Karachi Education Initiative (KEI)

The Karachi Education Initiative (KEI) is a not-for-profit entity registered under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance. The KEI is the sponsoring and fundraising entity of KSBL. Sponsor Directors, representing some of the leading industrial and financial groups in Pakistan, have pledged a contribution of at least Rs.100 million (USD 1.2 million) on behalf of their respective organizations to provide the core funding for the KSBL. They have also committed to raising a permanent endowment to facilitate the education of meritorious students at KSBL, as well as for the provision of resources, facilities and buildings required to create a world-class institution.

The KEI’s vision has moved from idea to reality at a remarkable pace. It initially consulted with the Global Business School Network (GBSN), an international network of top-ranked business schools based in Washington DC. An International Advisory Board (IAB) was formed, composed of academic luminaries from fourteen leading business schools worldwide. With the guidance of IAB a Strategic Plan for the KSBL was developed.

The KEI then established a partnership with the Judge Business School (JBS), University of Cambridge and a Strategic Collaboration Agreement was signed in April 2009.

The quest undertaken by KSBL is to bring a value-added and holistic business education degree program. Our academic system is structured to facilitate young talent with a globally-recognized curriculum to reform them into world leaders who can amend conventional ways of leading.

Karachi Education Initiative (UK)

Karachi Education Initiative (UK), KEI (UK), Registered No. 1137871, has been registered as a Charity with the Charity Commission UK with effect from September 7, 2010. The main objective of this Charity is to advance higher education for public benefit in Pakistan by raising funds and providing assistance for the establishment of KSBL.

Board of Trustees

Mr. Hussain Dawood

Chairman, Karachi Education Initiative

Mr. Francis Jones

Chairman, Tristart | Development Economist

Sir Tim Lankester

Former President | Corpus Christi College, Oxford University

Advisor

Lord Mark Malloch-Brown

Honorary Advisor to KEI UK Board of Trustees

KEI. Board of Directors

Dawood

Hussain Dawood is a Pakistani industrialist and ardent philanthropist. He chairs an array of profit and not-for-profit ventures namely Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd. the group’s flagship holding arm with investments in foods and energy, Engro Corporation Ltd., the largest Independent Power Producer in Pakistan; Karachi Education Initiative, which funds the graduate management school Karachi School of Business & Leadership, and The Dawood Foundation, with its legacy of establishing various education and health institutions across the country.

His social responsibilities include Memberships of the World Economic Forum and its Global Agenda Councils of Anti-Corruption and Education. He was conferred the award “Ufficiale Ordine Al merito della Repubblica Italiana” by the Republic of Italy. Hussain Dawood holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA, and is a graduate in Metallurgy from Sheffield University, UK.

Mr. Hussain Dawood

Founding Chairman Board of Governors, KSBL
Mr. Atif Bajwa

Mr. Atif Bajwa has an extensive international career spanning more than 37 years of executive leadership roles in banking, and of multiple Boards and public interest positions. He started his professional journey with Citibank in 1982 and has since held numerous senior positions in large local and multinational banks. These include President/CEO of Bank Alfalah, President/CEO of MCB Bank and Soneri Bank, Regional Head of Citigroup for Central and Eastern Europe, Head of Consumer Banking of ABN AMRO’s Asia Pacific region, and Country Manager of ABN AMRO Pakistan. Mr. Bajwa has been active in business, social and public interest areas, and has led key advocacy institutions to impact economic and social sectors. In this regard, he has served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), and the President of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI). He has also served as a Director on the Boards of various private and public sector companies. Mr. Bajwa received his education at Columbia University, New York.

Mr. Atif Bajwa

Director, KEI CEO, Bank Al Falah
Mr.Shazad Dada

Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the banking industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Budgeting, Banking, Capital Markets, and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). Strong business development professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in Finance, General from University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School.

Served Deutsche Bank for 20 years- from June 1990 to Sept 2010 and became the Managing Director. Then joined as Managing Director/ CEO of Barclays Bank Plc, Pakistan during October 2010 to October 2014. Thereafter he went on to serve as CEO of Standard Chartered Bank from Oct 2014 to July 2020. Currently he is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank Limited.

