Syed Babar Ali

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(; born 15 January 1926) is a Pakistani businessman, philanthropist and former caretaker

Finance Minister of Pakistan The Minister of Finance of Pakistan (Urdu: 'Wazīr-ē-Khazana') is a leading cabinet member who heads the Ministry of Finance in the Government of Pakistan. The Minister is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget to ...

. He is the founder of Packages Limited, Milkpak Limited (now

Nestlé Pakistan Nestlé Pakistan Limited ( ), a subsidiary of the Swiss multinational Nestlé, is a leading food and beverage company based in Lahore, Pakistan. It produces and markets a diverse range of products, including dairy, confectionery, coffee, bevera ...

) and

Lahore University of Management Sciences Lahore University of Management Sciences, also known by its acronym LUMS, is a Private university, private research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1985, it is ranked as one of the most prestigious modern Li ...

. Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering is named after him.

Early life and family

Syed Babar Ali was born on 15 January 1926, to a businessman, Syed Maratib Ali, in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, Pakistan. His father owned shops in the

Walled City of Lahore The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City or Inner Lahore, refers to the historic core of Lahore, the capital and largest city of Punjab, Pakistan. The early settlements were established between the Origins of Lahore, 1st and 7th ...

and was a top contractor of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

supplying them with services like logistics and all sorts of items used in regiments. The money was used to invest in land. His mother belonged to the prominent landlord family of

. On his maternal side, his grandmother was a member of the Afghan royal family. He is the brother of Syed Amjad Ali and

Syed Wajid Ali Syed Wajid Ali () (20 December 1911 – 14 June 2008) was a leading industrialist of Pakistan who is also known for his services to the Olympic Movement for 26 years. He became the President of Pakistan Olympic Association in 1978 and stayed ...

. His family practices

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

. He received his education from

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

, Lahore. He graduated from Government College, Lahore; for further studies he went to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

till 1947, when he moved to newly-created state of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He completed his graduation from

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

, Lahore. He also briefly studied at Harvard School of Business which helped him later founding business school.

Career

In the 1970s,

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

's nationalization affected his five out of six companies, leaving only Packages Limited. He served as the First and Founder Chairman of

National Fertilizer Corporation The National Fertilizer Corporation (NFC) is a state-owned enterprise headquartered in Lahore. It operates under the administrative oversight of the Ministry of Industries and Production, Government of Pakistan.Sanofi-Aventis Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Synthélabo merg ...

Pakistan Limited,

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

Pakistan Engineering Company Limited, and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

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. Ali promoted the cause of the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

where he served in various positions, both in Pakistan and internationally, from 1972 to 1996. He was the International President of WWF from 1996 to 1999 succeeding

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

.Past Presidents of World Wide Fund for Nature (scroll down to read Syed Babar Ali profile)
World Wide Fund for Nature website, Retrieved 31 July 2020

Awards

Ali received honours and awards from the

Government of Sweden The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the Cabinet (government), national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's Executive (government), executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister and their ...

, the

Government of Netherlands A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a mea ...

, an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

from Britain (1997), and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada (1997).

References

External links

Archival Photographs of his marriage in 1954, from Life Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Syed Babar 1926 births Living people Pakistani philanthropists Philanthropists from Punjab, Pakistan Pakistani people of Afghan descent Ministers of finance of Pakistan Aitchison College alumni University of Michigan alumni Harvard Business School alumni Lahore University of Management Sciences Businesspeople from Lahore World Wide Fund for Nature Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz University of the Punjab alumni Pakistani company founders Founders of Pakistani schools and colleges Syed Babar Pakistani Members of the Order of the British Empire Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire