Shaukat Aziz (Co-Chair)
Prime Minister, Pakistan
Mr. Shaukat Aziz was sworn in as the 23rd Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on
August 28, 2004. Prior to assuming the office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Aziz served as Pakistan’s
Minister for Finance since his appointment in November 1999. During this time his portfolio included
Economic Affairs, Statistics, Planning and Development and Revenue Divisions. Mr. Aziz
headed the economic team responsible for introducing extensive structural reforms in the whole
range of areas turning around the economy and putting it on a broad-based high growth path.
After the General Elections of October 2002, in which Mr. Aziz was elected as a Senator, the elected
government chose to continue with Mr. Aziz as Finance Minister, thus endorsing the comprehensive
financial and economic reforms agenda introduced by him. International recognition of the
economic turnaround was manifested by accolades such as in 2001 when Mr. Aziz was declared
as “Finance Minister of the Year” by Euro Money and Bankers Magazines. As Prime Minister, Mr.
Aziz chairs the Cabinet as well as Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, National Economic
Council, Cabinet Committee on Privatization and Cabinet Committees on Agriculture and
Regulatory Bodies. Prior to his entry into politics, Mr. Shaukat Aziz had a prolific career in global
finance and international banking, spanning over 30 years and numerous countries. He began his
professional career in 1969 on joining Citibank in Karachi. In 1975, he was appointed to overseas
designations and went on to serve in the Philippines, Jordan, Greece, USA, UK, Malaysia, Singapore
and Saudi Arabia. In 1992, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Citibank. Mr. Aziz
is a frequent speaker on the international circuit specializing in geopolitics, international finance
and foreign affairs.