Mr.Shazad Dada

Director, KEI CEO, UBL
Mr. Abdul Samad Dawood

Mr. Abdul Samad Dawood joined the Board of Engro Corporation in 2009. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Dawood Hercules Corporation, where he has been a director since 2002, and has also previously served the company in an executive capacity.

Mr. Dawood’s rich and diverse experience of management and governance spans 18 years, with a special interest in mergers and acquisitions. He has led more than $4 billion worth of M&A deals, including the Dawood group’s acquisition of HUBCO from National Power International Holdings B.V. in 2012 and the sale of DH Fertilizers to Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd in 2015. He also played a leading role in the merger of Engro Foods into global dairy giant, Royal FrieslandCampina N.V., based on the convergence of their values, goals, and abilities to address Pakistan’s nutritional challenges; he has since served as the Chair of the Board of FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan. In addition to this, Mr. Dawood is an active director on the board of Pakistan Business Council, a pan-industry advocacy group that promotes easing of barriers to enable Pakistani businesses to compete in regional and global arenas. In line with his areas of interest, he is a director and trustee of Boards across varied industries including financial investments, energy, and education, some of which are the Dawood Foundation, Dawood Lawrencepur Ltd, and Reon (Pvt) Ltd. In addition to these responsibilities of governance, Mr. Dawood has previously served as the Chief Executive Officer for Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd and Cyan Ltd, and is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization.

Mr. Dawood is a graduate in Economics from University College London, UK and a certified director of corporate governance from the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance.

Mr. Abdul Samad Dawood

Director, KEI Vice Chairman, Dawood Group
Sabrina Dawood

Sabrina Dawood is currently the CEO of The Dawood Foundation & Public School and Director of Engro Foods Limited, prior to which she has been working in various companies of the Dawood Hercules Group, such as Dawood Hercules Corporation Limited and Dawood Lawrencepur Limited in marketing, corporate communications, administration and CSR. She holds an MSc in Medical Anthropology from University College London and a BA from London School of Economics in Anthropology & Law.

Ms. Sabrina Dawood

Director, KEI CEO, The Dawood Foundation
Mr. Arif Habib

Arif Habib is currently the Chief Executive of Arif Habib Corporation Limited. He is also the Chairman of Pakarab Fertilizers Limited, Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited, and Arif Habib DMCC Dubai. He also serves as a Director in various companies including Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company Limited. He was appointed to AHCL’s Board on September 21, 2013.

Mr. Arif Habib remained the elected President/Chairman of Karachi Stock Exchange for six times in the past and was a Founding Member and Chairman of the Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited. He has served as a Member of the Privatization Commission, Board of Investment, Tariff Reforms Commission and Securities & Exchange Ordinance Review Committee. Over the years he has been nominated on the Board of Directors of a number of companies by the Government of Pakistan.

Mr. Habib participates significantly in welfare activities of different organizations. To quote a few, he remains one of the trustees of Fatimid Foundation and Memon Health & Education Foundation as well as the director of Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy and Karachi Education Initiative.

Corporate Responsibilities: As Chairman: Pakarab Fertilizers Limited | Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited | Javedan Corporation Limited | Arif Habib Foundation | Pakistan Private Equity Management Limited | Arif Habib DMCC | Real Estate Modaraba Management Company Limited | Sachal Energy Development (Pvt.) Limited.

As Director: Pakistan Engineering Company Limited | Aisha Steel Mills Limited | Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited | Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy |International Complex Projects Limited

As Honorary Trustee/Director: Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association | Fatimid Foundation | Karachi Education Initiative

Mr. Arif Habib

Director, KEI CEO, Arif Habib Group
Mr. Muneer Kamal

Muneer Kamal’s diverse corporate governance experience includes having previously served as Chairman of Pakistan Stock Exchange, Chairman of National Bank of Pakistan, Trustee of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Director of Engro Corporation, Director of New Horizon Exploration & Production Ltd., Director of Government Holdings Private Ltd., and Vice Chairman of KASB Group.

