represent clients in various practice areas. Moez graduated from Cornell University in 2002 and from Columbia Law School in 2005. Thereafter, he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Although Moez lives in Los Angeles, he believes he is a product of the Chicago Jamat.
What skills have helped you in your career?
• Listening
• Thinking critically and creatively
• Persistence
• Public speaking
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
I largely focused on developing my legal skills after graduating law school. Although that has been important, I wish I spent more time networking. As a partner, my work is both advocacy for existing clients and developing new clients. The latter requires networking and marketing.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
A lot of reading on developments in the law. Talking to my colleagues both within and outside of my firm on their approaches to complicated legal issues. Watching other lawyers.
What is next for you in your career?
Continuing to grow our law firm and expanding our reach.
What advice would you offer to others?
Focus on being the best at what you do, without hesitation and without excuse. And don’t allow yourself to be diminished by others because you look different than everyone else in your industry.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Law student mentorship
• Legal issues
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Moez Kaba
If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.
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Megan Jaffer
IPN Spotlight: Megan Jaffer (Task Force Lead/Strategist, Noblis NSP)
Megan Jaffer currently serves as a senior advisor to the President and Senior Management team of Noblis NSP, a defense and intelligence community contractor. As a key Strategist, Consultant, and Program Implementer, Megan works to streamline activities within Noblis NSP based on the priorities of the President and Senior Management. Megan has substantial experience in business analysis, strategic corporate communications, and managing program deliverables, as well as in budgeting, strategic planning, and change management. She has spent the bulk of her career in organizational leadership and outreach. In 2015, Megan co-founded a women in intelligence organization, which focuses on the development of professional women serving the US national security mission. Megan holds a B.A. in International Relations from DePaul University and an M.A. in Korean Studies from Yonsei University.
What skills have helped you in your career?
• Perseverance
• Hard-work
• Problem solving
• Connecting people
• Sincere listener
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
I am thrilled at where I am in my career, however, there have been many lessons learned. I wish I would have worried less about the path I took and realized early on that you learn something from every good and bad experience in your career. Those experiences will help you be a better employee, student and/or leader in the future! I would have started networking much earlier in my career!
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I always try to identify one new subject matter or area of work in each job or organization I’m in that I am less familiar with and seek to get a more detailed level of knowledge on that topic. Part of that effort involves finding a mentor in that area and working with them to develop my skill set.
What is next for you in your career?
I want to continue to learn and be challenged. I look forward to helping others navigate their career paths.
My personal goal is to become a Chief Operating Officer for a defense/intelligence community contractor.
What advice would you offer to others?
Be honest with yourself and with those you work with. If you have a passion and know where you want to go with your career, never give up. A good leader knows their strengths and their weaknesses; and is not afraid to surround themselves with smart people.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Job placement
• Mentoring
• Making connections in the National Security space
• Sounding board
Please provide the link to your LinkedIn profile:
Megan Jaffer
If you would like to nominate someone to be a part of the spotlight, click Here.