Got Global?
No doubt about it, HBS alums are everywhere
We didn’t set out to give this issue a global slant, but in our quest for compelling alumni stories, it ended up that way. (One of the fun aspects of this job is the journey of discovery each issue represents for the editorial team.)
In early June I had the pleasure of meeting Saquib Shirazi (MBA ’95), CEO of Atlas Honda in Karachi, Pakistan, and the new HBS Alumni Association president, when he was on campus for a board meeting. He spoke with passion and eloquence of the School’s growing impact around the globe (see story). In his own country, HBS lists 68 alumni. In surrounding nations, from India to Egypt, there are another 1,200.
From his own experiences, Shirazi said he sees more HBS alums in positions where they face HBS counterparts across the table during business negotiations, and in some cases, they even get involved in helping to defuse geopolitical disputes.
He recounted, for example, how Pakistan and India picked key business leaders to negotiate a reduction in dangerously escalating border hostilities between the two countries back in 2002. The Pakistani team had four HBS alums — including Shirazi — while the Indian delegation had at least six. Despite clear differences, their shared experience at Soldiers Field created a common bond that helped increase trust and respect, which led to the desired de-escalation of tensions.
In Shirazi’s view, this kind of global impact is “a uniquely HBS phenomenon.” The School, he noted, has been a leader in attracting international students and establishing global research centers. The payoff, he said, is demonstrable. Speaking specifically of the Asian region, he observed, “If you get HBS students coming out of these countries, you will get solutions coming out of these countries.”
Solutions certainly were the main motivator for exiled businessman Ali Allawi (MBA ’71) to return to Iraq in the fall of 2003 to serve in the new government. After a disappointing two and one-half years, he left Baghdad for his home in London, disillusioned with the Iraqi government’s ability to move forward with reconciliation and reconstruction. We talked at length by phone about his new book, The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace (see story).
For Ramalinga Raju (OPM 19, 1993), the solutions he sought were less elusive (see story). The founder and chairman of Satyam Computer Services, a global consulting and IT services company based in Secunderabad, India, Raju launched the country’s first emergency response service in his home state of Andhra Pradesh two years ago. The equivalent of dialing 911 for emergency help in the United States, the 108 service in India has already saved thousands of lives and is planning to expand to other parts of the country. Local media attention given to the service piqued the curiosity of freelance writer Garrett Graff during a recent visit to India, leading to our story.
With examples like these, the School can be secure in the knowledge that its mission of making a difference has more global reach than ever.
