Praise for When Tribesmen Came Calling: Building an Enduring American Business in Pakistan

I experienced and observed many challenging business startups during my 40-year career at Procter & Gamble.  None exceeded those in Pakistan; few, if any, have ever been so richly rewarded.

In When Tribesmen Came Calling:  Building an Enduring American Business in Pakistan, Qaisar Shareef tells the story of the development of Procter & Gamble’s business in a highly engaging way, revealing business principles and the importance of understanding and respecting local cultural sensibilities and political developments.  Qaisar’s narrative, grounded in real-life stories, offers a sober and informed perspective on what it takes to succeed in a challenged part of the world, while providing a window into the political and economic challenges and opportunities in Pakistan today that I believe readers will relish.

John Pepper
Retired Chairman and CEO, Procter & Gamble Company

Qaisar Shareef provides us with a vivid and insightful account of his days representing his firm, at home and overseas, in exciting and challenging circumstances.  It’s a wonderful read for anyone who really wants to know what soft power is: the real work of real people in business who serve as ambassadors of prosperity.  Increasingly, in the 21st century, the real work of diplomacy will be carried out by dedicated and adventurous individuals like Qaisar and his colleagues.  His is a tale of hard work, ethical behavior in the face of great challenge, and, ultimately, a significant contribution to peace and wellbeing around the world.

Cameron Munter,
U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan 2010-2012,
Currently President of the East-West Institute in New York.

Qaisar Shareef is a witty, informed, and entertaining writer. His book When Tribesmen Came Calling covers key events in Pakistan during an eventful period in its history. I found his memories of his visit to Syria extremely touching, and I was in Lahore for most of the events he describes in my beloved home city. In fact, I had visited Liberty Market the morning of the appalling attack on the Sri Lankan national cricket team in March 2009. I wish great success to this excellent book.

Bapsi Sidhwa
Author of Ice-Candy Man and An American Brat

Qaisar Shareef takes the reader deep into the world of frontier economies, shining light on the day-to-day adventures awaiting managers in these markets.  His personal narrative demonstrates how to best leverage vast emerging-market opportunities while simultaneously mitigating the complex challenges often presented by these markets.  This is a story of how local, emerging-market talent can be developed to successfully unlock emerging-market opportunities – and the critical role diaspora executives like Mr. Shareef can play, spanning boundaries to create unique value for the organizations they serve.

Dr. Liesl Riddle
Associate Professor of International Business & International Affairs
The George Washington University, Washington D.C.

Qaisar Shareef worked for Procter & Gamble in Pakistan for several years, launching the company and then establishing it as a very successful American business. When Tribesmen Came Calling narrates the engaging story of how this successful business was built from scratch.  It is a testament to the rewards that can be reaped by companies that persevere to succeed in emerging markets. While entering markets like Pakistan may seem daunting to some in the West, P&G and many others have created enduring success stories in this land of opportunity.

M Abdul Aleem,
CEO and Secretary General, Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Karachi, Pakistan

Political and policy questions aside, this is an engaging story about Qaisar’s life as a businessman working for an American company in Pakistan. He’s had a front row seat to historical events in South Asia, and his story reminds us that – in both good times and bad – commerce keeps moving.

Chris Van Hollen
United States Senator, State of Maryland

Resilience and entrepreneurship. These two words capture the essence of Pakistan, and Qaisar Shareef epitomizes both qualities. His narrative will grip you as he takes you behind the scenes on how a global company like Procter & Gamble entered and thrived in Pakistan, even as newspapers in the West and at home were filled with tales of terrorism and violence. He deftly weaves his personal story with that of his original homeland. Read When Tribesmen Came Calling to understand how Pakistan works, in spite of all its challenges.

Shuja Nawaz
Founding director and currently Distinguished Fellow,
South Asia Center, Atlantic Council, Washington D.C.

Procter & Gamble prides itself on running principle-based businesses and doing the right thing. Qaisar Shareef’s book chronicles how such enduring businesses were built by P&G in Pakistan and Ukraine, under tough conditions. Anyone with an interest in international business, emerging markets, and global affairs will be inspired by this book. It shines a light on the roles played by politics, the economy, and culture in the success of any business enterprise.

Robert A. McDonald
8^th Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Retired Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of The Procter & Gamble Company

Qaisar Shareef is a worldly, alert, and broad-minded Muslim of Pakistani origin, and a thoughtful citizen of the United States. His career in international business – including two stints as Pakistan country manager for Procter & Gamble, as well as launching its operations in Ukraine – has given him deep insight into the contemporary world. When Tribesmen Came Calling takes us from Rawalpindi during the wrenching 1970-71 Bangladesh War, to Cincinnati, to Karachi as Pakistan struggled through a series of crises in the mid-2000s, via Disney World on 9/11. It comes home, so to speak, in the Washington, D.C. of 2017, where Shareef now lives and – like many of us – is asking where he fits in and how he can help address his adopted country’s crisis.

Wajahat Ali
Journalist. Writer. Lawyer. Award Winning Playright.TV Host. Opinion Writer at New York Times, Washington Post. Creative Director – Affinis Labs.

The West has begun to take note of Pakistan as a potential market for its products. Its gross domestic product is now increasing at a sustainable rate of more than 5 percent a year. More than 50 percent of its population lives in urban areas; 15 percent is in two megacities of Karachi and Lahore. The population is young and the middle class is large and prosperous. Western corporations are now looking at the country as a land of opportunity. Their managers would do well to read the well-told story by Qaisar Shareef who was successful in building a large multinational corporation in Pakistan.

Shahid Javed Burki
Former Vice President of the World Bank and Finance Minister of Pakistan, and the author of several books on Pakistan.

Pakistan plays a crucial role in global affairs, and without peace in Pakistan there will hardly be peace elsewhere. And there won’t be any peace in Pakistan without broader-based prosperity for more Pakistanis. And there won’t be any broader-based prosperity without leaders like Qaisar Shareef, who has played such a crucial role in developing Pakistani talents and creating sustainable, good governance-based business success models. This book provides inspiration for everybody who is interested in improving the life of their “tribe.”

Werner Geissler
Former Vice Chairman of the Board and President Global Operations,
Procter & Gamble Company