Bilal Musharraf is a Pakistani actuary (chartered accountant) and an educationist. He is best known for being the son of Pakistan’s former Army Chief and President, General Pervez Musharraf.
Wiki/Biography
Bilal Musharraf was born on Tuesday, 17 October 1972 (age 49 years; as of 2021) in Pakistan. His zodiac sign is Libra. Bilal Musharraf completed his schooling in different Military Schools in Pakistan. He has been an alumnus of Military High School, Fauji Foundation College and Cadet College Hasan Abdal. In Class 12th, he had opted for science as a subject of specialisation. In 1989, after completing his 12th, Bilal Musharraf joined the prestigious Lahore University of Engineering and Technology. In 1990, he left Lahore University and studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, from where, in 1994, he graduated with a degree in B.S. (Actuarial Science). In 2005, he joined Stanford University Graduate School of Business and completed his MBA from the university in 2007. In 2006, Bilal got enrolled at Stanford University, from where he earned his degree in MA (Education) in 2008.
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, General Pervez Musharraf, is an ex-Pakistani Army General. He was also the President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. He is also known for masterminding the 1999 Kargil War. His mother’s name is Sehba Musharraf.
Parents of Bilal Musharraf, Pervez Musharraf and Sehba Musharraf
His younger sister’s name is Ayla Musharraf. She is an Architect by profession and is married to Asim Raza, who is a Pakistani film director.
Ayla Musharraf, sister of Bilal Musharraf
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Iram Aftab. She is a banker by profession.
Bilal Musharraf with his wife Iram Aftab
The couple has a daughter together.
Religion/Religious Views
Bilal Musharraf follows Islam.
Career
In 1994, Bilal Musharraf began to work with an automobile insurance company named Automobile Insurers Bureau. Till 1997, he worked there as an Actuarial Analyst. In 1997, Bilal, in the same company, was promoted to the post of a Senior Actuarial Analyst, an appointment which he held till 2000. In 2000, Bilal Musharraf moved to the Great Boston Area of the United States, where, he was hired by Willis Towers Watson as a Benefits Consultant. There, his job was to formulate policies pertaining to the Employee’s Benefit Plans, for the employees working in the Fortune 500 companies. He worked with the company till 2004. In 2004, he left the United States and shifted to UAE. From 2005 to 2006, Bilal Musharraf worked with a company called Emerging Markets as an Assistant Manager. There he conducted intesive research upon the emerging investment opportunities, for the clients, in the global economy. In 2005, Bilal Musharraf moved back to the US, to pursue MBA from Stanford University. After completing his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 2007, Bilal, for a few months, worked as an Intern with a Chinese company called New Hope Group. There he conducted supply and demand related research of the agricultural and business oriented firms, so as to aid his clients in formulating productive financial policies. From 2007 to 2009, he worked in the ePlanet Ventures as a Vice President. In 2009, Bilal moved to San Francisco, where he worked as the Vice President (Development) in GEMS Education. Under his leadership, GEMS Education established a chain of schools in the US, upholding the International Baccalaureate (IB) standard. In 2010, Bilal left GEMS Education and started working as the Dean of Translations with Khan Academy. As the Dean of Translations, he formulated policies which aided the organisation in promoting their educational content in non-English speaking countries. In 2014, he left his job at Khan Academy, and went on to work as the Director of Operations in One Market Capital, L.P. There he was tasked with managing the operations related to the company’s investement of long/short equity funds in Frontier Markets. After working there for 2 years, Bilal in 2016, joined Edmodo as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. There he forged partnerships with different schools and telecom companies, which resulted in the overall improvement in the quality of education in the US. In 2019, Bilal Musharraf, in the same company, was promoted as the Vice President of Global Strategy, and was sent to Singapore. As a Vice President of Edmodo, Bilal worked for a year. In 2020, he left his job at Edmodo and moved to London, to work as the Vice President (Partnerships) with the Noon Academy. In 2021, he was made the Executive Director in the Noon Academy, and was tasked to head the Noon Open Borders Learning Enablement (NOBLE) Program. As of 2022, Bilal Musharraf is still working with the Noon Academy as its Executive Director.
Facts/Trivia
- Pervez Musharraf had named Bilal after a close friend of his, who was an officer in the Pakistani Army and had died during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
- On 18 July 1994, while serving as the Director-General of Military Operation (DGMO), Pervez Musharraf wrote a letter to his son, advising him to perform his duties with complete honesty and integrity.
The letter which was written by Parvez Musharraf to his son in 1994
- Bilal Musharraf is a renowned global educationist, thus, he is invited to the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) every year.
Bilal Musharraf during the WISE Summit
- Salman Ahmad, the lead guitarist of the Pakistani band, Junoon, who is also a good friend of Bilal Musharraf, once referred to Pervez Musharraf as a dictator. Bilal did not like it, and therefore, wrote a letter to Salman, expressing his anger.
- Bilal Musharraf is a staunch advocate of online learning. He believes that online learning platforms will revolutionize the field of education some day. In an interview, Bilal said,
We are living in times where thanks to the Internet, and thanks to telecommunication, it is possible to make quality education universally accessible for everyone. For places where people do not have teachers, having open educational resources is better than not having a teacher but the ideal case scenario is a qualified, capable teacher who has access to technology that enables the teacher to provide personalised support. In circumstances where teachers are not available, online education provides an opportunity for self directed learning.”
- Bilal Musharraf always supports his father, but he is aversive to politics. Whenever he is asked a political question, he evades the question.
- Bilal Musharraf is a man of clean image. He is known as a self-made man because even after being from an influential family, he does not hold any sort of important position within the Pakistani establishment.
- In 2005, Bilal Musharraf visited India with his grandmother, as it was his grandmother’s last wish to visit her ancestral hometown in New Delhi.
Bilal Musharraf with his grandmother in Delhi
