Shafat Qazi | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Master's in Structural Engineering Bachelor's in Civil Engineering |
| Alma mater | National Institute of Technology State University of New York |
| Occupations |
|
| Board member of | BQE Software Inc. Structural Engineers Association of Southern California Chair, Structural Engineers Association Computer Applications Committee |
Shafat Qazi is a Kashmiri-American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the Founder and former CEO of BQE Software, [1] [2] a cloud-based project management and accounting software company. In 2018, he was listed among the top 50 CEOs by USA Today. [3] [4] [5]
Qazi was born in Kashmir, India and later relocated to New York in 1986. [3] Qazi had his schooling done from Burn Hall and later obtained his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India. [6] [7] He later pursued a master's degree in structural engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. [8] While at SUNY Buffalo, Qazi developed a medical billing software for his personal doctor, eventually leading him to venture into the software development industry. [5] His father retired as the principal of the Amar Singh College in Srinagar. [6]
After completing his education, Qazi moved to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue his career in engineering. He joined David C. Breiholz, Inc., an engineering company, and later became a partner in the firm. The firm was subsequently renamed Breiholz Qazi Engineering. [3] [6] During this time, Qazi also served as the chairman of the Structural Engineers Association Computer Applications Committee and a board member of the association. [6] In 1995, Qazi sold his shares at Breiholz Qasi Engineering and co-founded BQE Software with his partner, David Breiholz. BQE Software initially developed BillQuick, a project management and billing software. [6] [8] By 1998, Qazi left his engineering firm to focus full-time on BillQuick and his company. As the company expanded, it ventured into accounting, resource planning, and business intelligence. [5] In 2009, BQE Software acquired another software company, OrangeLoft LLC. In 2012, BQE Software launched its product, BQE Core. [6] [5]
Apart from his involvement in software, Qazi has also ventured into the music industry. He created a music brand called IBM with singers Mohammed Irfan, Bilal, and Mehmeet Syed. He supported the band in organizing music concerts worldwide. [3]
Qazi has also been involved in the independent film industry. He produced Songs of Paradise, a feature film inspired by the songs of Raj Begum and narrates the story of a Kashmiri woman who faced the barriers of societal norms in the late 1940s, particularly regarding the acceptability of women singing publicly in Kashmir and neighboring cities. [9]