
5 minute read
Share
Last June, Pakistani entrepreneur and Telenor alumnus Tanzila Khan shared the stage with King Charles III and Amal Clooney, becoming the first ever recipient of the Amal Clooney Women's Empowerment Award. We spoke with her to get five tips on being a successful entrepreneur and maintaining unwavering optimism in the face of adversity.
As part of Telenor Asia's 25th Anniversary, our Game Changer interviews celebrate women and men in Asia that Telenor has supported in their quests to harness the power of connectivity for the benefit of their communities.
Tanzila Khan is recognized for her activism for women and disabled persons' rights-but also for founding a game-changing startup in Pakistan, GirlyThings.pk. The platform gives access to women's health products and information in a country where these are hard to come by. It allows fast, anonymous delivery of authentic products while also educating communities to reduce stigma. And thanks to Tanzila's global profile, GirlyThings.pk is now looking to spread beyond Pakistan.
In addition to Girlythings.pk, Tanzila is a popular content creator. Through short films and social posts, she sheds light on the joys and tribulations of being a woman with a disability both in Pakistan and during her travels abroad. Moreover, she is an alumnus of Telenor Pakistan's Open Mind program, an initiative to improve access to employment for persons with disabilities.
Here are her five tips for aspiring entrepreneurs:
Let Pain Inspire You
I only look at pain as an experience. Sometimes, I'm traveling and there are no facilities for disabled persons-even in Europe! But I don't want to be a loser. I want to be a winner. So I take painful situations and ask myself, What could we do differently? How can we learn from this?' That's how we grow as individuals and as a society. And that's how I got the idea for GirlyThings.pk.
Everyone Can Be Your Ally
I advocate for difficult topics, and I often encounter strong bias on both sides of every argument. In fact, when I say that I find great support from men, that can be a very controversial statement for some of my stakeholders. But I don't want to shut the door on any opportunities. You never know who might become your next investor.
Get Value, Add Value
My time is precious, and I want to make an impact in my lifetime. So now I'm much more careful to calculate the impact of what I commit to. But this goes both ways. I also make sure I'm always adding value to the people I meet and work with. Sob stories might get people's attention. But it's the promise of value that will get you their energy.
Believe in Your Ideas
I know most people say your hard work matters more than your ideas. But don't underestimate the power of ideas. You need lots of ideas. You need to believe in your ideas. And then the work will follow. Work is just the methodology to get your ideas realized.
Businesses Can Do Good
I first worked with Telenor Pakistan as part of their Open Mind program. It taught me that brands aren't always just about making a profit. They are also open to doing good things. Even in a large organization, if the right person hears your story, you can change the world.
You can follow Tanzila Khan on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
More from Telenor Digital Services and Broadcast
12/01/2023
3 minute read
Share
Dtac and True have today held separate board meetings regarding the ongoing merger process between the companies. The boards of direct...
23/12/2022
5 minute read
Share
What can time spent with schoolchildren teach entrepreneurs? A lot, it turns out. Alina Amir co-founded Malaysia's fast-rising Aru...
21/12/2022
8 minute read
Share
People feel less safe about online shopping, but lucki...
16/12/2022
6 minute read
Share
A recent survey Telenor conducted in the Nordics has shown that digital security is a significant concern for individuals across the r...
30/11/2022
9 minute read
Share
New Company Well-Placed to Serve the Nation and Consum...
30/11/2022
11 minute read
Share
Digi Telenor Asia
For over 20 years, Digi has emp...
25/11/2022
6 minute read
Share
What are some essential life skills for the digital age? We asked Kalaya Kovidvisith, a co-founder of Thailand's Safe Internet met...
25/11/2022
5 minute read
Share
Sayem Faruk is transforming how global companies can connect with tech talent in Bangladesh. He founded Airwrk, a game changer for his...
25/11/2022
5 minute read
Share
Last June, Pakistani entrepreneur and Telenor alumnus ...
22/11/2022
1 minute read
Share
On 22 November 2021, Telenor and CP Group announced their intention to support the amalgamation of dtac and True in Thailand.
As part...
08/11/2022
9 minute read
Share
A new mobile 5G Network on Wheels from Telenor demonst...
07/11/2022
4 minute read
Share
Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, is re-elected for a seat in the GSMA Board and will, from 1 January 2023, commence h...
03/11/2022
9 minute read
Share
Advance Artificial Intelligence Research
Advance...
01/11/2022
5 minute read
Share
Research
The new head will drive Telenor's research involvement in innovation with strategic partners and customers as part of T...
31/10/2022
2 minute read
Share
By merging Telenor Digital AS (TD) and Telenor Global Services AS (TGS), Telenor establishes a global unit that combines traditional c...
