Najam Keynote Explores Impacts of Technological Disruption
On October 22, 2022, Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations and Earth and Environment at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, delivered a keynote address at +92Disrupt, the largest start-up and venture capital conference in Pakistan.
Hosted by Katalyst Labs, +92Disrupt brought together a mix of expert panels, keynote sessions, relevant workshops, competitive hackathons, and fireside chats with the most notable stakeholders in the start-up ecosystem of Pakistan. Najam’s keynote challenged the participants to think of their “responsibility to society” when they “disrupt.” Najam set the tone for the event by speaking about the “real” challenges and responsibilities of Pakistan’s growing tech startup ecosystem, emphasizing that Pakistan is being shaped by two restless and volatile forces: the youth of Pakistan and its climate. He also argued that if a technological and economic ecosystem is not made better by disruptive innovation, it’s just destruction. “Remember, disruption is not a game, it is a responsibility,” Najam said in closing.
An excerpt:
How would you feel the impact of your decision on your fintech 10 minutes from now? 10 months from now? And 10 years from now? If the impact looks great, then you have got a winner on your hands. But remember, in 10 years a lot can change.
For more information on the conference, visit the +92Disrupt website.
Adil Najam is a global public policy expert who served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and was the former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His research focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to global climate change, South Asia, Muslim countries, environment and development, and human development. Read more about Najam on his faculty profile.