Roles
Explore Asher’s vast professional journey on this page. His roles, spanning continents and industries, reflect his adaptability, leadership, and a relentless pursuit of excellence in the fields of family enterprise advising, investment strategy, and more.
Past Employments
Group CFO and CIO, AlTouq Group, Riyadh and Singapore
Sophisticated single family investment office, with a global investment mandate. Asher managed the family office, principally investing in listed / private equity, venture capital, real estate, hedge funds and direct investments globally, under the able leadership of the Chairman and the CEO. Asher managed the IFRS accounting, banking facilities, corporate finance, treasury, risk and asset allocation strategy, sourced exclusive deal flow, executed due diligence on prospective direct investments/ funds/ managers and post-investment monitoring and divestment. Asher represented the Group, on the board of various companies around the world. Asher, during his tenure of around 14 years, also managed the varied aspects of the family relating to council, charter, wealth & tax management, estate, legacy & succession planning.
CFO, Morgan Stanley Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
Leading global investment bank, partially owned and majority managed by Morgan Stanley USA. As CFO, Asher worked for a couple of years, looking after the accounting, audit, compliance and finance functions. He also worked out of London and Dubai offices as well, as part of the role.
Senior Manager, Accounting & Financial Control Division, Banque Saudi Fransi, Riyadh
Leading foreign JV bank in Saudi Arabia. Asher worked for more than 6 years and reported in to the CFO and had 9 direct and 12 indirect reportees.
Auditor, A.F.Ferguson & Co, (PricewaterhouseCoopers), Karachi
Asher gained extensive experience of over 4 years, in the audit, tax and business advisory departments of the chartered accountancy firm. Asher led audits of companies such as Standard Chartered Leasing, Reckitt Benckiser, Dupont, Commercial Union, Faysal Bank, Orr Dignam, Pakistan Refinery etc.
Past Board Roles
Aviation – Public Listed Airline
Asher was part of the Board team that took the airline public on Malaysian Stock Exchange. Asher was an alternate Board Director, for several years.
Contracting – Private Entity
Asher was a Board Director, for over a decade. Headed multiple sub-committees as well.
Education, Non-profit enterprise in USA
Asher was elected as a Board Director and member of the Finance and Audit Committee for multiple years.
Education, Non-profit enterprise in Europe
Asher was elected as part of the Board of Governors of this non-profit association.
Energy, Single Asset Investment
Asher was the Board Director, managing JV interests along with a Finnish investor, for several years.
F&B, Holding Company
Asher was the alternate Board Director for multiple years.
Financial Services, Asset Management Regulated Entity
Asher was the Chairman and Board Director, for over a decade, in this DIFC regulated entity.
Hold Co, Diversified Holdings
Asher was a Board Director of a family business entity for multiple years.
Hold Co, Private Entity
Asher was a Board Director for over a decade and also on the Audit Committee.
ICT, Public Listed Entity
Asher was part of the Board team that took the Company public on Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange. Asher was a Board Member for over a decade & an Audit Committee Member for multiple years as well.
Power Generation, Furnace Oil based IPP
Asher was a Board Director for 5+ years.
Steel Fabrication & Manufacturing, Private Entity
Asher was appointed by the Board as an Audit Committee member. Served for multiple years.
Startup, VR & Content Generation Platform
Asher was on the Board and an Executive Committee Member for multiple years; including 2 successful fund raises.
Mentor / Community Roles
2023
Casey Leadership Program, Casey Council, VIC – Australia
Asher went through the application, interview and selection process to be part of the final cohort of 30 emerging leaders in the community. The program aimed to build leadership, communication, community capacity, understanding local government and helping lead change in the city of Casey.
2023
Australian Airforce Cadets, 403 Squadron, Beaconsfield, VIC – Australia
Asher continues to be part of the dedicated adult volunteers as a Civilian Instructor / Defence Approved Helper. Providing essential capability to the Air Force Cadets by supporting IOC and OOC in the management, supervision and conduct of cadet activities.
2022
Panel Member, Selandra Community Resource Group, Casey Council, VIC – Australia
Asher was part of a select number of volunteers admitted to the Casey Council CRG (Community Resource Group) to represent as a community voice at Selandra Community Hub. The Group’s aim was to explore innovative ways to increase connection, improve accessibility and develop networks within the community. The TOR’s included providing the local Casey Council with the opportunity to work collaboratively with Selandra and neighbouring residences to develop a community hub that best reflected the need of the community.
2020
Panel Member, Frankston Project 2040, Frankston Council, VIC – Australia
Asher was a panel member involved in developing the Frankston City 2040 Community Vision and Council Plan priorities framework document. Asher advocated for extended tree/canopy covers, walking tracks and ensuring the foreshore remained largely natural instead of concreting up various parts of it.
