SBS alumni reunite to celebrate their experiences

October 13, 2023: The School of Business Studies (SBS), Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi hosted an alumni gathering at the Marriott Hotel Karachi. This event 'SBS IBA - Alumni Connect', brought together a community of over 120 esteemed alumni and respected faculty members for a night of reflection, camaraderie, and inspiration.

The event welcomed a diverse group of accomplished leaders and change makers, bridging the gap between recent graduates and distinguished alumni who have made their mark in the professional world. Besides alums, a sizable number of SBS faculty and staff members graced the gathering, reaffirming the profound connections that define the SBS community.

The evening commenced with an introductory video in which Dr. Abdullah Zafar Sheikh, Dean, SBS, provided an overview of SBS.

Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA, extended a warm welcome and highlighted that IBA had recently been restructured into three schools. He underlined the rich legacy of IBA in delivering exceptional education and acknowledged the SBS as the flagship among all three schools.

Dr. Sheikh introduced the School to the alumni and emphasized that by virtue of graduating with a business degree from the IBA, the alumni in the audience were now the alumni of SBS. Furthermore, he unveiled the vision of SBS and apprised the audience about the AACSB accreditation, which SBS is pursuing. He underscored the importance for SBS to establish its own brand as a leading business school in Pakistan, which is also very crucial from AACSB's perspective. He emphasized that IBA has almost 70 years of legacy as a premier business university of Pakistan. Hence, it is now the mission of SBS to continue this unmatched legacy of IBA by maintaining its top position as a premier business school of Pakistan.

Subsequently, Dr. Sheikh familiarized alumni with the structure, engagements, centers, and departments within the School and acquainted them with the respective heads of these departments. He laid out a framework for alumni engagement at SBS by establishing several committees, including Academic Linkages and Industry Linkages, Brand Ambassadors, Mentoring, Curriculum, and SBS Alumni Advisory Council. He also announced that Dr. Irum Saba, Associate Professor and Program Director MS-IBF, will be heading the Alumni Affairs function in SBS. Alumni were encouraged to come forward and participate in these important committees.

Dr. Saba engaged the alumni in a dialogue, encouraging them to provide feedback on the curriculum and consider becoming mentors for the current SBS students. Distinguished alumni also shared their journeys of success and achievements.

As the evening concluded, it marked the start of an enduring alumni network and celebration of achievements. SBS aims to host more such events to support graduates in the dynamic business world.