Syed Babar Ali

Syed Babar Ali, OBE (Urdu: سید بابر علی‎; born 15 June 1926)[2] is a Pakistani businessman, philanthropist and former caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan.[3]

Syed Babar Ali

OBE
4th President of World Wide Fund for Nature
In office
1996–1999
Preceded byPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Succeeded byRuud Lubbers
Federal Minister for Finance (caretaker)
In office
23 July 1993 – 19 October 1993
PresidentWasim Sajjad
Prime MinisterBenazir Bhutto
Preceded bySartaj Aziz
Succeeded byBenazir Bhutto
Personal details
Born (1926-06-30) 30 June 1926
Lahore, British Raj
NationalityPakistani
RelationsSyed Wajid Ali (brother)[1]
Syed Amjad Ali (brother)[1]

He is the founder of Packages Limited, Milkpak Limited–now Nestlé Pakistan and Lahore University of Management Sciences.[4][5] Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering is named after him.

Early Life and family

Syed Babar Ali was born in 1926 to businessman Syed Maratib Ali in Lahore, Pakistan. His father owned shops in the Walled City of Lahore and was 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.[5] His mother belonged to the prominent landlord family of Lahore.[6] On his maternal side, his grandmother was the member of the Afghan royal family. He was the brother of Syed Amjad Ali and Syed Wajid Ali.[6]

He received his education from Aitchison College, Lahore.[7] For further studies he went to the University of Michigan till 1947 when he moved to newly-created state Pakistan.[4] He completed his graduation from University of the Punjab, Lahore.[4] He also briefly studied at Harvard School of Business which helped him later founding business school.[5]

Career

In 1970s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's nationalization effected his five out of six companies, leaving only Packages Limited.[7][5] He served as the Chairman of National Fertilizer Company (NFC) helping to set up the country's first ever fertilizer company.[8]

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 the Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs & Planning in the caretaker setup in 1993.[9]

Ali promoted the cause of the World Wide Fund 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.

Awards

Ali received honours and awards from the Government of Sweden, the Netherlands, an Order of the British Empire from Britain (1997), and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws from McGill University, Montreal, Canada (1997).[10]

References
  1. Saxon, Wolfgang (17 March 1997). "Syed Amjad Ali, 89, of Pakistan, Envoy to Washington and U.N." The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. Reza, S. Mohammad (7 September 1990). "Persons who Shape Our Destiny: A Compendium of Bio-datas of Those Persons who are Rendering Important Services in Various Fields of National Activity". Dar Publications – via Google Books.
  3. "Dr Syed Babar Ali" (PDF).
  4. "One Pakistani Institution Places His Faith in Another". The New York Times. 19 December 2009.
  5. Raza, Ahsan (22 February 2016). "A man who loves to 'learn from others'".
  6. "What makes Syed Babar Ali tick – Profit by Pakistan Today". 13 May 2018.
  7. "Peace the only way forward – The Express Tribune". 22 February 2016.
  8. Hayat, Usman (25 December 2017). "Why Pakistanis do not love finance ministers".
  9. "Syed Babar Ali receives award from Prince Philip – Daily Times". 2 June 2017.
  10. "Dr Syed Babar Ali".
Political offices
Preceded by
Sartaj Aziz		 Finance Minister of Pakistan
1993		 Succeeded by
Benazir Bhutto She never held post of Finance Minister


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