28/10/2022
1 minute read
Share
Telenor and 474 civil society organizations in Myanmar...
27/10/2022
7 minute read
Share
Download full report PDF
Read the press release
Decoding changing attitudes towards mobile connectivity in South and Southeast As...
27/10/2022
8 minute read
Share
Flexible Work Digital skills Inclusion Include ...
26/10/2022
6 minute read
Share
We see positive trends for mobile service revenues in the Nordic region, with a growth of 4 percent in the third quarter , says Sigve ...
11/10/2022
5 minute read
Share
Telenor Group, a leading global telecommunications company serving 175 million customers in the Nordics and Asia, announced the format...
07/10/2022
7 minute read
Share
alt=Women walking in Lofoten, Norway. class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10>
(Fornebu 7 October 2022...
20/09/2022
4 minute read
Share
(Fornebu, 20 September 2022) Today, at its Capital Markets Day, Telenor presents significant changes to ensure growth and reshape the ...
08/09/2022
6 minute read
Share
Marie Ulven's music has brought the young artist into the global charts and created a worldwide fan base. The talented Norwegian, ...
05/09/2022
9 minute read
Share
Part One: Live
Download full report PDF
Read the press release
Survey Findings (Infographics) PDF
Decoding changing attitudes...
05/09/2022
9 minute read
Share
Part One: Live
Download full report PDF
Read the press release
Survey Findings (Infographics) PDF
Decoding changing attitudes...
05/09/2022
9 minute read
Share
Report highlights
Downloads
Report pdf
Survey Fin...
24/08/2022
7 minute read
Share
Telenor gjennomf rer endringer i konsernledelsen for styrke regionene i Norden og Asia, og oppretter i tillegg nye enheter innen inf...
24/08/2022
8 minute read
Share
Telenor is implementing changes to the Group Executive Management team to strengthen the regions in the Nordics and Asia, as well as c...
19/07/2022
5 minute read
Share
alt=Solid mobile growth class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10>
In the second quarter, we deliver per...
18/07/2022
8 minute read
Share
Sustainability Empowering Societies Include Child Online Safety Grameenphone
Include
Enabling participation for all
Inclu...
30/06/2022
12 minute read
Share
Sustainability Empowering Societies Inclusion Include Digital skills
Include
Enabling participation for all
Include mean...
29/06/2022
4 minute read
Share
Telenor Group's Malaysian subsidiary Digi.Com Berh...
16/06/2022
4 minute read
Share
Diversity Inclusion Future ready Digital skills
alt=Three people looking into camera during contract signing class=lazyload main ...
18/02/2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The new company, supported by sponsoring shareholders Charoen Pokphand Group ( C.P. Group ) and Telenor Group ( Telenor ), aims to mee...
02/02/2022
Reading Time: 3 minutes
During the year, Telenor has focused on safeguarding employees and providing services to customers as the demand for connectivity, di...
20/01/2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes
As part of the agreement, Telenor and AWS will invest in joint go-to-market activities in select industries-such as manufacturing, sup...
17/01/2022
Reading Time: 2 minutes
(Singapore/Oslo, 17 January 2022) Telenor Group and Yoma Strategic have entered into an agreement to sell Telenor Group's 51 perce...
03/01/2022
Reading Time: 5 minutes
2021 is yet another year of extreme weather events and record-breaking temperatures. These underline the challenges humans, wildlife, ...
22/11/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
(Oslo/Bangkok, 22 November 2021) C.P. Group and Teleno...
16/11/2021
Reading Time:...
15/11/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Collaboration with Google Cloud to support Telenor's digital transformation journey in serving its customers now and in the future...
11/11/2021
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Telenor Group has set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for most users to take an online personal development lesson in 24 hours.
...
28/10/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The solid performance in the Nordics continued. In Norway, demand for value added services drove a 3 % mobile ARPU growth in the quart...
03/09/2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes
It's truly great to have Jussi continue my work as CEO of DNA. His approach to business is extremely customer and human oriented,...
17/08/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The first Digital Outlook Report released by Telenor R...
20/07/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In Norway, the decline in fixed legacy revenues are offset by growth in fibre and fixed wireless accesses and mobile service revenues....
08/07/2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes
On 4 May, Telenor Group announced an impairment of Telenor Myanmar. Telenor underlined at the time that the operations in Myanmar cont...
01/07/2021
Reading Time:...
21/06/2021
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Following the 8 April 2021 announcement that Axiata an...
01/06/2021
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Hilsen will become the first CEO of Telenor Group's newly established tower company, a holding company to gather all of Telenor...