Hameed Haroon
Encyclopedia
Introduction
Hameed Haroon is Chief Executive Officer of Dawn Media GroupDawn Media Group
The Dawn Media Group is the trading name of Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd., a Pakistani media company. It started using this trading name in 2008 "to reflect the Group's transformation from a publisher of newspapers and magazines into a powerful multimedia group" .-Ownership:The Karachi based...
(DMG), Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
’s leading media conglomerate. The Group comprises Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Limited, the printers and publishers of the Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
newspaper and three leading magazines, the Herald
Herald (Pakistan)
The Herald is a monthly magazine published in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a political magazine owned by Pakistan Herald Publications Limited , which also publishes the Dawn Group of Newspapers. It is considered to be a neutral magazine and produces many large or breaking stories...
(a current affairs monthly) Spider
Spider (magazine)
Spider is an illustrated literary magazine designed for children from 6 to 9 years old. Started in January 1994, the magazine is published in the United States by The Cricket Magazine Group, which is owned by the Carus Publishing Company. The magazine publishes original short stories, poems,...
(information technology) and Aurora (marketing and advertising); Dawn News
Dawn News
Dawn News was Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited , Pakistan's largest English-language media group. The test transmission of the station occurred on May 25, 2007, and the channel went live on July 23, 2007...
, Pakistan’s first English-language news channel; the City FM 89
City fm 89
CityFM89 is a Pakistani radio station network. It is broadcast from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad. It was established in 2004 and is a subsidiary company of the The DAWN Media Group CityFM89 is Pakistan’s No.1 FM Network...
radio station network; and Dawn.com, arguably Pakistan’s most visited news web portal.
Life
Hameed Haroon was born in Karachi, SindhSindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
on October 27, 1953. He is currently the CEO of Dawn Group of Newspapers. He has a master’s degree in Regional Studies (East Asia) from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and a double master’s in Political Economy and Economics from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He also holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Economics from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Career
Hameed Haroon’s career in media commenced at Dawn as a cub features writer in 1969. He took a break to complete his education rejoining in 1980. In 1998 he became Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of Dawn newspaper. Hameed Haroon has been the president-elect of the All Pakistan Newspapers SocietyAll Pakistan Newspapers Society
All Pakistan Newspapers Society is the organization of the major Pakistani newspapers owners. Its election is held every year and three major groups of newspapers are the major players, and they are: Jang Group, Dawn Group and Nawa-i-Waqt Group. These groups are accused for bribing the smaller...
, the apex body of all the major newspapers and magazines in Pakistan, five times.
Hameed Haroon has a penchant for creativity and developing communication design for media. This has caused him to be deeply involved in most (if not all) creative endeavours undertaken by The Dawn Media Group. From designing logos of group companies to advertising campaigns, Hameed Haroon’s association with the process has been pivotal. He has helped Dawn achieve two INMA’s (1998 and 1999) for television promotion and advertising respectively.
Hameed Haroon has played a major role in the promotion of culture, music and arts, and the conservation of archaeological heritage. He serves and has served on various committees related to the above such as the Mohatta Palace Gallery Trust, Lahore Museum
Lahore Museum
Lahore Museum , established in 1894, is located in The Mall, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Rudyard Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the famous curators of the museum. Over 250,000 admissions were registered in 2005.-Attractions:...
, Executive Committee for the Development of Mohenjadaro, Committee for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Monuments, and the National Cultural Heritage Committee. He was the co-curator of The Holy Sinner – a major retrospective of the non-calligraphic works of Sadequain
Sadequain
Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi , Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, also often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash, was a world-renowned Pakistani artist, best known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter...
, Pakistan’s well–known artist. He was also the moving spirit for the 600 page catalogue of this colossal exhibition, the longest running art exhibition in Pakistan’s history. In 2004, he curated another spectacular exhibition entitled “Jewel in the Crown - Karachi under the Raj 1843-1947”. This exhibition brought together over 200 photographs, portraits and artefacts providing rare insights into Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
from another era.
He is associated with the publishing and reprinting of seven books on art, The Raj Library – a fascinating and comprehensive collection of 25 books on Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and its cultural hinterland and The Raj Audio Library – a rare compilation of music consisting of songs from the end of the British era and a musical tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
, one of Pakistan’s unsung Messiahs. In 2004 Hameed Haroon was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civil award, in recognition for his contributions to the promotion of art and culture.
Hameed Haroon has represented the Pakistani media at various forums, speaking on issues related to media, art, politics, education, communications, advertising, etc. These include IC 2008, London, Eurasian Media Forum 2008, Kazakhstan, First UN Alliance of Civilizations forum Spain, Asia House
Asia House
Asia House, is a non-profit, non-political Pan-Asian organisation in the UK. It was founded in 1996 by a small group led by Sir Peter Wakefield, a former diplomat who died aged 89 in December 2010...
, UK, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
USA, IAA, Dubai, House of Lords, UK etc.
In 2006 the President of Italy conferred on him the Italian Order of Merit as one of the "most outstanding public personalities in Pakistan". In addition he has also received the Shah Abdul Latif Award, Asian Federation of Advertising Association’s Plaque of Appreciation and Institute of Architects of Pakistan Award.
Hameed is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has a large private collection of paintings and books.
See also
- Abdullah Haroon
- Hussain HaroonHussain HaroonAbdullah Hussain Haroon is the current Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations since September 2008. A scion of the Haroon family, he is a businessman, social activist and a former Sindh Assembly speaker who was a board member of various educational institutes, sports associations and charity...
- Lady Abdullah HaroonLady Abdullah HaroonLady Abdullah Haroon , real name Nusrat Khanum, was a supporter of female education and female rights in the province of Sindh. She was born in a Shia family in Iran but later settled in Karachi where in 1914 she was married to local business man and politician Sir Abdullah Haroon...
- Yusuf HaroonYusuf HaroonMuhammad Yusuf Abdullah Haroon was a politician from Sindh, Pakistan.The eldest of Sir Haji Abdullah Haroon’s sons, he worked closely with Quaid-e-Azam as his ADC and was active in the Pakistan Movement...
- Mahmoud HaroonMahmoud HaroonMahmoud Abdullah Haroon Urdu: محمود ہارون was a veteran Pakistani politician with career spanning over five decades and chairman of the Dawn Media Group. He was the second son of Haji Sir Abdullah Haroon, the first being Yusuf Haroon, one of the leaders of Pakistan Movement...