The Ignite–National Technology Fund has appointed Muhammad Bilal Abbasi as its new Chief Executive Officer for a three-year term, filling a position that had remained vacant for more than a year.
The CEO post at Ignite had been unfilled since January 17, 2024, when the tenure of the previous chief executive came to an end. After that, General Manager Corporate Affairs Adeel Ejaz Sheikh was given additional charge as acting CEO.
The position was later overseen by Rafique Ahmed Buriro, who served in a dual role as Ignite CEO and Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The vacancy was advertised several times, and a specialised committee was formed to assess candidates on the basis of academic credentials and professional experience. Following interviews conducted by the Ignite Board in 2025, two internal candidates were shortlisted. However, the process was prolonged after committee members failed to reach a consensus, prompting the Ministry of IT to re-advertise the post.
Bilal Abbasi brings more than 20 years of experience in information technology, digital transformation, e-governance, and public-sector innovation.
He has been serving as General Manager at Ignite since April 2022, where he led initiatives aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s startup ecosystem. During his tenure, he oversaw National Incubation Centres across the country and played a key role in designing programmes related to gaming and animation, virtual production, aerospace technology incubation, Pakistan’s first startup portal, and the national startup acceleration programme.
Before joining Ignite, Abbasi served as Director General of IT at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication from 2019 to 2022. In that role, he contributed to several major digital initiatives, including the Digital Pakistan Policy, efforts related to an international payment gateway, the cloud computing policy, and the Personal Data Protection Bill 2020.
He was also involved in policymaking related to artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, and e-commerce, while managing government IT and telecom projects worth billions of rupees.
Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at the National Information Technology Board, where he led the development and implementation of the federal government’s e-Office platform and other digital governance projects.
He also worked with the Electronic Government Directorate, Vensys Telecom, and Digitania Pakistan, gaining experience in enterprise resource planning systems, network infrastructure, digital services, and project management.
