LAHORE: The Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation has signed a MoU with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to establish two Deans’chairs. These chairs will be funded through an endowment worth PKR 400 million; one at the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB), and the other at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS). The chairs are aptly named “Abdul Razak Dawood Chair” and “Bilquis Dawood Chair” to honor the founding members of the foundation, says a Press release.
In attendance were board members of both organizations including BARD Foundation’s Member Board of Governor Mehreen Dawood, LUMS Vice-Chancellor Dr. Arshad Ahmad, LUMS Founding Pro Chancellor Syed Babar Ali, Dr. Parvez Hassan and Shahid Hussain. The event was inaugurated with the official signing of the contract that bound BARD and LUMS on another remarkable journey of success, followed by keynote addresses from notable members of the two organizations.
Speaking about the initiative, BARD Member Board of Governor Mehreen Dawood said, “The spirit of giving back to society is the main reason why we created BARD Foundation. LUMS has been a very important endeavor for my father, Abdul Razak Dawood, because it is an institution that was founded to shape and mold the youth of the country. Over the past 20 years, BARD Foundation has empowered and enabled the youth of Pakistan by allowing them to pursue excellence in their chosen fields and by providing them skills for livelihood.”
Acknowledging Razak Dawood’s and BARD’s unwavering support of LUMS, Syed Babar Ali highlighted that the two research chairs link the foundation with LUMS forever and serve as a token of gratitude to the Razak Dawood family for carrying out the tradition of generous donations since the institute’s inception.
LUMS Vice-chancellor Dr Arshad Ahmad added, “BARD’s ongoing support has been invaluable to further our institutional goals. For over 3.5 decades, Razak Dawood has provided opportunities to students and helped our business school to excel beyond borders. These research chairs will help LUMS towards our shared goal of strengthening scholarships, fellowships, and friendships that will enhance our relationship with the industry and society at large.”
The BARD Foundation is a venture undertaken by Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood to enable less fortunate individuals to realise their potential as champions in their chosen field. The Foundation’s primary goal is Changing Fortunes with a special focus on Education and Sports. Another is people development through skills. One such initiative of the Foundation is Descon Technical Institute, which imparts vocational skills to enable individuals to change their lives for themselves and their families.