Muneer Kamal’s career in banking & financial services sector spanning over 35 years started with Citibank Pakistan where he served in various local and international positions, including Head of Country Public Sector & Financial Institutions. Subsequently, Muneer Kamal went on to executive roles, appointed in President/ CEO roles at Faysal Bank Ltd, Union Bank Ltd. and KASB Bank Limited, successively. He currently serves as a member of the board at Dawood Hercules Corporation.

Mr. Kamal has an MBA degree from the University of Karachi.

Mr. Muneer Kamal

Director, KEI
Mr. Hasan Irfan Khan

Hasan Irfan Khan is an advocate admitted to practice before the hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan and has been practicing corporate, commercial and Intellectual Property law since 1993. He is an internationally acclaimed lawyer and is legal adviser to a number of ‘Fortune 100’ and ‘Fortune 500’ Companies in Pakistan. He is member of the Board of Governors, World Wildlife Fund (WWF Pakistan) and Chair, Human Resource Committee since June 2008, and Member Executive Committee since April 2010. Mr. Khan has been a member of the Board of Management, Punjab Institute of Cardiology for over 7 years; his last term ending June 2011. He is the Managing Trustee of the Irfan Family foundation, “Asifa-Irfan Foundation” which focuses on health, education, poverty alleviation, protection and conservation of the environment.

Mr. Khan has authored and co-authored key chapters for numerous legal publications of International repute. He has drafted proposed laws in the public health, pharmaceuticals and the agriculture sectors as well as Intellectual Property laws. He is also one of the five co-authors of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2000. He is a member of Patent Advisory Committee of Higher Education Commission, and has also been a member of numerous law related advisory committees to the Government of Pakistan.

Mr. Khan was visiting faculty at LUMS and the Punjab University Law College and has lectured at NIPA, Pakistan Staff College, Foreign Trade Institute and the Federal Judicial Academy Islamabad. Mr. Khan has delivered presentations and lectures at innumerable international and local conferences. He is member of the Lahore High Court and Supreme Court Bar Associations and many international associations such as INTA, ITMA, CPA, APAA, AIPPI, IBA, Law Asia.

Mr. Hasan Irfan Khan

Director, KEI Member Board of Trustees, Asifa-lrfan Foundation
Ahsan Zafar Syed

Ahsan Zafar Syed is the 5th President and CEO of Engro Corporation and the 7th Chief of Engro since the exit of Exxon. Today, Engro is one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, with a business portfolio spanning across four verticals including petrochemicals, energy, telecommunication infrastructure and food & agriculture, and a steadfast commitment to helping solve some of the country’s most pressing issues.

Ahsan began his journey with Engro in 1991 as a young engineer, accumulating three decades of experience in operations, project management, and strategic leadership across the petrochemical, energy, and food & agriculture sectors. He is regarded as a mettle of Engro and has achieved significant milestones for the Company; he was the driving force behind the $1.1 billion fertilizer expansion project and played a pivotal role in executing the $2 billion Thar dream, aimed at indigenizing energy for Pakistan. Ahsan’s journey is synonymous with Engro’s enduring legacy and is a testament to Engro’s robust organizational prowess, serving as a source of inspiration for aspiring young graduates in the wider industry.

Before his appointment as President and CEO of Engro Corporation, Ahsan led Engro’s flagship fertilizer business. Under his leadership, Engro Fertilizers became the most valuable fertilizer company on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The increase in valuation is attributable to portfolio optimization where the company divested low return noncore businesses, improved market positioning of Engro urea, scaled up specialty fertilizers, enhanced digital presence to better serve the farmers, and completed one of the largest turnaround activities at the Plant site focused on driving efficiencies and debottlenecking urea capacity. In his earlier role in the Company, Ahsan led the construction of the $1.1 billion Enven Plant, a milestone achievement for Engro and one of the largest projects completed in Pakistan.

