IBA grads ------ Generation to Generation                         

They say a good tradition never dies. Times change, people change, but principles endure. Being a part of IBA is a lot like continuing a tradition. This article explores the lives of various people who have been part of the ‘IBA experience’. They have been lucky enough to not only have their own time at IBA, but to re-live their experience with people close to them. We will now see how IBA has changed—and remained the same—over the years, as various generations of IBA-grads talk about life.  

  
 
L to R: A Raza, A Abdullah, J A Choudhry, A Rehman, M A Khan

Ms Fizzah Hassan (IBA Student) and Mr Hasan Nazeer Rizvi (IBA Alumni)

IBA’s students come from diverse backgrounds. Nothing manifests this fact more clearly than Fizzah Hasan’s profile, a pre-med student who ended up in IBA due to her father’s nostalgic enthusiasm. Currently she is a third-semester student in the BBA Honours Program. According to her, today IBA students are a lot more materialistic and obsessed with their GPA, but she also considers the course structure to be better than before as it strikes the perfect balance between the aesthetic and the worldly.

Her father Mr. Hasan Naseer Rizvi a 1976, MBA Graduate and currently working for Pakistan Suzuki considers that IBA has undergone a lot of changes since he graduated 27 years ago. For one thing, it only offered an MBA program back then. IBA was also not firm in maintaining its educational standards. He proudly recalls that at that time IBA had the best faculty ever. The renowned Mr. Hashmi succeeded Mateen Khan as the Dean of IBA in the late 1970’s. In his view a big difference exists between the students of yesteryears and today, one major difference being in maturity levels. Moreover, there were not many female students; there were only five girls in his batch! However; he feels that students activities have considerably increased. BASC [Business Administration Student’s Club] was not quite the sophisticated society as it is today. A lot of emphasis was placed on ‘mind games’ like chess and bridge. Tournaments were organized in the cafeteria, where the students played one-on-one with the Professors.

Ms Zainab Azfer (IBA Student) and Mr A.B Shahid (IBA Alumni)

Ms Zainab Azfer Jaffri, a fourth-semester student in the BBA Honours Program, who is also a position holder at IBA, feels that with the options available to her, she would not want to be anywhere else. However she feels that IBA has the potential to be at the top but at present is not putting in the effort required. She feels that IBA is producing efficient managers with good organizational skills but not visionaries. However, she agrees with her father that the discipline and the unity of Ibians are unrivalled. Her father, Mr. A.B. Shahid is an IBA graduate of 1969, and is presently CEO & MD of Pak Gulf Leasing Company. After graduating he initially worked at ESSO (now known as PSO). At his time half of the faculty were PhDs. Also renowned public figures of today such as Mr. Shaukat Aziz and Mr. Shaukat Tareen were studying at IBA. He has fond memories of his stay at IBA and believes that it is a matter of prestige to be an IBA graduate.

Ms Izzah Shahbaz (IBA Student) and Mr Shahbaz (IBA Alumni)

Ms Izzah Shahbaz, a third-semester student in the BBA Honors Program feels that the discipline drill in IBA is overdone. Apart from this she agrees with her father that IBA is one of the few prestigious business institutes in the country which offer quality education, as can be witnessed by the fact that she forewent an opportunity to pursue a career in architecture from National College of Arts, Lahore. Her father, Mr. Shahbaz Ahmed, a 1983, MBA Evening graduate, and currently VP and CRO of Country Risk Office, ABN AMRO Bank recalls IBA as an institute with almost totalitarian discipline, which he feels set it apart from other business schools of the time and an excellent faculty. In his view both of these aspects have been relaxed, over time, proof of which is his daughter. As somebody to reckon with in the industry, he feels that if nothing else, IBA has maintained its prestige and goodwill, and is to date the business school of choice. 

Mr Adil Mushtaq Rajabali (IBA Student) and Mr Zuhair Ismail (IBA Alunmni)

Mr Adil Mushtaq Rajabali is currently enrolled at the Main Campus in the 4th Semester. What he likes best about the IBA is its environment, with its mix of serious and focused study plan and a socially active student life and he feels that IBA is a good career choice. His brother, Mr Zuhair Ismail, a 1999, MBA Executive graduate, and currently a Credit Officer, Askari Commercial Bank, remembers his times at IBA as the best days he spent at an educational institute, and not just in the extracurricular department. He says that life at IBA was marked with quality teachers who guided students through the years and made thorough professionals out of them.

Mr Muhammad Kamran Baig (IBA Student) and Mr Sohail Hanif (IBA Alumni)

Mr Muhammad Kamran Baig, a fourth-semester student at the IBA Main Campus feels that it is IBA’s standing that lured him into joining it in a student capacity, and he sure has not been disappointed. IBA is every bit as he had perceived it to be and is an ideal business school in all aspects. His brother Mr Sohail Hanif Baig, a 2001, MBA Honors graduate, currently Assistant Manager Treasury, UniLever, endorses his views. A true IBAian at heart, he remembers the good days he spent at this esteemed institute with a special emphasis on the fact that IBA is one of the few professional colleges which has a politics free environment. This coupled with an outstanding educational standard, make up the good memories he has of the IBA.

Anonymous

Another student in the fourth-semester, who prefers to remain anonymous, had aspired to do her journalism from Kinnaird College, Lahore, but instead ended up at IBA. Although she now feels satisfied with her choice to a certain extent, her father, a 1970’s graduate, currently employed at a prominent position at Investment Corporation of Pakistan, believes that IBA was an amazing experience and he used to work as well as study. He was a Proctorial monitor at IBA as well as worked as a demonstrator at Superior Science College. He believes IBA provided him with the platform to succeed and make him, as his daughter states a “self made” man. 

Ms Nayyara Rehman (IBA Student) and Ms Tahira Rehman (IBA Alumni) 

Ms Nayyara Rehman has recently joined IBA and is currently enrolled in the first- semester. Since she has only been here for the last 3 months she is still going through the process of understanding what IBA really is all about. But she is sure of one thing that so far it has been up to her expectations, if not more. Her sister Ms Tahira Rehman, a December 2002 graduate is currently working in PSO. She was part of the Alumni committee for the BITS CLUB from 1999 till 2002 and was also a member of the Enlightenment Gazette from 2000-2001.The most significant change during the last five years, in her opinion, has been in the quality of students. She thinks that with the passage of time students are becoming more undisciplined and tetchy. She recalls her times at IBA as the best days she spent at an educational institute, and not just in the extracurricular department. She says that life at IBA made her learn to be more patient with her colleagues, to put in more effort without expecting to be appreciated but most of all the system (of IBA as an institution) has taught her that there is no substitute for discipline and hard work!


IBA has lent its light to many shining stars in the past, which continue to spread it further wherever they go. With every successive generation, we can hope to see this light burning more ferociously than ever before. After all, IBA is all about: Creating Leaders For Tomorrow!

By: Ms Nayara Rehman and Ms Noreen Fatima