Leadership
Kaashif Asghar- Managing Partner
Kaashif Asghar is an entrepreneur based in Bangalore, India and Toronto, Canada. Mr. Asghar is currently managing the Group and ensuring that the business activities are aligned with the strategic vision of the group. He has always been passionate about entrepreneurship, social causes, environment and wildlife-conservation and, consequently, has ensured that the Group engages in businesses that are constructive to the community-at-large. He has restructured the plantation business in order to create transparency, accountability and inculcated a culture that is conducive for growth and for the wellbeing of our stakeholders. He founded Cordoba Farms in 2018 and turned it into a sustainable venture. Presently at his spare time, he is involved in creating awareness on wildlife & environment conservation and teaches self-defense basics free of charge for the benefit and safety of the general public.
Prior to embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Mr. Asghar worked at 'BDC Consulting' - a government owned crown corporation of Canada in the capacity of a management consultant. As part of the Consulting Group at BDC, Mr. Asghar has worked with numerous Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs across industries whose turnover ranged between 1 million to 150 million Canadian dollars. From the start-up phase through the expansion phase, he has helped entrepreneurs strategize and achieve their business goals.
Having lived in U.A.E, India, Sweden and Canada, and having traveled extensively, Kaashif has augmented knowledge and insights on different cultures and business practices at the international level. He holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University, Canada, which consistently is ranked in the world's top 100 universities. Odette School of Business and Jonkoping International Business School, is where he specialized in strategic management and entrepreneurship culminating in an MBA.
Khyser Asghar Habibulla- Chief Agriculture Partner
Despite being a 4th generation Coffee Planter, Khyser Asghar, always desired to explore other opportunities and stand on his own feet with the intention of establishing his own identity. That search lead him to the shores of Abu Dhabi in the late 1970s; a time where the emirate was literally a dessert and a few buildings. Agriculture in the dessert emirate was too tempting a challenge for Mr. Asghar to ignore and he decided to work for the local government body as an Agriculturist. Impressed by his professionalism and agricultural expertise, he was deputed by the Abu Dhabi government to oversee forests and fruit orchards at Sir Bani Yas Island and worked in direct contact with the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (former President and founder of U.A.E). Mr. Habibulla was subsequently deputed as Agriculture Engineer overseeing His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's (President of U.A.E) royal palaces' landscape designing and operation.
Over the last decade, Mr. Khyser Asghar, as a Landscape Engineer Consultant has contributed to the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi by supervising, managing and monitoring contractors in the area of landscape planning, designing and maintenance. His dedication led to him being awarded by the city of Abu Dhabi with the prestigious honor of "Excellence in management and supervision of city landscape". Various embassies including the embassy of Australia and United States of America have appreciated and recognized his contribution to the embassy's landscape.
Being a passionate agriculturist, over the years, Mr. Asghar has introduced various non-native shrubs, trees, and more than 25 tropical and exotic fruits plants including but limited to mangoes, guavas, pineapples pomegranate and mulberry varieties in the emirate using various horticulture techniques. His agricultural contributions have been etched in the country's soil which is evident in the thriving plants and trees that he had planted in the country during his career.
Khyser Asghar holds a 4-year Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore- India. His other interests include, gardening, plant collection, wildlife protection and environment conservation. Presently, Khyser Asghar oversees the coffee estates' agricultural activities and shares his decades of technical expertise and knowledge with the team taking the group to new heights.