Filmmaker Bushra Sultan lands a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia for Arts

Seven Pakistanis have made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia this year, including filmmaker and creative director Bushra Sultan, who is the only Pakistani to be featured in the Arts category, which highlights the work of people working in art and style, as well as food and drink. Sultan, based in Lahore, has a “special interest in challenging her country’s constraints on women,” according to the publication.

The 29-year-old’s most notable work is in fashion and beauty. Her campaign for Demesne Couture called Guria [doll] showcased two opulently dressed women being controlled like puppets by giant hands pulling strings, a comment on Pakistan’s wedding industry and the demands made on brides.

“Sultan is also known for her audacious Chimera campaign featuring headless women,” Forbes stated.

Aleena Nadeem and Sarkhail Bawany were featured in the Finance and Venture Capital category. Nadeem for her Lahore-based education startup, EduFi, which helps more Pakistanis go to university by paying tuition monthly instead of the standard lump sum payment at the beginning of a semester.

According to Forbes, Nadeem is an MIT graduate who interned at McKinsey during college and then worked in London for Goldman Sachs and Ventura Capital and has been engaged with educational issues since high school.

Bawany is the head of product at Pakistan-based fintech company Abhi, which empowers workers to withdraw a percentage of their salary before the next pay cheque when they need emergency cash. “Abhi works on a B2B2C model, partnering with companies such as Unilever Pakistan to offer the service as a benefit to employees.

“Abhi has expanded to the Middle East and Bangladesh,” Forbes stated. Bawany also serves as the CEO of the startup’s payment services subsidiary, Abhipay.

Kasra Zunnaiyyer, featured in the Enterprise Technology category, is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of the Karachi-based startup Trukkr. The startup has developed a management platform for Pakistan’s logistics sector and allows users to “obtain financing, track their fleets and connect with customers”. Last year, Trukkr raised $6.4 million in seed funding.

Adeel Abid, Aizaz Nayyer, and Ali Raza, the cofounders of Linkstar, based in Karachi, were featured in the Consumer Technology category. Linkstar is a platform that “helps freelancers create free portfolio websites that can be upgraded with advanced functionalities,” Forbes stated.

Freelancers can also learn from online courses on the platform. In 2023, the founders acquired Oliv, a Dubai-based career marketplace, which helps companies hire students and graduates.