PIF Founder Honoured by World Economic Forum (WEF)
Pakistan Innovation Foundation (PIF) is pleased to report that Dr. Athar Osama, Founder and Chief Executive of Pakistan Innovation Foundation has been honoured by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Young Global Leader (YGL).
The World Economic Forum (WEF) based in Davos, Switzerland announced the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Class of 2013 yesterday. This honour is bestowed by the World Economic Forum each year to recognize the most distinguished leaders under the age of 40, nominated from around the world.These individuals have been recognized for their professional achievements and commitment to society.
The 200 YGLs honoured yesterday come from 70 countries and all sectors of society (arts and culture, academia, business, civil society, media, politics and social entrepreneurship). The honourees come from East Asia (46), Europe (49), Latin America (16), the Middle East and North Africa (12), North America (40), South Asia (18), and sub-Saharan Africa (19).
Young Global Leaders are a community of selected, tested and proven leaders who are making change through collective action; they’re coming from really diverse backgrounds united by a shared purpose to realise a better future. The YGL community helps these young leaders turn their personal success to global significance by putting their energy into ideas that lead to impactful change.
“The Forum of Young Global Leaders provides a unique effort to engage the younger generation into the management of global affairs, working together and being integrated into the larger Forum community. The Young Global Leaders have an exceptional opportunity to improve the state of the world,” Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.
“I am excited, but at the same time humbled, to receive this honour and looking forward to the possibilities it creates for me, the institutions I belong to, and my vision of creating a scientifically developed and innovative Pakistan,” says Dr. Osama. “I’ve long believed in the power of networks in realising ones potentials and YGLs is one of the most powerful networks there is,” he adds.
Dr. Osama’s brainchild, the Pakistan Innovation Foundation, seeks to promote science and innovation within private sector and the broader society in Pakistan. It seeks to do this through a ‘core’ program designed to create awareness within the society, reward and recognise innovation and innovators, and carry out a deeply passionate but evidence-based agenda of research and advocacy.
PIF has recently announced its launch initiative, The National Innovation Grand Challenge (NIGC), that will engage talented Pakistanis – students, entrepreneurs, professionals, and citizen innovators – in an ‘Open Innovation’ Challenge to help solve Pakistan’s development challenges and enhance the country’s competitiveness. The NIGC provides a great opportunity for creative and innovative Pakistanis to exercise their innate talents and win prizes. A number of corporate sector entities have lined up to fund these prizes creating a wonderful opportunity for university – industry collaborations. PIF will soon embark upon a roadshow through 10-15 largest universities in Pakistan to introduce the idea to potential innovators.
This year’s class includes 4 Pakistanis that include:
– Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy (Pakistan-Canada), the Emmy and Oscar award-winning Pakistani-Canadian journalist and documentary film-maker.
– Athar Osama (Pakistan), Chief Executive of Technomics International Ltd. – a public policy consulting firm, an adjunct faculty member at Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), and a passionate believer and advocate in the power of science and innovation to change the course of his country and is the founder of Pakistan Innovation Foundation (PIF) and Muslim-Science.Com,
– Shehrbano Taseer (Pakistan), the daughter of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and an up and coming journalist
who works for NewsWeek – Pakistan, and
– Mariam Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan), the daughter of former Prime Minister and PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif