Aziz Memon becomes first-ever Rotary Foundation trustee from Pakistan

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Aziz Memon, an acclaimed entrepreneur and philanthropist, has become the first-ever trustee of the Rotary Foundation from Pakistan in more than 100-year old history of the global organization.

The Rotary Board of Directors selected him to this coveted position, in their meeting held on October 23, 2019, for a period of four years. His term will commence on July 1, 2020. 

The Rotary Foundation, headquartered in Illinois, USA, is organized as a public charity operated exclusively for charitable purposes and governed by a Board of Trustees. 

The operations of Rotary International, a member organization, are overseen by its Board of Directors. 

Rotary International had come to this part of the world in 1927 when the first club was chartered in Lahore. It has taken 92 years for a Pakistani to acquire a position on the Rotary Board of Trustees and this achievement of Aziz Memon has been widely applauded.

Having served the Rotary cause with exemplary selflessness and intense compassion, he has been in the forefront in the mission to eradicate polio from Pakistan as Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee member and Chair of National PolioPlus Committee. 

Aziz Memon is hailed for being largely instrumental in restricting the transmission of polio virus through myriad interventions; which also include the provision safe drinking water to the residents of low-lying areas in the form of solar water filtration and reverse osmosis plants.  

He has been admired for his efforts to galvanize meaningful public opinion through eliciting views of well-respected national and international personalities. 

He undertakes such a service under the auspices of a revered social forum and serves as the President of English Speaking Union of Pakistan (ESUP). 

This social entity runs a global network and is headed by the Princess Anne of the UK. The ESUP provides educational and research facilities to students from Pakistan and offers them regular scholarships to study in prestigious academic institutions of the world. 

As an entrepreneur, Aziz Memon has been a success story in the textile industry and he has worked tirelessly for the cause of trade and commerce. His efforts have greatly helped in earning precious foreign exchange for the country. 

He also heads the United Memon Jamat, a conglomerate of various bodies catering to the needs of the large Memon community residing in Pakistan.