ML Story

Muslim Lakhani is Chairman and CEO of ML Resources and ML Private Investments, LLC. He is an entrepreneur and philanthropist of Pakistani origin. For over 25 years, he has developed natural resource projects as well as undertook other business ventures in the Middle East and South Asia. Mr. Lakhani resides with his family in Washington DC.

Mr. Lakhani has traveled widely throughout the world, in his youth as an international polo player, and later charting new entrepreneurial paths in the globalized world economy. In 1975, he helped start the first polo club in Dubai, U.A.E.

During this period, he began his career in advertising and marketing, penning such well-known slogans as the “Fly Buy Dubai” campaign for Dubai Duty Free.
In 1980, he helped establish the first commercial radio station in Abu Dhabi, Capital Radio Abu Dhabi FM.

Mr. Lakhani has always recognized that once projects were de-risked during the exploration stages, larger companies were better suited to help them achieve their true potential. This was evident when the Egypt heavy oil field was sold in 2007 to a Large Arab Fund and the Baluchistan Copper Project was bought by two of the world’s largest copper and gold mining companies in 2006. When he was successful, Mr. Lakhani often says it was because good fortune and luck were on his side.

He has been active in promoting dialogue among different faiths, ethnic groups, and social classes, helping build institutions for political, social, and economic reform. His long-standing commitment to philanthropy, coupled with the success of risk and reward over the years was harnessed to form ML Resources Social Vision, the strategic philanthropy arm of the company that encompasses the spirit of sharing and tolerance.

Like many, Muslim Lakhani’s life has been defined by loss, battles, and risks. These valuable experiences have been instrumental in forming his philosophical approach to business - vested in the beliefs that nothing is forever except change and everything in life must have an exit strategy. Being independent, he subscribes to a high-risk business model, taking chances when others would prefer to walk away.

In the last ten years, Mr. Lakhani has undertaken several high-risk ventures. In early 1999, he spearheaded a heavy oil project in Egypt when the price of oil was less than US $12/barrel. In 2001, he helped re-activate one of the world’s largest dormant copper fields due to the very low price of copper in the remote province of Baluchistan, Pakistan.

In mid-2008, Mr. Lakhani established ML Private Investments, LLC with the purpose of investing in the U.S. equity markets at the height of the financial crisis. His entrepreneurial spirit is his drive, his belief that risk is rewarded if greed is not the driving factor is his motivation.

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