Mr. Nadeem Babar
Chief Executive Officer, Orient Power Company (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan
Phone: +92-42-35911164 – 7 Fax: +92-42-35911168
Email: nadeem@orientpower.com.pk
Mr. Babar is a senior executive with extensive worldwide experience in power generation, infrastructure finance, corporate finance and education. In his career, he has developed, financed and/or managed over 150 power plants of all commercially available technologies, as well as other energy sector assets. He has also been involved in social sector development especially in low income housing and education. He has conducted business in 26 countries including most major markets in Asia and Latin America.
Energy Sector
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Orient Power Company (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan
Mr. Babar incorporated Orient Power Company (Pvt) Limited in 2003 in Pakistan to develop own and operate new power plants under the 2002 Power Policy. Oman Oil Company, a company wholly owned by the government of the Sultanate of Oman and DEG, a development institution owned by the German government through KfW are the majority partners in Orient Power. Mr. Babar currently serves as the Chief Executive of this Company. The first phase of 225 MW, with a capital investment of approximately $240 million, became operational in April 2010. The largest global company in power generation, General Electric, is the supplier as well as the operator of this plant.
Chief Executive Officer, Saba Power Company (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan
Mr. Babar developed this project for one of his prior employers and served as the Chief Executive officer for many years in that capacity. In 2007, he bought the controlling stake from El Paso Corporation for this 134 MW plant which has been in operation since 1999. The plant is operated by the company itself under the supervision of Mr. Babar.
Founder and Chief Executive, Phoenix Energy Systems (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan
This company focuses on alternate energy solutions for dedicated industrial use as well as small size residential and commercial solar applications.
Founder and Director, Oursun Solar Power Limited, Pakistan
This company is a joint venture with meeco AG, for solar installations for industrial and large commercial consumers in Pakistan. Currently the company has approximately 12 MW of solar power under contract, and another 15 MW in pipeline.
Senior Managing Director & Head, El Paso International, Houston, Feb 2001 - Feb 2003
Chief Operating Officer, Coastal Power, Houston, Feb 1999 - Feb 2001
Regional Managing Director, Coastal Power, Houston, Mar 1997 - Jan 1999
Initially at Coastal Power, and then subsequently at El Paso International after the merger of Coastal Corporation and El Paso Corporation in February 2001, Mr. Babar headed the power business first for Asia, and then globally for these companies. During this period Mr. Babar put up two IPPs under 1994 Policy, and also had a JV with Fauji Foundation for a third IPP under the same policy. After tenure of six years as a senior executive, he left El Paso Corporation (“El Paso”) in February 2003, where he was heading the International Power Division, managing 32 power plants in 18 countries.
Prior to joining Coastal, he was Vice President for Development and Finance, for four years, for Cogen Technologies, a privately held energy company based in Houston.
Investment Banking
Mr. Babar started his career as in investment banker in the Project & Structured Finance Group at the investment banking firm of Drexel Burnham Lambert. After leaving Drexel, he became a partner in a boutique investment bank focusing on the energy sector. He moved to the corporate sector ten years ago from his last investment banking position at Credit Suisse First Boston where he specialized in International Project Finance. During this period, he worked on numerous structured finance deals as well as many non-power infrastructure projects. He has raised capital through most structures including private equity, venture capital, institutional equity, export credits, multilateral and bilateral funds, rated public debt, mezzanine financing, tax-exempt municipal bonds, high yield debt, and commercial bank debt. In addition he has advised private clients on numerous mergers, acquisition, divestitures and privatizations.
Public Service
Mr. Babar has served in various honorary capacities for the Government of Pakistan and the Province of Punjab in Pakistan. He has served as the Chairman, Punjab Power Development Board, Chairman Punjab Mineral Development Corporation, as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Punjab Power Development Company Limited, a company formed by the government of Punjab to promote small renewable energy projects. He also has served as member of the Chief Minister’s Economic Advisory Council in Punjab, Director for Lahore Waste Management Company Ltd, and is also a founder Director of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade. He was the founder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until 2010 for Punjab Land Development Company, an initiative of the Punjab government to provide low income housing. In the past he has served on the boards of Heavy Electrical Complex, owned by the Government of Pakistan, Advisory Committee of the Government of Pakistan for development of Public Private Partnership models, as well as Infrastructure Advisory Committee of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Currently he serves as a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on Power Sector Reforms, member of the Ministry of Water & Power Policy making body, co-chair of the Energy Subgroup of the Pakistan India Joint Business Forum, and Director of the Punjab Board of Investment.
Social Uplift
Mr. Babar is one of the founding trustees of Ashrafi National Educational Trust that has been running non-profit schools in Sheikhupura for 20 years, with current enrollment of approximately 1800 students. This is a family foundation which does not solicit any contributions and is funded solely by Mr. Babar’s family. These schools provide the highest standard of education up to Grade 12 and many of its graduates of these schools from this small town have gone to some of the best institutions of higher education in Pakistan.
He is also the co-founder, served as the first Chief Executive and is currently serving as Chairman of Progressive Education Network (PEN) (www.pen.org.pk), a non-profit corporation for uplifting primary education in Pakistan through adoption of public schools in the poorest neighborhoods. PEN currently has 78 such schools under management, mostly primary, with an enrollment of over 21,000 students. PEN leverages existing public sector infrastructure, rather than building new schools, with a focus on improving quality of education, increasing student retention and uplifting the existing infrastructure to minimum acceptable standards.
Mr. Babar is also a founding member of The Pakpur Foundation (www.pakpur.org), a non-profit entity for social uplift created shortly after the devastating floods of 2010 in Pakistan. In 2011 Pakpur completed a modern village in the flood-hit areas of the south Punjab with 100 homes given to displaced families, and recently handed over 120 homes in a second similar village in Sindh.
Academic Qualifications
Mr. Babar holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering Management from Stanford University, a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Columbia University. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa (Liberal Arts) and Chi Upsilon (Civil Engineering) honor societies for academic excellence. He completed his ‘A’ Levels from Aitchison College Lahore, where he was awarded the Churchill Medal for highest academic achievement.
Back