Meet the 2024 Winners of the Vice Chancellor's Alumni Achievement Awards
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The Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Achievement Award (VC AAA) celebrates the remarkable achievements of the distinguished alumni who have made impactful contributions in their fields, both locally and across the globe. The awardees for this year were honored at the Alumni Homecoming 2024 event.
Meet this year’s distinguished cohort and learn about their outstanding journeys.
Aniqa Afzal
MBA 2000
Managing Director, Liberty Global
With over 20 years of experience, Afzal has spent her career building Fintechs for major telecom groups across both developed and emerging markets. She was the Founder and Head of JazzCash in Pakistan and then moved to London as MD Financial Services, where she led the fintech portfolio for Veon. Afzal then took the role of CEO for Digicel Financial Services and after 3 years moved to MD Financial Services for Liberty Global, headquartered in London. She is also on the board of Women’s World Banking, New York, and is passionate about driving financial and digital inclusion for women.
Usman Asif
MS 2014
CEO & Founder, Devsinc
Asif, the Founder of Devsinc, Pakistan’s fastest-growing IT company, has created over 2,000 jobs in less than two years, with plans to expand to 80,000 employees and tap into growing markets, projected to grow at a 16-18% CAGR until 2030. Devsinc operates globally, with offices in Pakistan, USA, KSA, and Dubai. An alumnus of FAST, LUMS, and Stanford, Usman has led multiple successful exits in Silicon Valley and invested in over a dozen start-ups. He is dedicated to supporting Pakistani entrepreneurs, bridging the industry-academia gap, and mentoring the next generation of engineers and leaders. Asif's strategy extends beyond conventional fiscal investment diversification, reflecting a profound commitment to fostering a rich tapestry of human diversity within his team, highlighting his vision as a forward-thinking leader. Under his leadership, Devsinc has earned Pakistan’s Best Tech Company and CEO Excellence awards.
Syed Waqas Ali Burney
MBA 2011
Product Manager, Google
Burney is a product manager at Google Research, where he leads Climate AI initiatives using machine learning to tackle global challenges such as flood forecasting, wildfire detection, and building damage classification. This year, his work has significantly enhanced the United Nations' disaster response efforts, enabling geospatial agencies like UNOSAT to deliver building damage assessments six times faster and with sevenfold greater coverage - empowering humanitarian organisations to respond more effectively to natural disasters.
With nearly a decade at Google, Burney has contributed to impactful projects across diverse domains. He previously worked on Google's elections and political advertising strategy for the Asia Pacific region, enhancing access to authoritative and helpful information across products and platforms. Earlier in his career, he spearheaded efforts to drive the growth of South and Southeast Asia’s emerging mobile gaming market, helping transform it into a thriving multi-billion-dollar industry. Burney began his professional journey in Pakistan's consumer goods and IT services sectors. Beyond his career, he actively supports Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre by mobilising corporate partnerships to sponsor care for child cancer patients.
Muhammad Umer Ijaz Gilani
BA-LL.B 2010
Partner, Law and Policy Chambers
Gilani is a Supreme Court lawyer and a public intellectual. He runs an Islamabad-based full-service law firm, Law and Policy Chambers, which has partner offices in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan. In 2005, Gilani joined what was then known as the Department of Law and Policy at LUMS, the precursor of SAHSOL. After graduating in 2010, he became Coordinator of the Supreme Court’s Law Clerkship Programme where he benefitted from the mentorship of Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja. He went on to do an LL.M in comparative constitutional law from the University of Washington in Seattle. From 2014 onwards, he has been consistently practicing law in Islamabad. Besides running a commercial practice, he frequently represents those who deserve the law’s protection and get it least: missing persons, stateless persons, refugees and street vendors. He also advocates for certain governance reform agendas such as strengthening the local government and enhancing administrative federalism. Hailing from a scholarly South Asian Muslim family, he is well-versed in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi and is proud of it.
Syed Zeeshan Haider
MBA 2009
CEO, ITT Food (Pvt.) Ltd. (Dipitt)
Equipped with degrees in engineering and business management from Pakistan’s top universities and over a decade of corporate experience across various countries, Haider embarked on a transformative journey—building Pakistan’s largest sauce brand and becoming the country’s first sauce exporter. What started as a humble food stall at Karachi Eat has transformed into a global success story. Haider and his wife served wings with homemade sauces, sparking the idea for Wingitt, Pakistan’s first wings-based quick-service restaurant chain. The overwhelming response inspired Haider to explore sauce production, leading to a two-year journey of research, sourcing premium ingredients, and building a production facility.
Lessons from his MBA and corporate experience proved invaluable as he transitioned to full-time entrepreneurship. Today, Dipitt operates in 5 continents, 32 countries, and 100+ cities, offering 67+ products across 6 categories—a remarkable disruption in Pakistan's food industry.
