I didn’t realize it at the time, but GIKI was teaching us to be multilingual,” says Haroon Sharif. He doesn’t mean speaking Urdu and English; he means the ability to fluently translate between the hyper-technical language of engineers and the strategic language of business leaders. He recalls the constant, stressful need to justify complex technical projects to non-technical faculty members, preparing them for real-world pitches. “If you couldn’t explain your differential equation to someone who only understood deadlines and budget, you failed.
That foundational skill—bridging the gap between the lab and the boardroom—is what drives his success today. As a prominent executive, he has built a career on simplifying intricate technology challenges into clear, actionable corporate strategies. He credits the intense collaboration and communication required in the hostels as his true business school. “We learned negotiation over who got the last cup of tea and team management while trying to share one power outlet,” he laughs. For Haroon, his GIKI training was complete when he finally mastered the art of talking about megabytes and market share in the same breath. “The engineer builds the product,” he concludes, “but the GIKI alum knows how to build the market for it.”