During his tenure as CEO of the Energy vertical, Ahsan played a pivotal role in realizing Pakistan’s Thar dream by unearthing indigenous coal and operationalizing a 660MW power plant at mine mouth. This project has been instrumental for Pakistan’s energy security, achieving import substitution of $1.5 billion till date and providing electricity to 9 million people annually.

In recognition of his engineering contributions to Pakistan, Ahsan was awarded the prestigious “National Engineering Excellence Award” by the Institution of Engineers Pakistan in 2024. He has also rendered his honorary services to Engineering Development Board, entity under Ministry of Industries & Production, Pakistan, entrusted to strengthen engineering base in the Country.

Ahsan is an alumnus of NED Karachi and Manhattan College New York, USA. Additionally, he has attended advanced management program at INSEAD in France.

Ahsan Zafar Syed

CEO, Engro Corporation
Mr. Mohammad Naeem Mukhtar

Mohammad Naeem Mukhtar is currently the Chairman of Board of Directors, Allied Bank Limited. He completed his MBA in Finance from Cardiff Business School U.K, and did his Post Graduate diploma in Textiles and Chartered Textile Engineering (CText ATI) from The Textile Institute, U.K. He has over 27 years of extensive experience in banking, finance and industry. Besides holding the position of Chairman Allied Bank Limited, he is also the Chief Executive Officer of M/s Ibrahim Fibres Limited, Director, M/s Ibrahim Agencies (Pvt.) Limited and Member Board of Governors of National Management Foundation, the parent body of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

Mr. Mohammad Naeem Mukhtar

Director, KEI Chairman, Allied Bank CEO, Ibrahim Fibers limited.
Mr. Inam-Ur-Rahman

Inam ur Rahman is currently the Chief Executive Officer at DH Corp. In the recent past, he has led renewable businesses of the Dawood Group, as the CEO of Reon Energy Limited and Tenaga Generasi Limited.

With more than 25 years of professional experience, Mr. Rahman showcases his diverse business expertise, dominating a wide spectrum of industries that involve renewable energy, food sciences & production, textiles, fashion & apparel, lifestyle, and business consultancy. His portfolio of directorships include Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Dawood Hercules Chemicals Limited, Dawood Lawrencepur Limited, Sind Engro Coal Mining Company, Hub Power Company Limited, Laraib Energy Limited, SACH International Limited, and Pebbles Private Limited.

He holds a Bachelors of Electronic Engineering from the University Of Engineering & Technology, Lahore with the Masters of Business Administration from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He has also served as the adjunct faculty at LUMS, teaching Strategy, Management and Marketing. He is an environmentalist at heart and his passion is to make all types of energies renewable and free. In 2016 he joined the KSBL board as the Board of Director.

Mr. Inam-Ur-Rahman

Director, KEI
Ms. Dominique Russue

Ms. Dominique Russo brings two decades of investment management, corporate structuring, and nation-level advisory experience, having commenced her investment management career at Merrill Lynch’s New York headquarters and later moving to the GCC with the Financial Services practice of strategy firm Booz Allen Hamilton / Booz & Company.

Ms. Russo has advised various GCC governments and semi-governmental entities on economic development strategy, investment affairs, and related policy development. In addition, she has advised and led multinational family conglomerates in the wider region, including in Pakistan, as an advisor, Chief Executive Officer, and Board Director.

Ms. Russo is a graduate of Columbia, MIT, and Harvard Universities, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics Philosophy (Columbia), a Master of Business Administration (MIT), and a Master in Public Administration (Harvard).

