Syed Babar Ali famously known as the Pro chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences initially launched himself as a businessman within his family business and rose from an ordinary fellow to this Master Entrepreneur, educationist, and philanthropist.
Early Education and Family Life
Before acquiring phenomenal success in the business industry Syed Babar Ali was an ordinary child living in the city of Lahore. He was born on the 30th of June, 1926 to Syed Maratib Ali and Mubarak Begum as the 8th of a total of 9 children. He secured his early education from Aitchison College and then continued his Bachelor of Science from the Government College of Lahore in 1945. Fondly recalling these early years of education, he mentions some lifelong friends he made along the way; Harcharan Brar who eventually went on to become the chief minister of Punjab in India.
Family holidays would mostly look like traveling to Murree and other Northern areas of Kashmir while local outings would include visits to Lawrence Garden or the popular majestic cinema of the time. Favorite street foods at the time included pooris and sweets while khattai and kulfas were unique and exclusive delicacies of Lahore, similar to today’s context. Growing up in this environment that is rather relatable and familiar to the contemporary youth, Syed Babar Ali made full use of the resources he had: a stable family background, quality education, etc. After decades of hard work and efficient utilization of the assets, he transformed into this Pioneer of Progress.
This transformation after his bachelor’s essentially began when he took off for the United States, where he received admission to a master’s program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Upon his return, he joined the family business and continued to expand it at a reasonable pace until the innovative plan for a joint venture came forth. He discusses how amidst the privatization of industries (1955-1968) and the financial wealth his family already had, he was able to establish several joint venture businesses.
Career/ Buisnesses of Syed Babar Ali
The trajectory of this progression, however, took a turn when Bhutto nationalized industries in the 70’s, 5 businesses of their family were also lost to this. Nonetheless, Syed Babar Ali was offered to lead one of these nationalized companies: a fertilizer company. This experience that allowed him to run the plant as he saw fit also rendered it the spectacle that sparked ideas of introducing a school to train managers and entrepreneurs in Pakistan. This idea got further consolidated after he attended Harvard business school in 1973. Syed Babar Ali subsequently also served as Pakistan’s Minister of Finance, economic affairs and planning in 1993.
Other significant ventures as per his autobiography:
- Packages limited
- American Express
- Hoechst Pakistan Limited
- Advanced Management Program at Harvard
- National Fertilizer Corporation
- Systems Limited
- Dane Foods
- Sheikhupura Farms
- Siemens
- First International Investment Bank Limited
- Tri-Pack Films Limited.
Syed Babar Ali’s shift to the Education Sector
Following his aspirations to create this fresh atmosphere of learning after HBS(Harvard Business School), he set forth to implement his ideas with faculty input and help from HBS, and financial help from the US in the 1970s. With time and growing resources, this expanded into the Lahore University of Management Sciences encompassing business, engineering, social sciences, law, and education studies now.
Charitable Engagement and Philanthropic Activity
Alongside his business ventures and contributions to the education system of Pakistan, Syed Babar Ali also involved himself in numerous philanthropic activities. He discusses the start of NOP(National Outreach Programme) and credits the program to the earlier vice chancellor Dr. Zahoor who strived to formulate a system that would include more underprivileged individuals. He served as the International President of the WWF(World-wide Fund for Nature) preceding Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh from 1996-1999 and is currently Vice President Emeritus, of WWF International and President Emeritus of WWF- Pakistan. Syed Babar Ali also set up the “Syed Babar Ali Foundation” in 1985 which supplies about a million dollars annually for education and health in Pakistan and is also a member of the Rahmatulah Benevolent Trust Karachi and Shalamar Hospital Lahore.
Awards and Honours
- Honours and awards from the Government of Sweden,
- Honours and awards from the Netherlands
- An OBE from Britain (1997)
- Awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Laws from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
