KARACHI: The Board of Directors of the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) has appointed Junaid W. Zuberi as its new chief executive officer.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, Mr Zuberi assumed his new responsibilities on Nov 1.

It said he got an MBA degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, in 1994. “The new CEO brings an exceptional combination of experience in the management and corporate sector with long-abiding association with culture, music, performing arts and heritage conservation and promotion both in Karachi and Toronto.”

Mr Zuberi has been associated with leading organisations in the corporate sector. He is an executive council member of the All Pakistan Music Conference Karachi, vice chair of the Friends of Museums of Mississauga, Canada, coordinator of the Joy of Urdu Karachi and founder & artistic director of the Sur Sangum Foundation in Toronto during 2015-20, the statement added.

He remained associated with Tehzeeb Foundation, Citizens Foundation, Tehrik-e-Niswan, Sampurna and Karachi Relief Trust in voluntary capacity.

The post of CEO fell vacant after Napa’s board had elevated distinguished artist and institution’s founder-president and chief executive Zia Mohyeddin to the post of president emeritus.

Later, a job was advertised in newspapers for hiring a fresh CEO with the condition that he/she should not be over 60 years of age. In the interim period, former information minister Javed Jabbar was made acting president of the academy.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021