The enthusiasm and excitement could be felt in the air as over 300 alumni and their families entered the beautifully decorated lawn where the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) Annual Reunion was held on Saturday, December 30, 2017.
After an interactive meet and greet period, Ali Imam Naqvi, MBA 2007 opened the event by introducing the founders of LUMS and called upon stage the President of the SDSB Luminites Association, Fatima Asad-Said, MBA 1997. Fatima began her speech by thanking all the people who helped make the event possible by taking out time from their busy schedules and making an effort to make the reunion a memorable experience. As she took her leave, Fatima called upon stage the founder of LUMS, Syed Babar Ali, who shared his extraordinary journey of starting LUMS as a humble institution and the incredible pride he feels to see where it stands today, especially crediting the business school for bringing in rigour and good ethics that contribute to the reputation that LUMS has today. “It is now you people, who must continue this journey and be the future of a rising Pakistan. Stay strong, work hard and you will be successful,” he said.
LUMS Rector Abdul Razak Dawood also took to the stage and introduced the theme of the event, Rising Pakistan. He thanked the Alumni Relations Office for playing a key role in keeping this relationship between alumni and the University strong, and talked about how the SDSB teaches and encourages their students to excel.
Resuming his place back on stage, Ali Imam Naqvi announced the names of the winners of the Pride of LUMS Award 2017 - Zia Akhtar Abbas and Amna Zia (husband and wife), who after graduating from LUMS in 1997 have worked effortlessly hard to contribute to the growth of Pakistan. They were both presented with LUMS shields and held the floor to share their success story. Amna shared a few words, expressing that ‘things that cannot be measured are much more powerful.’
The husband wife duo, both work with The Citizen’s Foundation (TCF) and have contributed to the social development of Pakistan. Zia shared stories of TCF and their journey of educating poor children and providing them with opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them. They also shared the belief that Pakistanis should unite and change for the positive. Their story was inspiring for all those present at the event.
LUMS Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, then addressed the gathering and shared how the institution has grown and flourished since its establishment.
Aside from listening to the engaging speeches, the alumni spent the afternoon enjoying appetizers, which included delicious samosas, bhel puri and gol gappay, reconnecting with old friends, and taking fun pictures at the lively photo booth. After the sumptuous lunch, the alumni then wrapped up the afternoon’s festivities by enjoying a fantastic performance by popular band, Khumariyan.
The SDSB reunion was a collaborative effort, reflective of the good that comes when the LUMS family works together towards building the community and the institution through strong teamwork and a spirit of generosity, tolerance and compassion.
The sponsors for this event were Pepsi, Berger Paints, Abacus Consulting, Hum TV, HKB, Digital Globe Services (DGS), Capventures, and Kinetic. The event was organised by Activemedia, an event management company established by LUMS alumnus Saad Khan, MBA 1999.
