Renowned businessman, philanthropist and educationist Syed Babar Ali is also the founder of Packages Limited, Milkpak Limited – now Nestlé Pakistan Limited and also the prestigious and the coveted Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Born in 1927 in Lahore, Syed Babar Ali’s father Syed Muratib Ali owned a small shop in the Walled City of Lahore. Later in his life, his father became a top contractor of the British Indian army supplying them with services like logistics and all sorts of items used in regiments. The money was used to invest in land.
Babar Ali received his education from Aitchison College, Lahore. For further studies, he went to the Michigan University at Ann Arbor until 1947 when he moved to newly-created state Pakistan. He completed his graduation from Punjab University (PU). He also briefly studied at Harvard School of Business which helped him later founding business school.
In 1970s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s nationalisation affected his five out of six companies, leaving only Packages Limited.
He later served in Benazir Bhutto’s government as finance minister helping Bhutto’s government set up the country’s first ever fertiliser company.
‘I approached the US government and convinced the envoy to release an amount of $10 million under the USAID to help build LUMS’
He is the chairman of Sanofi-Aventis Pakistan Limited, Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company Limited and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited. He believes in the joint venture philosophy and most of his businesses are joint ventures with major multinationals.
In 1992, he founded Ali Institute of Education for training of primary and secondary school teachers. He served as Pakistan’s Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs & Planning in 1993.
Babar promoted the cause of the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature where he served in various positions, both in Pakistan and internationally, from 1972 to 1996. He was international president of WWF from 1996 to 1999 succeeding Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Achievements
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Syed Babar Ali is a leading businessman, philanthropist and educationist who has inspired so many not just in Pakistan but all over the world, by making a difference in the field of business, philanthropy and education. He has set up world renowned business, charity foundations and leading universities that are at par with international standards.
LEADING EDUCATIONIST
Babar Ali is the founder of the esteemed Lahore University of Management Sciences. He approached the United States government and convinced the US ambassador to release an amount of $10 million under the United States Agency for International Development to help build LUMS. Today, LUMS had produced more than 10,000 alumni since its inception and more than 33 per cent of them are women. In 1992, he founded Ali Institute of Education for training of primary and secondary school teachers.
HELM OF AFFAIRS
Babar is also the founder of Packages Limited, Milkpak Limited – now Nestlé Pakistan Limited. He is the chairman of Sanofi-Aventis Pakistan Limited, Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company Limited and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited.
PROMINENT ENVIRONMENTALIST & PHILANTHROPIST
Babar promoted the cause of the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature where he served in various positions, both in Pakistan and internationally, from 1972 to 1996. He was international president of WWF from 1996 to 1999 succeeding Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Babar set up the Babar Ali Foundation in 1985. The foundation gives about a million dollars a year primarily for education and health in Pakistan.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
Babar has received honours and awards from the governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, an Order of the British Empire from Britain and has been awarded an Honourary Doctorate Degree of Law from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Babar set up the Babar Ali Foundation in 1985. The foundation gives about a million dollars a year primarily for education and health in Pakistan.
He received honours and awards from the government of Sweden, the Netherlands, an Order of the British Empire from Britain and was awarded an Honourary Doctorate Degree of Law from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
In 2016, it was announced that Babar released his autobiography titled Learning from Others.
In 2016, Syed Babar Ali released his autobiography titled ‘Learning from Others’
On how he conceived the idea of launching LUMS, Babar had once said, “I went to Harvard Business School in 1973 to study business management and stayed there for 13 weeks. Those 13 weeks were really an eye-opener for me as I realised that there must be a well-established business university in Pakistan.”
He had further said he consulted Abdul Razak Dawood, who used to teach business administration at PU, at the time and he agreed to work with him.
“LUMS was founded in 1985 and I became its first pro-chancellor,” he added.
About establishment of LUMS, Babar said that when the USSR invaded Afghanistan towards the end of the 1970s, the United States also jumped in to counter Russia and gave millions of dollars to Pakistan for fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.
“Several programmes were funded by America at the time, including United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to help Pakistan and Afghanistan. I approached the US government and convinced the US ambassador to release an amount of $10 million under USAID to help build LUMS,” he added.
Babar said with pride that LUMS had produced more than 10,000 alumni since its inception and 33 percent of them were women.
The figures have now skyrocketed because these statements by him were recorded in 2016.
Published in Daily Times, August 19th 2018.