2020
Mentor, StartAD, New York University Abu Dhabi – UAE
Asher continues to be a mentor with StartAD, a department of New York University Abu Dhabi, which has partnered with the United States Mission to the UAE. The aim of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program is to enable women-owned SMEs in the UAE to identify and analyze new channels, markets, and customers. Asher has mentored several UAE based female entrepreneurs in startup ventures in e-commerce, manufacturing, ed-tech, advertising etc. that have been part / graduates of this program.
2020
Co-Contributor, Family Business Council Gulf – UAE
Asher participated as a co-contributor and reviewer towards the write-up of their 4-part white-paper/handbook on Family Office series. It was done exclusively for the FBCG members. Part 1 was on establishing a family office. Part 2 was on family office governance and Asher also led a webinar on it as well for the FBCG members with special focus on selecting a family office jurisdiction. Part 3 was on Investment Strategy where Asher provided the largest chunk of writeup/input. Part 4 was on operational excellence.
2018
Committee Member, Campden Wealth, Middle East Family Advisory – UAE
Asher was part of the Committee, that Included, H.E. Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri of UAE, Muhammad Al Agil of KSA, Fady Debbane of Lebanon, Mishal H Kanoo of UAE and Khalid Al Zayani. The purpose was providing guidance and thought leadership in helping Campden’s flagship event in Abu Dhabi, from setting the agenda to curating relevant speakers.
STEP – Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners
2022
Presiding Judge, STEP Private Client Awards, STEP Global
Asher was one of the 15+ presiding judges; evaluating, judging and finalizing winners of the STEP Private Client Awards in 20+ categories in 2022 and 2023. STEP is the global professional association for practitioners who specialize in family inheritance and succession planning. They have 21,000+ members in over 96 countries. The STEP Private Client Awards are the ‘Oscars’ of the industry.
2020
Steering Committee Member, Modern Families Thought Leadership Group, STEP Global
Asher was part of a team that was established under the initiative of the STEP Board and Public Policy Committee from Oct 2020 to Dec 2021. The aim was to help STEP form the narrative and message on the subject of Modern/Complex/Blended Families. Asher wrote the primary intro, which was formally inducted as the opening piece to explain the subject/initiative. An extract of that primary intro, is as follows: “Modern families are complicated families: they’re messy, diverse, intriguing, and all over the map – often literally – and their needs are equally complex. Identifying and navigating these needs requires expertise and collaboration across borders, cultures and professions.” The steering committee deliberations led to a survey and publication of a report. Asher was then invited to speak at the STEP thought leadership webinar on this titled “Meeting the Needs of the Modern Family” on 23 November 2021 and subsequently also wrote a piece, which was published in the STEP Journal in early 2022.
2018
Member, Editorial Board of the STEP Journal, STEP Global
For 5+ years, Asher was on the editorial board of the award winning, prestigious & official STEP Journal which is the highest circulation trust & estates magazine in the world, published out of London. It is a 84-page magazine, published several times a year providing news, reviews, opinion & technical analysis on trends & issues facing estate/trust practitioners internationally. As Lead Editor, Asher wrote the forewords for the April 2019, April 2020 and April 2022 issues of the Journal, while also reviewing all submissions prior to their publication, and providing technical input or corrections, where warranted.
2017
Chairman, Business Families Global SIG, Steering Committee at STEP Global
Asher was voted in by the STEP global members, to take a seat on the Business Families Global Special Interest Group (SIG) Steering Committee in 2017. Asher was elected as Chair for the year 2018. The aim of this SIG at STEP is to be the platform for business family practitioners. The purpose is to support, educate, train and conduct CPD/other events/research etc. The passion remains to aggregate expertise, promote best practices and champion this crucial practice area of Family Business.
2017
Expert Member, Panel of Experts, STEP Global
As a member of the panel of experts (in 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020), Asher was tasked to provide his independent assessment as to who he thinks should win in a particular category. This involved reviewing up to five shortlisted entries. The purpose of the panel of experts is to ensure that leading figures in the trust & estate practitioners industry are aware of and engaged in the awards. Some of the award categories included: trusted advisor of the year, boutique law firm of the year, family business advisory of the year, investment team of the year etc.
FFI – The Family Firm Institute, USA
2023
Member, Nominations Committee
Asher was a member of the Nom Com under the able co-chair of Richa Arora and Patricia Angus. The primary remit of the Nom Com as per the FFI by-laws was to select a slate of one or more nominees for the Board of Directors as well as officer seats to be filled. Mission accomplished to the satisfaction of the Board of FFI.
2020
Member, Task Force on Family Offices
Asher was a member of the task force on family offices whose primary remit was to explore how FFI can connect more deeply with the family office world through their thought leadership, vast resources and interdisciplinary community. It was ably chaired by Mary Duke and other members, besides Asher, included, Cynthia Lee, Kurt Moosmann, James Coutre and Judy Green.
