From Azamgarh to America: The success saga of Frank Islam
17 Mar 2014 03:03 PM, IST By Mumtaz Alam and Atif Jaleel, India Tomorrow,
New
Delhi, 16 March 2014: With just $500 and one employee (himself) he
opens a firm in Washington DC in 1994. In next 13 years, his information
technology firm QSS becomes a company of several thousand employees and
several hundred million dollars. He is Frank Islam – a reputed
entrepreneur and renowned philanthropist of America. Born in a dusty
village of Azamgarh town of Uttar Pradesh in 1953, Frank is proud to be
son of India and wants to pay back to his native country and town also.
Sitting
in a boardroom of 5-star Shangri-La hotel here in India’s national
capital, Frank – who carried Fakhrul as his first name before going to
America as a student decades ago, but he still carries that name though
as initial in the middle of his full name (Frank F. Islam), talks about
his success saga from Azamgarh to Aligarh to America. He is a story of
inspiration for his native countrymen and also for the people of his
native town Azamgarh.
Excerpts from his exclusive interview with India Tomorrow:
Successful entrepreneurship
Telling about his success saga, Frank says:
“I always say, from the dusty streets of Azamgarh to Aligarh to
America, I crossed the ocean to realize and to achieve and to attain the
American dream. So I was born in Azamgarh, and after that I went to
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) which is a great institution - an
institution that inspired me, an institution that was built by Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan, an institution that has been a part, an indispensable part,
of my life, my story, my journey, and my destiny. I left AMU at a very
young age to go to University of Colorado in Boulder. I graduated from
there. I worked for a couple of Information Technology companies. I
always had this desire and dream that I want to become an entrepreneur, I
want to be a business owner. So I became an entrepreneur.”
When he set up his first business in 1994 he was not at good time of his life.
“I
started my business in 1994 and those were dark and desperate days of
my life. I was with only $500 that I invested into this company. With no
insurance, no place to go, but I thought there was a future. Otherwise I
would’ve never started. So I was willing to take the risk. And I always
believed in taking a risk. I always believed that you have to confront
uncertainty with optimism, ingenuity and creativity. And starting a
business is about taking a risk. With the hard work and initiative, and
with my staff, I was able to grow my company from one employee to
several thousand employees in 13 years, and also several hundred million
dollars. It is a true American success story.”
Frank
sold the company in 2007 for several hundred million dollars. Now he
wanted to give back to America – the country which provided him
opportunities of success.
“So
I created a foundation to do that. And I was always reminded and guided
by the phrase, as President John F. Kennedy said many times, “to whom
much is given, much is expected.” So my foundation helps a lot of
students who have financial hardship to go to school.”
Campaigning for Barack Obama
Frank also wanted to contribute in the politics of the country, and so he joined the team of Barack Obama.
“After
I created the foundation, I started working with President Obama’s
campaign as a person who was involved in the national finance campaign,
and I got involved into politics. Politics has designed the landscape of
America. This is how the capitalism grows as democracy flourishes. And
this is how you have a voice. And those voices that should be heard, and
therefore you have a seat on the table, which is very important,” says
Frank adding that this phase of his life was like making an impossible
possible – a person from humble background in a small town of Azamgarh
walking along with US President Barack Obama.
US President Barack Obama with Frank Islam
“And
if someone is listening to me and I will tell them that ‘you need to
aim high, you need to work hard, [and] you pursue your dream. I came
from a very middle class and humble beginning from Azamgarh as a Muslim
family. And I see the young people looking at me and say ‘can they make
it?’ Yes. You can make impossible as a possible, you can make irrelevant
as a relevant, you can make unacceptable as acceptable.”
Challenges before Muslim youths in India
Talking
about Muslim youths in India, he says the Muslim youth must get good
education, become an entrepreneur and give back to their community and
their country.
“I
know that the young Muslim generation confront hostility and open
prejudice because who they are. They see a dark and desperate world.
They share a city but not a community. They share a common dwelling but
not in a common effort. They share a common fear. But all of us in this
country, Hindus and Muslims or anyone, or any other what I consider a
religion or race, we live together in a peace and harmony for a thousand
years; we should set aside our differences to work for shared goal,
shared responsibility and shared sacrifices. So I told the Muslim youth,
all of them, get an education, become an entrepreneur, give back to
your community and your country, and be inspired by my story.”
Frank stresses education and terms it a powerful equalizer that uplifts the people’s soul and gives them dignity and respect.
“If
I have to give them (Muslim youth) advice, I’d say get a good
education. I know poverty drains the institution and it crushes the hope
of the people. But education is a powerful equalizer that uplifts the
people’s soul and gives them dignity and respect. Education creates
wealth, education creates prosperity. In addition to that, as President
Obama said, “education will be the currency of the 21st century.” And education, what I consider, frees the human mind from the shackles of ignorance.”
Franks’ education initiative in India
Frank has launched some education project in Azamgarh, but he lacks people who could help him fulfill his dream.
“I
established a small school in the memory of my mother. I always cherish
and nurture my family. My family’s finest tradition is sharing and
caring. What is best in me, I owe it to my parents. Unfortunately, the
challenge that we faced here in India is somehow a very dysfunctional
society. A lot of corruption is here. And people do not want to take the
responsibility on their shoulders to build this institution. I’m
building this institution for them, as Sir Syed Ahmed Khan built AMU.
I’ve put the foundations. I’ve not been able to build it because of the
fact that… I have not found anybody who can manage it and who can say “I
will take the responsibility,” who can give me the five year plan, how
much it’s going to cost, what will take to sustain it, what it will take
to maintain it. I’m still waiting for that. What I’d like to do is
build a high-school, build a college. And hopefully, I have the wisdom
and the wealth. And I’m willing to share, willing to give, willing to
give back to our community, our country, who has given me so much.
