Mr. Yusuf Hussain

CEO of Ignite

Yusuf Hussain is serving as CEO of Ignite (Formerly National ICT R & D) Fund. He obtained his Master of Science degree in Engineering with a minor in Business from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations-Futuristics from American University of London-Pakistan Futuristics Institute, a Bachelor of Science Degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Mr Yousuf Hussain possesses a career experience, which is larger than life. Yusuf Hussain has served in senior business and technology management positions in start-ups, GLOBAL 2000 corporations, and public sector organizations. As Managing Director of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), the apex Government organization mandated to promote the IT industry of Pakistan, he introduced and executed a strategic vision incorporating IT Park development, Venture Capital promotion, country branding, and human capital development, which assisted the industry in achieving a historic annual growth rate of over 50%. He is co-Founder and former CEO of CresSoft, Inc, at that time Pakistan’s largest offshore outsourcing company which excelled at providing eCommerce and Convergent Telecommunications solutions to GLOBAL 2000 and FORTUNE 500 in the USA. As Development Manager at Time Warner and MCI Worldcom he led the development of industry-leading convergent telecom customer care solutions. Yusuf has also served as consultant to the World Bank, the WTO and the United Nations. Earlier in his career, as Technology Advisor to Government of Pakistan he helped formulate a National Technology Policy. He has also taught courses in “Strategic Management” and “Corporate Ethics” to MBA students at Air Force University. Yusuf Hussain has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), has been awarded a National Leadership Award by the USA National Republican Congressional Committee, and nominated Good Will Ambassador of the City of Houston. He is also a founding charter member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) Islamabad, and a founding member of Rotary Club Islamabad Renaissance.