Zainab Malik
BA-LL.B 2011
Senior Justice Advisor (Policy & Advocacy), The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL)
Malik is dedicated to transforming justice systems for marginalised communities. As a lawyer, she has been instrumental in public interest litigation, advancing gender-responsive safeguards for rape survivors, strengthening protections for children in conflict with the law, and advocating for prisoners with mental illnesses. She has also been a leading voice in reforming Pakistan’s death penalty system, spearheading advocacy efforts that secured clemency for prisoners, reduced executions, and pushed for reforms benefitting Pakistanis detained abroad. Her work has driven significant policy and legislative changes in Pakistan and extended globally through Justice Innovation Labs in Uganda, Tunisia, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. These initiatives focus on increasing access to legal information, fostering community-driven solutions, and addressing justice needs through sustainable measures. As a Policy and Advocacy Advisor at HiiL, Malik continues to champion justice systems designed to resolve the most pressing legal challenges.
A prolific writer, she has exposed human rights violations in leading publications and authored legal best-practice manuals for Southeast Asia. Her groundbreaking contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2024 LUMS SAHSOL Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
Junaid Murtaza
BSc 2008
President Director & CEO, L'Oréal Indonesia
Murtaza is the CEO & President Director of L’Oréal Indonesia and the youngest CEO in the L’Oréal Groupe at the age of 33. With over 16 years of experience in FMCG giants like Unilever and L’Oréal, he has held key roles in Sales, Marketing, and General Management across Pakistan, France, and Indonesia. A graduate of Accounting & Finance, he started his career at Unilever Pakistan, earning several marketing accolades, including Effies, and contributing to the marketing fraternity as a judge for industry campaigns.
Murtaza joined L’Oréal in 2013, helping establish and grow the Pakistan subsidiary. Later, as Regional Marketing Director in Paris, he oversaw the Pan Africa & Middle East region. Returning to Pakistan in 2018, he led L’Oréal Pakistan as CEO, driving significant business and cultural transformation, championing DE&I initiatives, and securing global recognition for the subsidiary. He also contributed to gender parity through Champions of Change and partnerships like the Circle NGO for women's empowerment.
In 2022, Murtaza took on the role of CEO for L’Oréal Indonesia, where he has been recognised internationally, including Fortune Magazine’s Business Person of the Year 2023 and Best Foreign CEO 2024 in Indonesia by Warta Ekonomi. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the European Chamber of Commerce Indonesia. Outside of work, Murtaza is passionate about filmmaking, photography, art, and golf, which he enjoys with his son and friends.
Dr. Maryam Mustafa
BSc 2005
Assistant Professor, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, LUMS
Dr. Mustafa is a trailblazing academic and social innovator whose pioneering work focuses on re-imagining and deploying technologies for underserved, vulnerable populations, particularly in the Global South, with an emphasis on maternal and mental health, financial inclusion, digital literacy, and privacy. Dr. Mustafa is the recipient of the highly prestigious and competitive Google Academic Research Award—Bill and Melinda Gates Global Grand Challenges Award, and the Patrick J. McGovern Award for her work on improving maternal health outcomes in Pakistan through leveraging AI technologies. A sought-after thought leader, Dr. Mustafa has been invited to present her work on global stages, including the 78th United Nations General Assembly Session ‘Artificial Intelligence for Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals’ in New York, the 2024 G20 Health Meeting in Salvador, Brazil, and at Google. She is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Computer Science, as the Director of the Gender and Technology Research Cluster, and the Director of the Saida Waheed Gender Initiative at LUMS.
Muhammad Ammar Ali Talaat
MBA 2009
Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer, Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd.
Talaat is a senior executive in Pakistan’s energy and business sectors, with over two decades of experience. In his current position, he played a key role in transforming the company into one of the most dynamic oil marketing enterprises in the country. He led a landmark transaction with Saudi Aramco, securing a 40% acquisition of GO and strengthening its position as a key player in the industry. Talaat played a key role in bringing AlBaik, a renowned quick-service restaurant brand, to Pakistan by leading GO's strategic agreement, diversifying the company’s portfolio. As the Founder and CEO of GO Energy, he leads transformative projects, including a 500 MW floating solar power initiative at Keenjhar Lake—the first of its kind in Pakistan. Previously, as Director of Strategy at K-Electric, he led major coal, LNG, and renewable energy projects. A sports enthusiast, Talaat excelled in cricket, squash, tennis, and snooker, showcasing leadership and a passion for an active lifestyle.
Ahmad Taufique Yahya
MBA 1992
President, Water & Food (GCC), Agthia Group
Yahya is a global executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across continents in the food and beverage industry. Known for driving growth through fiscal responsibility, he has a proven track record in business turnarounds and building sustainable enterprises. An entrepreneurial leader with a passion for people, brands, and business, Yahya is dedicated to exceeding results and developing talent. He is currently the President of Agthia Group’s Water & Food Division, a leading food and beverage company in the GCC. Agthia’s flagship brand, Al Ain Water, is the largest bottled water brand in the UAE. Yahya oversees a business with over 4,000 employees, multiple factories across the Middle East and Turkey, and annual revenues exceeding 1.5 billion AED. Previously, he held leadership roles at global FMCGs, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Danone, Kraft, and Kellogg, working across the USA, Canada, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia. He has served on the boards of Kellogg Pakistan and Kellogg Egypt and is currently a board member at UK-based Naya Capital Fund and Izil Beauty, listed on ADGM (Abu Dhabi Growth Markets).
On a personal note, Yahya is a proud ‘Lahori’ who attended Aitchison College, Government College Lahore, and LUMS for his MBA. A dedicated father, son, and husband, he is also a passionate foodie, cricket enthusiast, and tennis fan.
