HUM Network’s CEO Duraid Qureshi bestowed with Sitara-e-Imtiaz

ISLAMABAD: Renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Duraid Qureshi was honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s third-highest civilian award, in recognition of his significant contributions to the media industry and his commendable efforts in the education sector.

President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari presented the award to the CEO and Founder of Hum Network Limited Duraid Qureshi during a prestigious ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Saddar in Islamabad.

Duraid Qureshi is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, as well as the CEO and Founder of Pakistan’s largest private TV channel HUM Network Limited. – an entertainment and news organisation he established with his mother Sultana Siddiqui in 2004, with an aim to promote a positive and softer image of Pakistan, as well as its culture on a global scale.

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HUM Network Limited was the first publically-listed media company in Pakistan and under Mr Qureshi’s leadership, the network has earned a reputation for transparency, honest dealings, and commitment to good governance.

The launch of HUM TV turned around the Pakistani entertainment landscape by offering high-quality content, ending the dominance of foreign content and providing a platform to Pakistani artists, writers, directors, and production teams to showcase their talents locally and globally. Today, HUM TV is popular not only in Pakistan but also in the neighbouring countries as well as the Urdu/Hindi speaking communities worldwide.

Mr Qureshi’s sharp business acumen also led to the launch of South Asia’s first and the world’s third 24-hour food TV channel, ‘HUM Masala,’ in 2006, which to date, remains one of the country’s favourite food channels. Shortly after HUM Masala, Mr. Qureshi introduced a third channel under HUM Network named Style360, later renamed HUM Sitaray to highlight the diverse fashion culture of Pakistan and promote the local fashion industry.

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In 2017, Mr Qureshi launched ‘HUM News,’ which within a span of five years, has become a tier-1 news channel in Pakistan.

The most recent entrant into the HUM family has been ‘Ten Sports’ of which HNL acquired the rights in 2023.

In order to support and revive the declining Pakistani film industry, Mr. Qureshi established HUM Films, a distribution company that markets Pakistani films worldwide. HUM Films has successfully distributed our movies in Europe, the USA, Canada, and other international territories, opening new markets for Pakistani films.

Mr Qureshi’s visionary approach towards promoting media and his ability to foresee industry trends have kept HUM Network ahead of the curve, positioning him as one of the most influential media executives in Pakistan.

In addition to his professional achievements, Mr Qureshi is well-known for his philanthropic work. He not only actively supports various NGOs in the education sector, but has also established Momina & Duraid (M&D) Foundation to assist people for whom making ends meet on a daily basis has been a constant challenge. The foundation has also adopted 28 semi-functional schools in Sindh and is working actively towards providing free, quality education to hundreds of children to enable them to become productive citizens of the society.

Mr Qureshi’s commitment to the betterment of society and in recognition of his dedicated and outstanding services in the field of Media, the KSE (The Karachi stock Exchange Limited) and Mass Human Resource Services, presented the “Best CEO Awards in Media Sector” to him in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He also received the ‘Pride of LUMS’ Award’ in 2014.

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An alumnus of the Lahore University of Management Sciences and Harvard Business School, Mr Qureshi values service to the nation and passionately advocates nation building to improve the country’s infrastructure, education, social development and welfare. He believes nation building is a crucial exercise for the establishment of robust political institutions and a transparent governance system, cultivate a sense of ownership and participation among people and promote a more stable and prosperous society.

The Sitara-i-Imtiaz is bestowed upon individuals who have made exceptional contributions to Pakistan’s security, national interests, world peace, cultural advancement, or significant public initiatives.