Dr. Gulzar Haider
PAKISTAN

Gulzar Haider is a teacher, practitioner, and theoretician who centers his research on Islamic architecture. Serving as the Dean of the School of Architecture and Design at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, he has established one of the most eminent academic programs in the country through his tireless dedication and experience. Dr. Haider has won numerous research and development grants, while lecturing across North America, Europe, and Asia; additionally, he has been a design consultant to several architectural practices and a juror to many international architectural competitions. His work for international organizations, including the UN and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) is highly regarded. With over 55 papers, reports, and articles, his interest in mathematics and architectural structures has led to the publication of unique and innovative research.

Javed Jabbar
PAKISTAN

Senator (R) Javed Jabbar is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and advertising mogul. As an elected member of the Senate of Pakistan, he has with extensive experience in public affairs, grass-root development, welfare organizations, international affairs, and a variety of government departments. Beyond his political career, he is the founder of MNJ Communications (Pvt.), known for producing distinctive and unique advertising content. He wrote and produced the Pakistani film ‘Ramchand Pakistani’ and ‘Beyond the Last Mountain’ (1976) which was critically acclaimed at international film festivals; the film was celebrated due to its realistic and gender-sensitive portrayal of women. Through his vast experience, he has mentored successful marketing and advertising practitioners; additionally, he was also the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the AdAsia 2019, promoting more impactful and thoughtful advertising in the country.

Mehreen Rizvi Khursheed
UNITED KINGDOM

Mehreen Rizvi Khursheed is an art advisor to several collectors and a consultant to Frieze Art Fair in London and New York; she is also a trustee of the Lahore Biennale Foundation UK, member of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Museum patrons in London, and founding member of the South Asian Acquisition Committee (SAAC) at Tate Modern, UK. Additionally, she arranged the first ever auction of Middle Eastern art in the USA in May 2010. Mehreen has played a pivotal role in developing the Pakistani art market; under her guidance, Bonhams has become a leader in Pakistani art, holding records for major Pakistani artists.

Salima Hashmi
PAKISTAN

Salima Hashmi is an academic, artist, activist, curator, and contemporary art historian. She is the founding Dean of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Art and Design at Beaconhouse National University; a Professor of Fine Art at National College of Arts for thirty years, and served as the Principal of the College for four years. As an extension of her role as a curator and academic, Hashmi has established an art gallery of her own, known for featuring experimental works of young artists, it supports the evolving voice of Pakistani art; often it is the challenging and the avant-garde that will find its way into her gallery. Additionally, she curated the critically acclaimed exhibition ‘This Night-Bitten Dawn’, hosted by the Gujral Foundation and the Devi Art Foundation in Delhi, which opened at the Delhi Art Fair, 2016. As an artist and activist, Hashmi’s work focuses on the suffering of women in Pakistan’s highly patriarchal society, a journey that began under the rule of Zia-ul-Haq.

Jahangir Khan Sherpao
ARCHITECTURE CHAIR

Jahangir Khan Sherpao, a renowned architect who has contributed to the architectural fraternity and the country at large, was the President of Architects’ Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) from 2017-2018. During his tenure, multiple Heritage Roundtables were held by ARCASIA and V4AF (Visegrad 4, Architectural Foundaiton) both locally and internationally.
Prior to this, he served as the President of Institute of Architects, Pakistan (IAP) and as ARCASIA Vice-President Zone A in 2015-2016 concurrently.
He received his professional degrees in Architecture, and later a professional Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning at the Illinois Institute of Technology at Chicago

Saima Zaidi
DESIGN CHAIR

Saima Zaidi, a Communication Designer, is currently a Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication and Design, as well as Director of the Center for Media and Design, at Habib University, Karachi. She is a core team member of Numaish-Karachi, an award-winning interdisciplinary collective, which opens public spaces of the city for cultural production, creating an open-air gallery, laboratory, and playground.
Zaidi has researched, edited, and designed the book ‘Mazaar, Bazaar: Design and Visual Culture in Pakistan’ published by Oxford University Press, Karachi, in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund Library, Amsterdam.
She received her undergraduate degree from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and her Master’s from the Pratt Institute, New York

Naazish Ataullah
ART CHAIR

Naazish Ataullah is a prominent artist, social activist and art historian based in Lahore. Known for her paintings and prints, Ataullah has earned considerable prestige in art circles as one of the most important female artists in the country. She has served as the principal of the National College of Arts, Lahore and as a professor at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.
Ataullah studied print-making at the Slade School of Fine Arts, London, and, upon her return to Lahore, was instrumental in introducing techniques such as lithography and etching at the Cowasjee Print Studio at NCA. During her student years, Ataullah was a member of the Women Action Forum in the 1980s, which she connects to her current work as she tackles the growing burdens and limitations to the liberty of women. Through her artwork, the artist openly rejects limitations on women as she illustrates the headscarf in a manner defying those restrictions.