Institute of Business Administrtion
Alumni Election 2015

 

 

For the first time ever, the IBA conducted an online Election of the Alumni Representative on the IBA Board of Governors, in addition to the customary manual elections. Not only was it the first time that the elections were online in IBA, it was also the first time of its happening in any educational institute of Pakistan. Needless to say, this was a major feather in IBA’s cap, being the first institute in Pakistan to develop its own online election portal.

The election was held from October 07, 2015 to November 07, 2015, with the votes being cast online on November 05 and November 06, and manually in the IBA City Campus (CEE) on November 07. IBA also provided voters the opportunity to vote online using on-campus facilities, available on both day of the online voting.

The result of transferring the process online was that the number of voters increased multifold. Where in the previous elections, the voters’ list amounted to a few hundred candidates, this time it boasted over nine thousand people, with about a thousand votes cast in all. While most of the votes were cast online, some alumni also showed up to cast their votes manually, where they not only got the chance to vote, but also to meet and mingle with old batch-mates. Arrangements were made for the voting alumni to mingle with their fellows over snacks and drinks.

While many prominent alumni participated in the election from all across the globe, His Excellency, Mamnoon Hussain, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was amongst the first ones to cast his vote online. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, although separated by distance but obviously not by heart, also participated in the election by voting through the online portal. It was indeed a heartening sight to see graduates as far back as 1959 coming over to IBA to exercise their right to vote on the polling day as well.

 

 

 

Here is a message from the newly elected Representative:

Dear IBA Alumni

It is an honor for me to have been re-elected as your representative on the IBA Board of Governors. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and confidence in me, without which this achievement would not have been possible. To all those who voted for me, thank you again; to those who did not, I urge you to forget the past, and join hands as a team for the betterment of the IBA and its alumni. We are all one large family that has many challenges ahead for the institution and for the alumni. I seek everyone’s help and support to overcome these challenges.

Here, I would also like to extend the gratitude of the alumni to the IBA Team, especially Mr. Haris Siddiqui, Manager Alumni Affairs, and Mr. Imran Batada, Head of ICT, who helped develop an efficient and easy-to-use Online Election Portal which allowed Alumni all over the world to partake in the Election. Alumni from all over the world have praised the system. The Returning Officer, Capt. Ahmed Zaheer, also deserves our appreciation and thanks.

You may recall that I had mentioned that an immediate issue facing us is the imminent departure of Dr. Ishrat Husain. Dr. Sahib leaves us in March 2016. Whereas the appointment of a new Director is the sole prerogative of the Government of Sindh, but we can certainly suggest names to the Government. I, therefore, request you to please urgently forward your suggestions to me for his replacement. I look forward to a name worthy of this eminent position, capable of taking IBA to new heights of excellence. I shall forward the names(s) to the Government, and try to ensure that the interests of the IBA are protected.


It has also been suggested that we take advantage of the wealth of experience available in the IBA alumni body. Perhaps the creation of specialized think-tanks would be the vehicle through which we could move forward. Therefore, I would seek your suggestions and views, and volunteers who would like to join these proposed groups. Please email me your names, contacts and areas of interest that you may wish to contribute.

I look forward to your response, and thank you once again for your support.

Sincerely,

Shahid Shafiq
Alumni Representative on the IBA Board of Governors

 

A total of seven candidates contested the elections: Mr. Aitzaz Khalid (MBA 2008), Mr. M. Munawar Jamal (MBA 2009), Mr. Muhammad Saadi Mansuri (MBA 2007), Mr. Rao Nisar Ahmed (MBA 1984), Mr. Shahid Shafiq (MBA 1974), Ms. Yasmin Zafar (MBA 1979), and Mr. Zaki Ahmed Sharif (MBA 1982). The results of the election were announced on the same day as the manual voting, at 3.30 PM. Mr. Shahid Shafiq secured the highest number of votes, and was re-elected Alumni Representative on the Board of Governors.