Firoz Rasul

Mr Firoz Rasul joined Aga Khan University as its President on May 1, 2006. Prior to this, he was involved with the building of several business enterprises and development of social and community institutions.

Mr Rasul served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ballard Power Systems, a world leader in fuel cell technology from December 1988 until June 2003 and served as Chairman of the Board from June 2003 until May 2004. Before that he was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Mobile Data International (MDI) from 1981 until its takeover by its largest competitor, Motorola, in 1988 and prior to that worked with Black and Decker and General Foods Corporation in Europe.

His leadership of enterprises in the technology sector has allowed Mr Rasul to gain extensive experience in the management and oversight of research and development, the protection of intellectual property and the forging of productive collaborations with universities in the United States and Canada.

Mr Rasul's voluntary contributions include serving as Chairman, FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance Canada, as a member of the University of British Columbia's Board of Governors and as a Director of Science World British Columbia. He was also on the Boards of TELUS, a national telecommunications company in Canada, and the Royal Bank Capital Corporation. Mr Rasul was also President of the Aga Khan Council for Canada for six years and led the development of various high level projects for the Aga Khan Development Network, including The Global Centre of Pluralism and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

Mr Rasul received a Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom and a Masters degree in Business Administration from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Simon Fraser University in British Columbia conferred the Degree of Doctors of Laws, honoris causa, on Mr Rasul in 2001.