Ms. Dominique Russue

Director, KEI Director, Engro
Mr. Imran Sayeed

Imran Sayeed is the Senior Lecturer, Technological Innovation, and Entrepreneurship & Strategic Movement at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Working with MIT Enterprise Forum, he has started and developed entrepreneurial ecosystems in Central America and South Asia. Previously, Sayeed started and led the Digital practice for NTT Data, the 6th largest technology consulting company in the world with 75,000 employees in 45 countries and $16 Billion in annual revenue. He was also the Chief Technology Officer and head of innovation. Prior to Keane, Sayeed was an entrepreneur for 13 years, having founded two successful software products and services companies. He was also the member of founding team of Open Environment, a leading middleware product company that he helped grow from a 10-person startup, to an IPO in 1995. He then started NetNumina, a technology strategy and consulting company and as its CEO he expanded it from a 15 person startup, to one of the Computerworld’s Top 100 emerging companies. This was also mentioned on Inc 500’s fastest growing businesses that was subsequently sold to Keane in 2005.

He was also the founding global President of OPEN, the largest Pakistani entrepreneurship and leadership organization in the world, with over 5000 executives and entrepreneurs in 12 cities in the US, UK, Canada and Pakistan. Mr. Sayeed also holds a patent on Internet security technology that he jointly developed with Citibank. He was also named by Computerworld as one of the Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2013. Moreover, Mr. Sayeed has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Harvard Business Review and most of the other leading business and technology publications, for his work on entrepreneurship, digital technologies, and innovation. Mr. Sayeed is also the co-founder of Teach the World Foundation, a global literacy non-profit organization, that is using technology to radically transform how children across the world learn to read, write and do math. Sayeed attended Brown University where he majored in

Engineering, and Harvard University, where he did post-graduate work in business, marketing and product development.

Mr. Imran Sayeed

Director, KEI Senior Lecturer, MIT
Mr. Munawar Alam Siddiqui

Mr. Siddiqui retired as an Air Commodore from the Pakistan Air Force in 2003. His last post was as the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Administration) at Pakistan Air Force Headquarters. For his meritorious services to the PAF, he was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Military).

He was commissioned in the GD(P) Branch of the Pakistan Air Force in 1974. He is a qualified flying instructor and has flown over 8000 hours on different aircraft including C-130, Boeing-707 and Dassault Falcon 20. He has served as a VVIP and Presidential pilot during his tenure of service and has held various key Command and Staff appointments in the PAF. He served as Director of Air Transport at Air Headquarters from 1996 to 1998 and commanded an operational air force base with over 8,500 personnel from 2000 to 2002.

Mr. Siddiqui holds an M. Sc. in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-e-Azam University, an M. Sc. in Strategic Studies from Karachi University, a B. Sc. (Honours) in War Studies from Karachi University and B. Sc. Avionics from Peshawar University. He is also an alumna of the National Defence College.

He is Chairman JS Investment Limited and JS Air (Pvt) Limited and serves as Director on the board of Mahvash & Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation, Hum TV Network Limited, Karachi Education Initiative, Karigar Training Institute and Fakhr-e-Imdad Foundation.

Mr. Munawar Alam Siddiqui

Director & Chair Infrastructure Committee Chairman, J.S Investments Limited
Mr. Muhammad Ali Tabba

Muhammad Ali Tabba is the Chief Executive of Lucky Cement Limited, Pakistan’s largest producer and leading exporter of quality cement. Lucky Cement is a part of the Yunus Brothers Group in Pakistan with diversified interests in textiles, energy, cement and other construction related sectors.

Mr. Tabba is widely recognised and venerated for his role in reforming and exponentially growing different companies of the group. Due to his extensive engagement in many community welfare projects, he has received numerous recognitions and awards.

The most notable among the several awards he has received for his social interventions includes the distinction of Young Global Leader awarded by World Economic Forum (WEF) acknowledging his professional accomplishments, distinguished leadership and commitment to shaping a better future.

Mr. Tabba also sits on the Board of Governors at various universities, institutions and foundations. Along with this, he is spearheading the Group’s own Aziz Tabba Foundation with welfare projects in the field of education, health, housing and other social needs.

He adheres largely to the philosophy of compassion left behind by his father Mr. Abdul Razzak Tabba – an eminent industrialist himself, by carrying forward and further expanding his philanthropic initiatives.

Mr. Muhammad Ali Tabba

Director, KEI CEO, Lucky Cement Limited