How Pakistan’s Mir became Wall Street’s MAK

Mir Mohammad Ali Khan became the youngest Muslim banker to make his mark on Wall Street. At the age of 29, he was chairman and founder of an investment bank in the US.

Khan has written numerous articles and lectures in the last 25 years. He is also the author of two books and considered an investment guru. Coming from a well-educated and affluent family, MAK, as he is fondly known, has a unique fashion sense and is filled with courage, positivity, and optimism.

We couldn’t resist being curious about his journey to success and finally got an opportunity to ask him some questions.

MM : How did your career in investment banking begin?

MAK : I started as a Financial And Taxation specialist at Prudential Financial Services, the world’s largest financial services company at that time. Then I moved to Prudential Bacha, as a trainee Stock Broker, and later to the Equities Trading Desk. And then finally into investment banking at another firm. So, I have seen all aspects of Wall Street right from the bottom up.

MM : What difficulties did you face in the initial days of your career?

MAK : Wall Street is a very cut-throat and an unforgivable place. There is no room to complain. No room to feel sorry. Even the financial sector around America and the financial sector of Wall Street are a world apart. Wall Street is a prized possession. It is the toughest and the most efficient sector in America to survive in. So like many others, I had faced my share of difficulties. A bit more so because there was no Pakistani on Wall Street at that time. No Muslim either that I knew of. So I faced many difficulties but those difficulties made me tough. It made me resilient. I have no complaints.

MM : Did you ever feel like giving up?

MAK : Hahaha. Ten times a day I thought about giving up and the 11th  time, I thought about keep going. So that one time of not giving up kept me going.

MM : We all have some ground rules in life. What are yours?

MAK : Rules change. You have a different set of rules when you are in your 20’s and different in your 30’s and 40’s. Some rules remain the same such as hard work, resilience, straightforwardness, and positivity. But one needs to remain flexible with self-imposed rules. I have lived in America, London, France, Dubai, and now Pakistan. Certain rules of business and personal life had to be adjusted to remain efficient. For example, I used to reach my office on Wall Street by 7:30 am maximum, now that, could not be applied in Dubai or Pakistan or even Paris. Lol. So I had to become flexible a bit.

MM : What is the secret recipe for a good life?

MAK : Recipe of a good life I understood quite late in life. I was a workaholic. Wall Street makes you into one. But then when I fell from grace in life, lost everything, and had to rebuild my life, I had a choice this time around. So I chose to be a balanced person. The family comes before anything. I became a single father of two boys in my early 30’s so I dedicated my life to raising them. And they brought perspective in my life. They are grown up now and my best friends so to me recipe for a good life is what makes you accessible to others. To be present in other lives. Not to live a selfish life.

MM : What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage it?

MAK : Fears change with time. At a young age, you have a fear of failure, being poor, getting fired but when you face them all and go through the,m all your fears die. The only way to overcome your fears is to face them, fight them, live them, and conquer them.

MM : How do you deal with the propagandas against you?

MAK : With a smile. That’s how I deal with them now. In the beginning, it used to bother me but after 20 years, I was proven right. All propagandas died their own life. I am here with a smile. I bow my head down in gratitude to Allah that 20 years later nothing was proven. I lost an investment bank but I gained wisdom. When you are a public figure which I have been for 30 years globally, you learn to take criticism in stride. Character matters more than people’s gossip. I have the same friends that I had decades ago. When I make new friends they remain my friends for life. And you can only do that when your character has stability. And people are smart as they judge your character and not gossip. So in the end, if your character is solid it will be seen by anyone who knows you.

MM : Where does MAK see himself in the future?

MAK : I have launched a distance learning online education company by the name of eCademy.pk. It is my goal now to bring the best online education to the remotest of areas of Pakistan using technology. We have a great team of engineers, teachers, educationist and we are taking up larger and larger projects. InshaAllah eCademy will revolutionise the Pakistani education system using our state of the art LMS and qualified teachers. We are growing faster than we had ever dreamed of. So this will be my goal until I die to bring quality education at an affordable cost where a labourer’s child can have the same education as the elite of this country. Need your prayers.

MM : What message would you like to give to youth struggling to make a living?

MAK : My message is simple; positivity, resilience, and eyes on your goals. Never give up. Never become sour against life. Keep going, have faith in Allah, and never be distracted by what others are saying.