Tell us about your foray into the field of literature and education. How did OUP happen for you? I have always been a bookworm and enjoyed reading enormously because it transported me to worlds, cultures and times which I couldn’t reach otherwise. Reading stirred my imagination and fantasy and gave me the feeling that every book was full of surprises, which I was eager to receive and be changed by what I learnt. I wanted to share this wonderful experience with children everywhere when I became a publisher. My family was into literature, writing, and teaching in a big way so I grew up in this atmosphere of the appreciation and pursuit of literature. My mother wrote poetry. My aunt was Quratulain Hyder, my father read, quoted, and breathed Charles Dickens, my sister, Naushaba Burney, was a well-known journalist and writer and had taught journalism at the Karachi University. Joining OUP was by chance. I just got attracted to its work and applied for a job. When I took over OUP in 1988, it was based in a house in Karachi and published just a few books and was mainly an importer of books. Now it is the major publisher in Pakistan and a cultural institution. Growing up, had you always been ambitious and driven? What had you aspired to do with your life? I was a naughty child full of mischief and a great love for adventure. My mother used to call me a daredevil and my parents worried about my safety because I was a bold risk-taker. That’s why I loved reading adventure and mystery stories. You could say that I was driven because I could never say no to a new initiative or new ways of doing things. My parents wanted me to become a doctor but I wanted to do something that was not the usual, popular profession but something different and new although I did not know what that would be. In 1988, you became the first Pakistani woman to head a multinational? In a male dominated society, what were some of the obstacles, challenges and hurdles that came your way and how did you overcome them? There were countless. I have worked with men for decades and have encountered male prejudice, which takes various forms. It is reflected in statements such as “How will you have time for this project or work? You have other responsibilities.” “How will you and your family manage with your absence during your touring?” “Will you quit your job if your husband gets transferred?” The classic was “Don’t work so hard. You’ll get old.” The object of such remarks was to put down a woman who dared to equate herself with men professionally and imply that she had a disability. I have suffered men ganging up and intriguing against me, spreading rumours, which is the first line of attack on women, hiding information and documents, and saying, “I won’t take instructions from you.” My contribution was downplayed and there were attempts to make me into a nonentity. Having said all this, I must add that my experience with some women has been even worse so this is not a gender but a human issue. I overcame these by refusing to throw in the towel, confronting the challenger, digging in my heels, and remaining positive and confident. I refused to be broken by emotional abuse. Of course I had to reinvent myself and make myself strong and resilient and also become my own advocate and defend myself. I never accepted unfair or unjust treatment quietly. ‘I overcame challenges by refusing to throw in the towel, confronting the challenger, digging in my heels, and remaining positive and confident. I refused to be broken by emotional abuse’ You are the honourable recipient of the OBE, being the first Pakistani woman to be granted this honour. What according to you has been your biggest achievement until now? I’m very proud of my role as a publisher, which has been my biggest reward. I have long felt that writers in our society do not get the honour and recognition that they get in other societies. Pakistan is not a nation without intellect and we have a lot to offer to the world of letters. We have a rich multi-lingual, literary tradition and authors of high stature and creativity who have excelled in their own genres. We need to revere them and give them a place in the sun. I feel that, as a publisher, I have been able to play a small role in disseminating our intellectual output, raising the profile of our authors, protecting their intellectual property, and giving them their due share of economic benefit from their books which is their right. Independent writers and academics are the conscience of a nation as they can be critical of our weaknesses and can highlight our strengths. Their writings are signs of life, growth, and hope and they can make a big contribution to the evolution of our society. Tell us about your experience bringing forth the prestigious Karachi and the Islamabad Literature Festivals. How tough was the job? I love every moment of organising the Karachi and Islamabad Literature Festivals. Of course it is hard work and requires meticulous planning as 200 authors have to be invited, a programme for the festivals made that would appeal to as many people as possible and thus have sufficient diversity. Through our festivals, I want to promote Pakistan’s rich, ancient, and diverse cultures and literatures. I want to promote the modern world and the vitality and diversity of Pakistan and create spaces where cultural and intellectual energies can gain release and there is a spread of knowledge and understanding both about today’s world and ourselves. I regard the Karachi and Islamabad Literature Festivals as a movement and hope it spreads across the length and breadth of Pakistan. You have been awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters? What motivates you to excel no matter what? My biggest reward is to see our poets, essayists, novelists, biographers, dramatists and academics honoured and recognised globally. Growing up, which writer did you enjoy the most reading? As a child my mother read Allama Iqbal’s poems for children to me from Baang-e-Dara and later I read them myself. I was inspired and moved by them and would often cry when reading some of them. It was a feast for me. Later, as a teenager, I became hooked to Caroline Keene’s Nancy Drew series and took flights of fancy while reading those. What have you learned the hard way in your career? I think the best experience in professional life is to work independently and not be straitjacketed by others who may have control over you. What is your vision for Pakistan and what does it mean to be Pakistani for you? I would like the literacy rate to rise in the true sense and not in terms of the international definition of literacy. I would like to see women become confident, empowered, and independent. I would like to see every child in Pakistan in school with colourful books in their hands and really learning in schools. It means a lot to me to be a Pakistani. Describe a typical day in the life of Ameena Saiyid. Every weekday day I work, read, swim, and enjoy the company of my husband and children and, on weekends, I love being with friends and family and watching films and , of course, reading newspapers and books. I love reading Daily Times. It is so innovative, original, and independent. We at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours? Akhtar Hamid Khan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Zubeida Mustafa, Zohra Yusuf, Zamir Niazi, Adeeb Rizvi and IA Rahman are some of my heroes. Achievements THE CORPORATE MOGUL Publisher Ameena Saiyid became the head of Oxford University Press, Pakistan in 1988, the first woman to ever head a multinational company in Pakistan. She joined OUP in Lahore and served in various capacities before leaving to launch her own publishing house called Saiyid Books. She rejoined as its chief executive. In 2010, she became the first woman elected to be president of the 150-year-old Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry, after serving as its vice president, which was also a first for a woman. GLOBAL RECOGNITION In 2005, Ameena Saiyid became the first Pakistani woman to be awarded the Order of the British Empire for her services to women’s rights, education and intellectual property rights in Pakistan and to Anglo-Pakistan relations. She was conferred the prestigious French award of Knight of the Order of Arts & Letters for her work in promoting literary culture. THE CULTURAL ICON Saiyid is also the founder of the Karachi and the Islamabad Literature Festivals. In 2009, she became a member of the Federal Investigation Agency Advisory Committee on IPR Enforcement. Published in Daily Times, August 5th 2017.