Meet Mr Pakistan
Mian Mansha: patriarch and perfectionist
Mian Mansha: building a business empire amid social and political turmoil
MCB partners with Maybank
Nishat's plans to list in London
Nishat: investing in Pakistan's infrastructure
Leadership at Nishat group
Holding company set for listing
Mansha is also looking at the broader picture in his attempt to create the first Pakistani global corporate. Financial and tax legislation passed this year allows for the creation of holding companies that can be listed both at home and abroad. Mansha says he is aggressively restructuring his firm to create a new entity, tentatively titled Nishat Holdings.
"We are interested in pursuing acquisitions alongside [Maybank] and we would also like to be more present in the Gulf – in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – as well as French-speaking Africa and Egypt. In the longer term, we are looking at China too. Capital is not a hurdle for us – we’re actually overcapitalized at the moment so we can either buy something or return cash to shareholders."
Atif Bajwa |
Into that body will go many of the group’s prime assets – in banking, insurance, cement, textiles and power generation.