Biden nominates Pakistani-American as deputy head of US agency on small businesses

Published March 5, 2021
Dilawar Syed. — Photo courtesy Twitter
Dilawar Syed. — Photo courtesy Twitter

US President Joe Biden has nominated a Pakistani-American, Dilawar Syed, to serve as the deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), according to a statement released from the White House.

Confirming the news on Twitter, Dilawar said he was "deeply humbled & honored" on the nomination, which is yet to be confirmed by the US Senate.

"I will put my heart and soul into helping small businesses everywhere in these challenging times," Dilawar said, adding that the "grit" of small businesses made America strong.

Dilawar holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a BA in Economics and Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin. He immigrated to the US from Pakistan as a freshman student to attend The College of Wooster in Ohio, the White House statement said.

Dilawar currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Lumiata, an "AI for healthcare company focused on reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes". He was previously the president at Freshworks where he worked in scaling the software company's products to thousands of small and medium-scale businesses, according to the statement.

The statement noted that Dilawar had a history of furthering civic efforts "at the federal, state, and local level focusing on economic growth and entrepreneurship".

"He served on President Obama’s White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Economic Growth Committee.

"In that role, Syed led the administration’s engagement with small businesses across the US after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."

This will not be his first interaction with the SBA as he also previously served as a liaison with the SBA and the Department of Commerce on federal initiatives such as the President’s Export Council, said the statement.

Biden previously inducted Pakistani-American Salman Ahmed into his foreign policy team to serve as director policy planning at the US State Department. This was the second such induction of a Pakistani American in Biden's team.

The president had also chosen a Pakistani-born climate expert, Ali Zaidi, to serve as as his Deputy National Climate Adviser in December. The appointment had made Zaidi the highest ranking Pakistani-Ameri­can in the Biden administration.

“This diverse and accomplished team […] embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies,” Biden had said in a statement.

“Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory — and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America’s global and moral leadership.”

Opinion

Editorial

Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...
Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.