Ignite-National Technology Fund

The Ignite-National Technology Fund has officially appointed Muhammad Bilal Abbasi as its new Chief Executive Officer. He steps into the role for a three-year term. Importantly, this decision ends a prolonged leadership gap. The CEO position at Ignite had remained vacant for over two years. Previously, the tenure of the former CEO ended on January 17, 2024. Consequently, Ignite initially assigned General Manager Corporate Affairs Adeel Ejaz Sheikh the additional duties of Acting CEO. Later, Rafique Ahmed Buriro took over the position. He handled a dual role as Ignite’s Acting CEO and Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

Meanwhile, the government advertised the post multiple times. A specialized committee evaluated applicants based on their academic and professional backgrounds. Following board interviews, the committee shortlisted two internal candidates in 2025. However, the committee members reached a tie. Therefore, the Ministry of IT re-advertised the position to secure a consensus candidate. Abbasi brings more than 20 years of experience in information technology, digital transformation, and e-governance to his new role. Since April 2022, he has served as the General Manager at Ignite.

During this time, he led major initiatives to strengthen Pakistan’s startup ecosystem. Specifically, he oversaw National Incubation Centres across the country. Furthermore, he helped design advanced programs for gaming, animation, virtual production, and aerospace technology incubation. He also played a vital role in launching Pakistan’s first startup portal and the national startup acceleration program. Before joining Ignite, Abbasi served as the Director General of IT at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication from 2019 to 2022.

In this capacity, he contributed heavily to flagship digital initiatives. These included the Digital Pakistan Policy, cloud computing policy, and the Personal Data Protection Bill 2020. Moreover, he pushed international payment gateway efforts forward.