2018
Member, Board of Directors
Asher was elected to the Board of Directors at FFI from 2018 to 2021. FFI is the leading association worldwide for family enterprise professionals and has been at it for over 30+ years. It’s engaged in educating, connecting, and inspiring professionals who serve family enterprises. Asher’s election manifesto action points included: “amplifying public awareness about FFI and its GEN programs, making the body of research that FFI owns more easily accessible, as well as ensuring that we all profitably learn and grow together through collaborations”.
2019
Member, Executive Committee & General Secretary to the Board of FFI
Asher was a member of the Executive Committee of FFI and the Secretary to the Board of FFI. Tasks included keeping accurate minutes of all board meetings and participating in the AGM process as the Secretary on behalf of the Board to the members of FFI. It also included compliance with FFI By-laws for the Corporation.
2017
Faculty Member, GEN 501 Course
Asher taught the GEN 501 course titled “Myths, Realities, and Trends in the Field of Family Enterprise” from 2017 to 2019. This course provided a foundation in and an understanding of the trends and latest thinking in family enterprise research and practice, topics such as women in family enterprises, governance, conflict management, and leadership transition and where researchers and consultants agree and where they differ, plus generational differences and their impact on family enterprises.
2017
Member, Finance and Audit Committee of FFI
Asher was a member of the Finance and Audit Committee of FFI from 2017 to 2019. The primary remit was to keep an eye on finance and statutory compliance. As part of the Committee, Asher worked on the budget, reviewed the cash flow mismatches and interacted with the US based auditors for the annual audit report clearance.
2017
Member, Planning Committee, 2017 Chicago Conference
Asher was part of a fantastic 7 member team, for the October 2017 Chicago Conference, to (a) decide & finalize the conference theme – which ended up being “Electrifying”, (b) Write the call for proposals, decide on a process for vetting and then vet the proposals received, (c) Determine the conference schedule, (d) Work in collaboration with the Planning Committee to determine opening & closing keynotes and (e) also act as hosts on the ground, during the Conference in Chicago.
2016
Member, Editorial Committee of The Practitioner
Asher served 3 years on the editorial committee of The Practitioner until 2019. It is a digital publication released every Wednesday, featuring the latest thinking, research and trends in the field of family enterprise. Asher was also the co-editor for the special August 2016 issue on the topic of Evolve, in line with the 2016 annual conference (Miami) theme of Adapt, Evolve, Transform and co-editor for the special May 2017 issue on the theme of Electrifying, for the 2017 annual conference (Chicago).
ICAP – Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
2023 – Member Jury, CA Women Awards
2023 – Speaker, CA Pakistan 1st Overseas Convention
2022 – Presented a webinar for members of ICAP chapter in Canada
2021 – Presented a webinar for members of ICAP chapter in KSA
2019 – Finalized the revised ICAP SOCPA MOU
2018 – Part of the team that hosted the ICAP Picnic in Riyadh
2018 – Part of the team that finalized the first ICAP CA Women directory
2018 – Part of the team that conceived/hosted/invigilated ICAP exams in Riyadh and Jeddah
2018 – Member, ICAP Overseas Coordination Committee (OCC)
2018 – Keynote speaker at ICAP CA Convocation, Karachi
2017 – Elected Chairman, ICAP KSA chapter until 2019
2017 – Conducted workshop for Jeddah members of ICAP chapter in KSA
2017 – Member, Organizing Committee, 5th ICAP and SOCPA Symposium in Riyadh
2016 – Panellist, ICAP CFO conference, Dubai
2015 – Moderated Panel, ICAP Middle East conference in UAE
2015 – Member, Organizing Committee, 4th Saudi Pak Accountancy Symposium in Riyadh
2015 – Conducted workshop for Jeddah members of ICAP chapter in KSA
2015 – Conducted workshop for Al Khobar members of ICAP chapter in KSA
2014 – Member, Organizing Committee, 3rd Saudi Pak Accountancy Symposium in Riyadh
2014 – Member, Organizing Committee, Family Fun Day, Riyadh
2014 – Wrote the cover story published in The Accountant, ICAP
2013 – Conducted workshop for Riyadh members of ICAP chapter in KSA
2013 – Moderator, 2nd Saudi Pak Accountancy Seminar
2012 – Host and Panel Moderator, 1st Saudi Pak Accountancy Seminar in Riyadh
2012 – Secured Pakistan Embassy patronage for ICAP KSA chapter
2011 – Guest Speaker, ICAP CFO Conference, Lahore
2011 – Founding Member, ICAP KSA chapter
1998 – Secretary, CASA (Chartered Accountants Student Association)
1998 – Co-editor, Meezaan, CA Student Magazine