ABOUT (THE MENTOR)
IRFAN A. RIZVI
Mentor, Academic Advisor, Influencer, Motivator.
Empowering young people to learn and take the lead. +
Building a lifelong learning culture.
Roots: Born in Pakistan, he completed his university-level education in Karachi, Pakistan. Irfan Rizvi’s family migrated from India and experienced the catastrophic calamity (the brutalities) of the partition of India. Irfan was groomed and cherished in an environment of love and sacrifices for the family, community, and country. He learned how to lead from the grassroots, explore the world, and learn from diversity.
Education: He completed his Master of Commerce (M. Com) with distinction (Position Holder), MBA(UK), DBA (USA)in Management, and Ph.D.(USA)(Abd) (Advanced Accounting) Business Administration. He is pursuing a DBA/Ph.D.- Leadership Excellence. Entrepreneurship develops an entrepreneurial mindset to prepare and educate that Failure is the prerequisite to Success. It helps think broadly and unleash Creativity. Irfan believes in never stopping the lifelong learning process.
Experience with Growth strategies: Irfan has demonstrated achievements and contributions over 30 years in Business Management. Diversified Senior Management had leading roles with exposure to a different world. Expert Budget Planner, Short-Middle-Long Term Strategic Planner, developed team leader and Influencer, Coaching, Mentoring, and motivating skills. Has a high level of Emotional Intelligence and Winning Leadership Strategies.
Achievement/Contribution: Irfan Rizvi has made a significant impact on various business organizations, enabling them to excel in Pakistan, the Middle East, and the United States over the last three decades. As a dynamic visionary, he believes that “disruption is relentless” and organizational disruption is not new; having the right strategy to restructure or turn around an organization can help turn adversity into opportunity. Irfan is a co-author of the book “Human Resources in Action.”
A journey from Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur: Make a business more successful by thinking like an entrepreneur — but within a company that is not afraid of failure or loss of jobs. As an Intrapreneur, Irfan Rizvi finds the ultimate joy in building a company within the company, helping others succeed, reach their full potential, and feel good about themselves. He is a dreamer, a thinker, and a leader.
As an Intrapreneur, Irfan has demonstrated the potential to become an entrepreneur who can transform an idea into a viable business prospect. He is the difference-maker between success and failure, and survival and death, given innovation’s vital role in helping a company survive (and thrive); few are:
- Founded a “Utilities Service Division” as a Profit Center. Within five years, this division became the most significant, a major profit contributor, and Oman’s largest utilities financial services provider.
- First time introduced state-of-the-art billing and collection system in the Sultanate of Oman, UAE, Middle East in 2001.
- The first time the semi-automatic billing system was introduced in the Sultanate of Oman in 1998.
- First time introduced the Concept of “Familism in Corporate Culture.”
- Mobile Billing & Collection Services was first introduced at customers’ doorsteps in Oman in 2004.
- Founded the Institute “Center for Professional Development” for staff education and upskilling the workforce, and professional development under the familism concept in corporate culture. All the educators and instructors were senior executives of the company, successfully building a new culture within the organization.
Irfan successfully implemented the philosophy that employees are motivated to expand their knowledge and skills by learning from their colleagues and seniors and supporting the organization’s mission.
Business Mentor to American Small Business Entrepreneurs: Joined SCORE-USA local chapter as the First Pakistani-origin Business mentor, awarded with GOLD BADGE within a year, and designated as a Certified Business Mentor, and conducted 500+ hours of mentoring sessions, mostly with local Americans. (SCORE, powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the nation’s largest network of expert business mentors, continues to help small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream). Irfan was awarded 30+ “the Certificate of Completion,” the approved course of study from Score for enhancing Counseling & Mentoring Skills as a self-learning process parallel with Business Mentoring, Motivating, & Educating American Entrepreneurs in the USA.
Academic Advisor and Motivator to Youngsters: Irfan Rizvi advises and motivates youngsters in a developmental process that helps students clarify their life and career goals and develop educational plans to achieve their dreams. In this digital age, he provides new opportunities for youth leadership. As an advisor, Irfan helps hundreds of students explore their academic interests, identify resources for additional information and support, and develop study plans tailored to their educational goals in Pakistan, the Middle East, and the USA.
Empowering the familism (Mutualism) concept in corporate culture: Irfan implemented this concept in Oman when he was the GM/CEO/MD of large organizations, providing financial and community benefits for both the organization and its employees. Familism is a welfare system that prioritizes the families of employees and Business Entrepreneurs’ benefits.
Irfan Rizvi lives in the USA with his wife and four children.
