Sanzar Kakar

Early life

Kakar was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Dr. Faizullah Kakar.

Kakar grew up in Peshawar, Pakistan where his family assisted with Afghan war relief efforts. His father was the Chancellor of the Islamic University of Afghanistan and founded the Research and Advisory Council of Afghanistan.

After the fall of the Taliban, Kakar's father served as the Deputy Minister of Public Health for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and was then appointed as the Minister Adviser to the President for Health and Education. Kakar's mother served as a Senior Medical Officer for the World Health Organization in Afghanistan and Pakistan until her retirement in 2013.

Education

Kakar attended elementary school at Beaconhouse Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan; middle school at Moundridge Middle School in Moundridge, Kansas; and high school at International School of Islamabad in Islamabad, Pakistan. Kakar participated or organized a number of Model United Nations conferences around the world, including in Beijing, The Hague, Montreal, Washington, Berkeley and Sharm-e-Sheikh.

Kakar graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in Computer Science Engineering and minoring in Economics. Kakar worked in New Jersey and New York before moving to Kabul, Afghanistan. Kakar also completed a master's program at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick in Coventry, United Kingdom, graduating with a Master of Business Administration, focusing on entrepreneurship and finance.

Career

Kakar started with Merrill Lynch working as a Technology Analyst to develop software to automatically link to the New York Stock Exchange. In 2006, Kakar moved to Afghanistan to serve as the Investment Associate and then Country Director for Acap Partners, venture capital fund. In 2007, Kakar was appointed as the Executive Advisor to the Attorney General on the United States Department of State funded Afghanistan Justice Sector Support Program. Kakar worked to reorganize the Attorney General's Office and created a criminal case management system spanning seven justice institutions in Afghanistan. In late 2008, Kakar served as the Economic Adviser and then Deputy Team Leader for the United Kingdom Department for International Development funded Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility, where he developed operational and fiduciary requirements for the £60 million grant fund.

In 2009, Kakar founded Afghanistan Financial Services, which primarily provided Afghan taxation services to U.S. Government contractors in Afghanistan. The firm was featured on BBC News with John Simpson. In 2013, the firm re-branded as Afghanistan Holding Group as it expanded into auditing, research, training and legal services.

Kakar has spoken about the need for formal financial markets in Afghanistan, including at the American University of Afghanistan and at TEDx Kabul 2014. A feasibility study for capital markets was supported by the United States Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO). Kakar has spoken about the business environment in Afghanistan, including once on National Public Radio with Tom Ashbrook and at TEDx Kabul 2016. Kakar is an advocate for increasing foreign direct investment to Afghanistan, calling for more stability and predictability in the regulatory environment.