Syed Babar Ali is a Pakistani businessman, philanthropist, and former caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan. He is the founder of Lahore University of Management Sciences, Milkpak Limited (now Nestlé Pakistan), and Packages Limited.
Early Life and Education
Syed Babar Ali was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1926 to merchant Syed Maratib Ali. His father was a major contractor for the British Indian Army, providing them with supplies like logistics and various equipment used in regiments. He also owned stores in the Walled City of Lahore. His mother was from one of Lahore’s well-known landowner families. His grandmother belonged to the Afghan royal family on his mother’s side. Syed Amjad Ali and Syed Wajid Ali are his brothers.
He received his education from Aitchison College in Lahore. He graduated from Government College in Lahore and continued his education at the University of Michigan until 1947, when he relocated to the newly formed state of Pakistan. He graduated from the University of the Punjab in Lahore. In order to help him subsequently build a business school, he also attended Harvard School of Business for a limited period of time.
Career
In the 1970s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalised five of his six enterprises in leaving only Packages Limited. He was the Chairman of National Fertiliser Company (NFC), assisting in the establishment of the country’s first fertiliser company.
He is the Chairman of Sanofi-Aventis Pakistan Limited, Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company Limited, and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited. He is a proponent of the joint venture concept, and the majority of his companies are partnerships with significant global corporations.
He established the ‘Ali Institute of Education’ in 1992 to provide elementary and secondary school teachers with training. In 1993, he held the position of Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs, and Planning during the caretaker government.
From 1972 until 1996, Ali worked with the World Wide Fund for Nature, where he held a number of posts both here in Pakistan as well as overseas. From 1996 until 1999, he served as the World Wildlife Fund’s International President, succeeding Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
He is a member of the Boards of Aitchison College, Kinnaird College, and Lahore School of Economics, three prestigious educational establishments in Lahore. In addition, he co-chairs the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies, which is presently housed in Nepal, and was a founding member of Harvard University’s South Asia Initiative.
Honours and Awards
Ali received honours and awards from the governments of Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as an Order of the British Empire from the United Kingdom (1997) and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Laws from McGill University in Montreal, Canada (1997).
The Autobiography
Syed Babar Ali, at 89, summarises himself as a master learner in his autobiography, “Learning from Others,” which tells the whole story of his life.