Muhammad Saqib Sajjad

Managing a multi-asset portfolio of over US$3 billion. These include Fixed Income, Money Markets, Islamic Investments, Foreign Exchange hedging instruments.

Managing Foreign Exchange, Money Markets, Investment Portfolio, Islamic Banking Treasury and Corporate Sales desks.

Formulating and executing strategy to effectively managing liquidity and returns targets of the division.

Managing overall liquidity of the bank inline with statutory requirements; and to meet profitability targets.

Developing FX and deposit products to suite liquidity, return and risk management objectives of clients.

Developing Investment Policy, manuals, SOPs in-compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Managing and offering a suite of treasury services to clients covering (1) FX products such as export FE bills discounting and negotiations, import and export FE-25 lending, hedging instruments; and (2) Money Market and Fixed Income products including sovereign debt instruments such as Treasury Bills, Pakistan Investment Bonds (Long term sovereign debt) as well as Public and Private sector Term Finance Certificates.

Liaison with internal and external stakeholders and regulators to ensure al activities are within the defined regulatory parameters.

Key Achievements:

Successfully established Treasury Marketing Unit (“TMU”) desk by identifying and hiring a team of dealers and developed long lasting client relationships to maximize bank’s business and returns.

Managed to revive relations with key trade clients and made BOP their leading trade partner.

Successfully grew and outperformed TMU profitability targets by 25% for 2015 and 2016.

Outperformed budgeted profitability targets for 2017.

Under my supervision, BOP trade and remittances volume improved by 12% YoY outperforming an 8% YoY contraction in Pakistan’s flows.

Led upgradation of Treasury Management System.

Successfully initiated the process of revival and activation of Disaster Recovery Site under the central bank (SBP) “Business Continuity Planning Guidelines”.

Collaborated with respective unit heads to formulate and upgrade Conventional and Islamic Treasury Investment Policies.

Successfully started process for lending and borrowing between Conventional and Islamic Treasuries at BOP.

Established a comprehensive economic and stock database covering all sectors.

Created communication channel between CIBG and Research department to offer primary research on key economic sectors for Corporate as well as SME financing.

Leadership and team management skills appreciated by top management as evident by consistently achieving a score of +90% marks and “A” grade in periodical performance appraisals since 2012.

Offering a suite of treasury services to clients. These include (1) FX products such as export FE bills discounting and negotiations, import and export FE-25 lending, hedging instruments; and (2) Money Market and Fixed Income products including T-bills, PIBs and TFCs.

Developing FX and deposit products to suite liquidity, returns and risk management objectives of clients.

Offering market competitive rates on FX deals (import, export and remittances) and large deposits.

Identifying, selecting, mentoring and leading team of money market and FX sales representatives.

Developing and updating Treasury Manual to incorporate best practice and policies regarding Treasury Marketing and Sales.

I was hired to establish and manage the Research Department as per the new initiatives launched by the bank’s top management in order to provide Economic and Investment research for the Treasury &the ECM division. Moreover, I was also tasked to provide Industrial and Credit Policy Research to the Risk Management Division of the bank.

My key job responsibilities include the following:

• Conducting macro-economic analysis and updating the Board of Directors and the management committees on key economic trends.
• Review and updating bank’s investment strategy for the Investment Committee and ECM Department.
• Advising the Investment Committee on performance of legacy portfolio of distressed companies that include equity, debt and hybrid instruments.
• Advising the Investment Committee on the available underwriting mandates for public offerings.
• Providing discount rate and yield curve outlook for the bank’s treasury for Money Market operations.
• Updating Equities desk on key economic, political and other sector related trends and recommending investment strategy accordingly.
• Supervising and conducting investment analysis by using different valuation approaches such as Income approach covering Discounted Cash Flow and Maintainable Earnings, Market Approach covering Comparable Companies and Comparable Transactions and the Asset Approach covering Net Assets etc. The research reports based including these analysis are consumed by the Investment Committee Members and the Equity Trading Department.
• Conducting micro level research on various economic sectors and sub-sectors and recommending credit strategy accordingly. The process involves primary and secondary data analysis, meetings with industry stakeholders and writing detailed reports; that are circulated to top management and board of directors of the bank.
• Supervising creation of economic and financial database for consumption of Treasury & ECM division.

KASB is a premier Pakistani financial institution that in affiliation with Bank of America - Merrill Lynch Securities (BofAML) offers investment research and brokerage services to clients globally. The firm is considered among the oldest and most respected financial services entity in Pakistan offering brokerage, Research, Investment Advisory, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking and Portfolio Management services to local and global clients.

I joined as a Research Analyst in the Economic and Investment Research Department of KASB in 2008, and progressed to work as a Senior Analyst during my four-year tenor at the firm. In addition to working closely with BOFAML global and regional research teams as an analyst, I was entrusted to mentor and groom trainee analysts and interns during my tenor at KASB.

Below is a summary of my key job responsibilities;

• Worked as a member of the BofAML global telecoms, banks and petrochemicals teams.
• Conducted In-depth investment analysis and financial modeling of telecoms, banks, chemicals/petrochemicals and automobile assemblers sectors.
• Updating local and foreign institutional and high net-worth clients regarding developments in the sector through both outbound and inbound communication.
• Maintaining relationships with all stakeholders associated with the assigned sectors including - but not limited to - regulators, corporate, suppliers and dealers.
• Moderated and co-hosted global telecoms and banks conferences and investor calls.
• Presenting investment themes to sales team for effective sales pitch.
• Managed and mentored junior research analysts covering utilities, power producers, consumers and industrials sectors.

Key Achievements:

• Won Individual recognition from AsiaMoney for the best telecoms coverage in Pakistan.
• Worked as an associate of Pakistan banks to BogAML financials analyst who was accredited as the best banks analyst in Pakistan by AsiaMoney.
• Contributed towards the team that was declared the best Research team in Pakistan by both AsiaMoney and CFA Association Pakistan for a period of four years.
• Considered as the most punctual member of KASB family who was always on time and managed to meet tight deadlines with utmost professional zeal.
• Consistently scored A+ grade in periodic performance appraisals. Won out-of-term promotions, twice, to as acknowledgement of consistent out-performance.
• Re-initiated coverage of Pakistan telecoms, petrochemicals and banks sectors from BofAML platform.
• Actively contributed to BofAML flagship Global Wireless Matrix and regional telecom strategy reports. The Global Wireless Matrix is considered the among most comprehensive global telecoms reports.
• Participated in regional Refining and Petrochemicals reports.
• Brought various blue chip corporates onboard for global investor calls through BofAML platform.

Invisor Securities was among the leading financial services concern involved in Brokerage, Corporate Finance & Advisory, Capital Market Research, Portfolio Management and Private Equity business in Pakistan. The firm primarily targeted foreign and local institutional and high net-worth individual investors.

I joined Invisor as an intern in August 2008. Citing my professional attitude and drive to succeed, I was offered a permanent role within two weeks of my joining Invisor where I progressed from a trainee to a senior analyst during a span of less than three years.

As an Analyst, my responsibilities included:

• At the time of departure from Invisor, stock coverage included a blend of six diverse sectors.
• Top-down financial analysis and report writing on cement, power producers, gas utilities, automobile assemblers, marine transport and consumer sectors.
• Presenting investment themes to sales team for effective sales pitch.
• Updating local and foreign institutional and high net-worth clients on developments in the sector.
• Maintaining relationships with all stakeholders associated with the assigned sectors including - but not limited to - regulators, corporate, suppliers and dealers.
• Providing investment analysis for corporate finance deals in cements and power sectors.