Apart from that, Frank also gives money to the students who come from Azamgarh to study at AMU.
“I
brought several students from AMU to universities in US. I was also
able to give them a job so that they can get training. It is my fondest
hope, it is my deepest desire, to help those who are so voiceless. It
breaks my heart that the conditions they live in, and especially in
Azamgarh and Aligarh. I want them to have the hope, the aspirations, the
dreams.”
India needs many many Frank Islam
You
got great success in the US. You contributed immensely in the
development of the US. Don’t you think India now needs a Frank Islam?
“Well,
India needs a many, many Frank Islam. Just not the one Frank Islam,”
says Frank, 60. “I have contributed to America because it has provided
me the opportunities. But I have not forgotten my homeland which is
India and Aligarh and Azamgarh. I know it is difficult for a young
Muslim youth because they do see a dark and desperate world, that ‘how
they will be able to get education’ and also how to realize their dream.
I want them to realize their dream. I will do everything possible to
make that happen. So, for me I did invest in India. However, I did not
do very well in investment in India because of many, many reasons.”
I
love about India, because of the secularism and so on and so forth.
India has also the democracy and freedom, the religious freedoms, so on
and so forth. So my desire continues to be that I would like to do a lot
more than what I have done so far. But I want somebody to take a
charge.
Indo-US relations
I
firmly believe that the US and India have a shared interest, and shared
commitment. Because both value the democracy and diversity, and both
want to work together. As a matter of fact our bilateral trade
relationship between India and US has increased many, many times over
what it used to be 5 or 10 years ago. Still not as big as China is, or
Japan is, or even the European countries. I’d like to make sure that we
continue to have that trade relationship.
Frank Islam (left) shaking hands with US President Barack Obama at White House
I’d
like to see that we also broaden and deepen our engagement with India,
in terms of the education. I think the community colleges play a pivotal
role in creating today’s students for tomorrow’s job. So when I come
over here and I see there are not that many community colleges. Not
everybody can go to colleges and learn the trade. Community colleges
have two or three year college degrees. They can learn the tools and the
trades and so that they can work. So that they can create the next
generation and realize the American dream, so they have food on the
table and also a roof on their head. That’s a one area, education, where
I think we should work together.
The
second area I think we should work together is energy. I think that… I
firmly believe that we would like to become a provider for India in
about two or three years, for your needs of all the energy.
Shouldn’t Frank Islam stay more at Azamgarh to inspire youth?
“I
think you have made a very good point. And I should follow up what you
just said to me that I stay there in Azamgarh and places like Aligarh to
inspire people. But it is a daunting challenge. A challenge for me to
live here because I do have a family, I do have a job back in US. And I
have been away from this nation, from India, for a long, long time. So I
still have a problem in terms of the environment, in terms of breathing
the air, which is a very polluted air. There’s nothing wrong with that,
that’s the way it is and I have to accept it. So give me some time. As
it goes by, as we continue on this path forward, as we continue on this
journey maybe perhaps the next plateau in my journey would be to live
there, to engage people. But I would hope that I can also help them from
US. So they can come to US and see the world, see the experience. So
they can be somebody as well.
A brief profile of Frank Islam:
Educational Journey
Primary Education at Kaunra Gani village in Azamgarh
High School at National School, Pili Kothi, Varanasi
B.Sc. and M.Sc. (Mathematics) from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
B.Sc. and M.Sc. (Computer Science) from the University of Colorado, United States
Entrepreneurship
Alone
and with just $500 he founded QSS Group, an Information Technology
company in 1994. By 2007, the company had several thousand employees and
generated revenue of $300 million. He sold the company in several
hundred million dollars in 2007.
A
successful entrepreneur and investor based in Washington, DC, Frank
Islam founded FI Investment Group LLC (FIIG), an investment firm in
2007. He is the Chairman/CEO of FIIG which focuses on providing growth
capital to emerging companies, as well as managing specialized and
branded funds.
Entrepreneurship Awards:
Through QSS, Mr. Islam garnered multiple industry awards for leadership, entrepreneurship and excellence.
In
1999, he was recognized by the Ernst and Young as Maryland Entrepreneur
of the Year. The US Small Business Administration selected him as the
Small Business Person of the Year of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area
in 2001.
Philanthropy
Frank
Islam is a well-known philanthropist whose private foundation supports
educational, cultural and artistic causes worldwide. He participates in a
number of non-profit organizations as a board member, such as TiE –DC
and the Strathmore Center for the Arts (located in Montgomery County,
Maryland), as well as chairing the State Democracy Foundation.
Designations/Posts:
Frank
Islam serves as a member of the International Advisory Council of the
U.S. Institute of Peace. He also serves as a member of the Democratic
National Committee (DNC) National Advisory Board. He also serves as a
member of the Advisory committee of the Export-Import Bank of the United
States. Mr. Islam serves as a member of the Department of Commerce
Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC). He also serves as a member of
the advisory board of the University of Maryland Smith School of
business.
Frank Islam serves as a member at:
American University in the Emirates (AUE) of board of trustees
University of Technology, Malaysia (UTM) International Advisory Panel
George Mason University School of Management Dean’s Council
Maryland Governor’s International Advisory Council
School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) John Hopkins University Advisory Council
American University school of International services Dean’s Council
Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts
Literary Works
Frank Islam is co-author of two books “Renewing the American Dream” and “Working the Pivot Points.”
He is a contributor to several publications including Huffington Post, Indian Express, Economics Times and India Abroad.
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Ghulam Muhammed
