Seven Pakistanis have been featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia 2026, including actor Hania Aamir and filmmaker Saman Kamran, who have been placed in the Arts category.
Forbes published its 11th edition this year, wherein it recognises 30 young people who have made a significant mark in their fields.
“From entrepreneurs innovating in robotics and AI to investors, artists, athletes and scientists — this year’s 30 Under 30 Asia listees are pushing boundaries in every industry,” Forbes said.
Hania Aamir
Placed in the Entertainment & Sports category, Aamir — the most-followed Pakistani woman on Instagram with around 20 million followers — is recognised for her work as an actor.
She made her debut in 2016 and rose to fame a year later for her award-winning performance in the romantic drama Phir Wohi Mohabbat.
She’s set to star in Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo, set to be released later this year, which will be Netflix’s first Pakistani original series.
Saman Kamran
Saman Kamran is a Pakistani filmmaker whose Gandhara: Land of Fragrance was officially selected for inclusion in the Cortomontagna-Premio Leggimontagna 2022, Forbes reported.
In 2024, she collaborated with New York-based artist Wong Kit Yi on the experimental film The Bed She Made, exploring fertility and ecological collapse in Asia.
In the same year, her stop-motion music video for Pakistani grunge band Skehlaaj’s See Through the Sin was named best music video at the Film Tuition International Festival.
Plouton AI founders
Pakistani entrepreneurs Muhammad Furqan Karim Kidwai and Sarfraz Shahid Hussain, co-founders of Plouton AI, named to the 2026 Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list in the Finance & Venture Capital category.
According to Forbes, the duo founded Singapore-based Plouton AI, an agentic automation platform backed by Antler Singapore that helps midmarket companies automate finance-related workflows.
Kidwai, who previously founded a fintech company in Pakistan, identified a gap in emerging markets where finance teams continue to rely heavily on spreadsheets and email-based processes.
Plouton AI’s platform employs auditable browser-based agents to automate finance operations, including invoicing, payroll processing and month-end reconciliations. The system integrates with widely used tools such as Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel, allowing companies to streamline financial workflows without investing in expensive enterprise software.
The recognition places Kidwai and Hussain among Forbes Asia’s annual list of young entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders making significant contributions across the region.
Syed Ismail
Pakistani entrepreneur Syed Ismail has been in the Consumer & Enterprise Technology category for his work in digitising commodity sourcing and improving transparency in trade.
Ismail co-founded Karachi-based Saraaf in 2021, a technology platform aimed at modernising the sourcing of commodities across Central and South Asia.
The company is developing a mobile application designed for businesses dealing in materials such as onyx and cotton, offering real-time pricing, shipment tracking, digitised contracts and integrated communication tools.
Maheera Ghani
Pakistani scientist Maheera Ghani has been named in the Healthcare & Science category for her contributions to advanced materials research and science education initiatives.
Ghani completed her PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge in 2025 and is currently pursuing postdoctoral research at the same institution, focusing on ultra-thin semiconductors.
Alongside her academic work, she leads WinSci Pakistan, an education initiative aimed at encouraging greater participation of women in science fields.
The project was recognised last year with the Nature Inspiring Women in Science award, presented by the Estée Lauder Companies and Springer Nature, highlighting her efforts to promote gender inclusion in scientific careers.
Fahad Shahbaz
Pakistani youth leader Fahad Shahbaz has been named to the 2026 Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list in the Social Impact category for his work in promoting youth participation in leadership and policymaking.
Shahbaz founded the Youth General Assembly in 2015 at the age of 18 to create structured pathways for young Pakistanis to engage in governance and policy discourse.
The initiative runs an annual 96-member youth assembly modelled on the UK Parliament and Pakistan’s National Assembly, where participants debate public policy issues and develop recommendations.
According to the profile, Shahbaz is a recipient of the 2023 Diana Award and is also part of the Pakistan chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community.
