Karachi Alumni Reconnect at Annual Reunion
The annual Karachi Alumni Reunion is a much-anticipated event, with alumni eagerly awaiting to come together, reminisce over shared memories and create new ones. Held on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at the Movenpick Hotel, Karachi, it was an evening of much celebration.
Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, Director, Office of Advancement, and a graduate of the first-ever MBA class at LUMS, welcomed the alumni and shared how they are making their alma mater proud. She also spoke about how the university believes in equity and accessible education by sharing the examples of two National Outreach Programme scholars, Waqas Haider (BSc 2019) and Adeela Sarfraz (BSc 2009). “LUMS is amongst the very few institutions that makes no distinction based on a student's background. The only thing that matters once you step foot inside this community is the individual identity you bring making it more diverse,” she said.
Ms. Kamran also paid tribute to the outgoing Karachi Alumni Working Group and introduced the new group which will be responsible for bringing together LUMS alumni residing in the city. Mr. Abdullah Akhtar (BSc 1998) from the old group spoke about the developments that took place under the group’s tenure. Members of the new working group, Mr. Irfan Ahmed Khan (MBA 1998) and Mr. Syed Zaid Bin Rashid (BSc 2009) also shared their excitement regarding future endeavours.
Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS, took the stage to appreciate the strides LUMS has made. “LUMS has always been a mission-driven institution,” he said. He also appreciated the 50% women’s scholarship offered at the Suleman Dawood School of Business. “No University in the world does what we do. It is because of our far-sightedness and aspiration to lift the women of our society, especially within the realms of business, that the number of women within our business school has increased from a mere 10% to 35%!”
Dr. Sabieh Anwar, the Dean of the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, shared the recent developments at the School, particularly with regards to research. Highlighting the challenges that are being focused on, he said, “We currently are working on challenges such as improving urban quality of life through data-driven solutions”.
Guest speaker Dr. Azra Raza, Professor of Medicine and Director of the MDS Center at Columbia University, joined the audience online and shed light on the true meaning of a reunion. “This reunion, in essence, is a connection between your old and your new self,” she said.
The night concluded with a qawwali performance by Majid Ali Sabri that was generously sponsored by Mr. Alhani Khawaja Nizamuddin (MBA 1998) of Intertrade Distributors (Pvt) Limited.
To view photos of the event, click here.