KARACHI: Over 1,200 graduates were awarded degrees in business management and allied disciplines at the 24th convocation of the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on Saturday.

Gold medals were awarded to 16 students while 37 graduates received merit certificates.

Congratulating students at the ceremony, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, the chief guest, spoke about the challenges Pakistan faced in providing purposeful, superior quality education to the youth in the country.

“Efforts, however, are being made to restructure education under the national education policy framework and soon everyone will see a change,” he said, emphasising that students needed to work harder to prove their mettle in professional life.

Presenting his keynote address, Amir Paracha, chairman and the chief executive officer of Unilever Pakistan, shared his struggles in the corporate sector and said behind all successes, there were failures and vulnerabilities.

“Continue dreaming, to be curious, to keep learning and to remain humble,” he advised students.

In his speech, Board of Investment chairman Azfar Ahsan urged students to pursue their dreams with faith and honesty.

IoBM president Talib S. Karim said the institute’s academic collaboration with universities abroad was also strengthened in 2021. The institute, he said, was connected with 68 universities in Europe, Asia and the US.

Earlier, in his welcome address, IoBM’s Chancellor Bashir Janmohammad paid tribute to institute’s late founding president Shahjehan S. Karim for his devotion to provide quality education. He urged students to work hard and create jobs by establishing startups.

Valedictorian Ishma Ghazanfar, the gold medallist in BBA Honours, recalled her journey at IoBM, especially the classes taken from home during the pandemic. She advised students that whatever they wish to do in life, they should do it well. “Because in doing so, you will find excellence, and in pursuing excellence, you will find the desired outcome,” she said.

Among the graduating class were 366 students of BBA-Hons, BS (254), MBA (562), MS/MPhil (39), and nine candidates of PhD.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2021