Building success, together
Our Team
Board of Directors
Noor Zehra Kazim - CEO
Sagar Veena maestro and composer, Noor Zehra Kazim has dedicated the past 40 years of her life to the practice of music. She has played a significant role in the development of the Sagar Veena since its creation in 1971 and has received critical acclaim for her performances both nationally and internationally, touring China, Japan, India, and Norway for her concerts.
She was also an integral part of the first Musicology department set up by the Institute in collaboration with the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, in 2001. She is currently on a musical journey with the purpose of creating ‘Sanjan Sangeet’ and producing more players of the Sagar Veena.
Baela Raza Jamil - Director
Baela Raza Jamil is an educationist, activist, and public policy expert, currently serving as the CEO of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA). She is the founder of the Children’s Literature Festival/Pakistan Learning Festival and the managing trustee of the Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust (SNPET).
Having served as the former Technical Adviser to the Federal Ministry of Education, Pakistan and as a member of multiple national and international education forums, she spearheads nationwide social movements for education and learning reforms, foundational learning, and research and innovations in Early Years education.
Beena Raza - Director
An education and communication specialist with a multi-disciplinary background, Beena Raza has over 30 years of experience in educational management, teaching, project management and promoting South Asian culture and arts.
As Pakistan’s leading female sitar player, she has performed on different musical forums and is a part of the Institute’s core Musicology team. She was also extensively involved in setting up and teaching at the first ever four-year undergraduate program in Musicology at the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore.
Sadia Tariq - Director
With an MA in Economics from Punjab University (1994), and an MSc. in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics (1996), Sadia Tariq has been a pivotal member of the Philosophy Department at the Institute since 1997.
She has been involved in writing, transcribing, editing and compiling the department’s core philosophical work, ‘Evolutionary Mentology’ – a new body of interdisciplinary inquiry and knowledge. Based on this work she has also been publishing research papers in International Journals. Her recent work focuses on applying philosophical insights from her work in Evolutionary Mentology to the Social Sciences. She is also a freelance consultant involved in various social development projects.
Iram Tauqir - Director
Iram Tauqir began her journey at the Institute in 1995, as a Research Assistant in the Philosophy Department, after completing an MA in Economics from Punjab University, Lahore. With over 25 years of experience in research and writing, she has been instrumental in editing and compiling the Department’s core philosophical work ‘Evolutionary Mentology’.
She is also a co-author in the international publications produced by the Department. Alongside Philosophy she has also been learning to play the Sagar Veena and practice vocal music in consonance with the core ideas developed in the Musicology Department.
