When the financial crisis hit the world back in 2008-2009, I wanted to take the role of the Professionals Club a notch higher to focus on financial planning and financial systems. I felt that a more comprehensive two-day program was needed, and since this was a large-scale project, I consulted close friends, professors, and associates regarding how to execute this idea and to make it a real success.
I was overwhelmed with the feedback that I got and the advice that came from my professor Dr. Mohammad Arif, from the University of Salford, Manchester, UK. He suggested that I focus on sustainable development, and at that point of time, I honestly did not have much of an idea of this concept. I researched sustainable development and was surprised to see how many publications and white papers had been released on the subject. Moreover, the UNDP had taken it upon itself to spread the idea of sustainability globally, so I decided to conduct a two-day sustainable development program.
I shot off emails to my friends announcing that the “1st Sustainable Development Congress” would be held February 22-23, 2009. I was overwhelmed with the keen response; some friends were even willing to travel from overseas in order to attend and speak at the event. Since the level of participation seemed high, I decided to name it a “congress” instead of a “program,” because to me, a congress is a place where strategic thinkers, thought leaders, and decision- makers sit together to make important and strategic decisions.
The feedback that we received after this first Congress far exceeded everyone’s expectations, including my own! The participants agreed that the Congress must occur annually going forward. Other subjects were proposed included strategic planning, leadership and management, inclusive growth, marketing and branding, project management, innovation, and creativity. I zeroed in on five areas of interest to all and dubbed it the Alleem Business Congress, whose mission is to improve social, economic, and environmental living conditions worldwide, thus helping to improve the quality of life for hundreds of millions who have not yet seen the benefits of sustainable development.
Despite the fact that I had taken on the project voluntarily, and with limited financial and human resources, I accepted the challenge and decided to conduct five such events in a single year:
Today, the Alleem Business Congress is a platform wherein more than 1500 delegates participate every year, including diplomats, academicians, top leaders of businesses, CEOs, and young 2000 professionals. I made a conscious decision to keep participation free of cost. Tuesday happened to be my favorite day to conduct these events, as it reminded me fondly of my initial idea of conducting such forums midweek, during the professional’s club time.
The Alleem Business Congress has witnessed phenomenal growth in the last 11 years, with participation from various cross-sections of society. Today, the participation level in this congress has grown tremendously, exceeding over 2500 delegates from every area of business annually, and I hope that the Congress will continue to receive such strong support in the future as well. While cherishing this stupendous growth of the ABC, I need to make a special mention of Dr. Mohammad Tariq, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Paradigm Pioneers Group, UAE, who has been instrumental in supporting me in this endeavor. He is extremely reliable, and he ensures that things get done. As an effective networker, he has the sincere desire to help others. I should also say that as a good friend of mine, he understood my aspirations and dreams, and he helped me bring my ideas to life. Many people do not possess these traits of patience and persistence, but with these special attributes aplenty, coupled with a positive attitude, enthusiasm, motivation, and sincerity, Dr. Mohammad Tariq is undoubtedly the foundation and strong pillar of the success story of the Alleem Business Congress.