Professor, University of Oslo
Fazilat Siddiq is a distinguished scholar and Professor of Higher Education Pedagogy at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway. She holds a prominent track record of over 40 peer-reviewed publications in top international journals and has delivered more than 50 academic presentations. Her research examines the digitalization of and in education and its impact on teaching and learning across individual, institutional, and global scales. Professor Siddiq has led and contributed to major international research projects focusing on digital and AI literacy, educational assessment, ethics, and 21st-century skills. As an academic developer, she supports faculty development initiatives and teaches among others higher education pedagogy, technology-enhanced learning, and educational research methodology at the PhD level.
Executive Director
Professor Dr. S Akbar Zaidi has been the Executive Director (Vice Chancellor/President) of the IBA, Karachi, since January 2020. He is a renowned political economist with an experience of four decades of teaching and research in Pakistan and abroad. His areas of interest in research include political economy, development, the social sciences, and history. Prior to his appointment as the Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. Zaidi served as Professor at Columbia University, New York and held a joint position at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and at the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS), from 2010 to 2020.
Dr Zaidi is the Chairperson IBA Board of Governors, and is also on the Board of Directors of the State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan's Central Bank, for the period July 2022 to July 2027.
S Akbar Zaidi has written over 80 academic articles in international journals and as chapters in books. Amongst his books, are: Military, Civil Society and Democratization in Pakistan (2011), The New Development Paradigm: Papers on Institutions, NGOs, Gender and Local Government (1999), and Pakistan's Economic and Social Development: The Domestic, Regional and Global Context (2004).His recent books include Issues in Pakistan's Economy: A Political Economy Perspective published by Oxford University Press in 2015, and a co-edited volume entitled New Perspectives on Pakistan's Political Economy: State, Class and Social Change, published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. His most recent book is entitled Making a Muslim: Reading Publics and Contesting Identities in Nineteenth-Century North India, published by Cambridge University Press in 2021
President, Aga Khan University
Sulaiman Shahabuddin has served as President of the Aga Khan University since 2021, leading an institution with over 4,000 students across three continents and a health system caring for approximately 2.5 million patients annually. Under his tenure, AKU has launched major academic and research initiatives across its campuses in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the UK. He previously served as Regional CEO of the Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa, and holds an MBA from IBA Karachi, a Master's in Sustainable Development from Imperial College London, and a Doctorate of Health Administration from Central Michigan University. In 2024, he was awarded Pakistan's Sitara-i-Imtiaz.
President, Habib University
Wasif Rizvi is the founding President of Habib University, Pakistan's first not-for-profit, undergraduate-focused liberal arts and sciences institution. Under his leadership, the University has built a globally recognized curriculum, a diverse student body, and an innovative campus, while reshaping philanthropy in Pakistan toward higher education. He established the University with a commitment to accessibility, aiming to provide scholarships or financial aid to 85% of students, and has built academic partnerships with institutions including Stanford, UT Austin, and Carleton College. He holds twin graduate degrees from Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard School of Education.
CEO, Durbeen
Salma Ahmed Alam is a primary teacher by training and currently CEO of Durbeen, a non-profit working to elevate the quality of public schools across Pakistan. She holds an M.Ed. in International Education Policy from Harvard University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Education from Singapore, and a B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Vice Chancellor, Beaconhouse National University
Moeed W. Yusuf is Vice Chancellor of Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan's first not-for-profit liberal arts college. He previously served as Pakistan's youngest National Security Adviser, leading the formulation of the country's first National Security Policy. Earlier, he held research and teaching positions in the US, including at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Boston University, and Harvard Kennedy School. He has authored and edited several books on regional security and policy, including Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments (Stanford University Press, 2018). He holds a Master's and Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University.