Alumni Insights Lecture: Experiments in Global Design Practice: The VERITAS Adventure
Join us for a GSD Alumni Insights Lecture with David Mizan Hashim (MArch '86) as he discusses the global adventures of VERITAS, the multi-disciplinary design practice he founded immediately after graduation and returning to his home in Malaysia. David will speak about how an award-winning international practice from a developing nation evolved from its humble beginnings into one of the largest design firms in the ASEAN region. His presentation will investigate the cultural, entrepreneurial and political instincts that are necessary to navigate the complex ecosystem of global design practice, with special focus on the evolution of the Asian city.
David obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from MIT in 1983 before moving up-river to Harvard in the same year. Upon graduation from the GSD in 1986 he was awarded the prestigious Aga Khan travel fellowship for studies in Islamic architecture in the ASEAN region. Soon after, he founded VERITAS, which has evolved into a multi-disciplinary design practice which provides architecture, planning, landscape and interior design, environmental consulting, quantity surveying and project management services across the world. VERITAS offices are located in several cities throughout Malaysia, as well as Portland OR, London, Melbourne, Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai.
David is a fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Architects and an associate member of the American Institute of Architects. He has received many personal accolades over the years such as Most Outstanding Entrepreneur from the Malaysian Junior Chamber of Commerce, Brand Icon Leadership award from the Malaysian branding authority and was twice a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Malaysian Master Entrepreneur award. David has been President of the Malaysian chapter of the global Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and the World Entrepreneur’s Organization (WEO).
His recognition as a successful entrepreneur is only exceeded by recognition of the design awards VERITAS has received over the last 3 decades. These include innumerable prizes from the Malaysian Institute of Architects, Malaysian Institute of Landscape Architects, Malaysian Institute of Interior Design, Cityscape Dubai, Building Construction Investment Asia (BCIAsia), FIABCI, CNBC and others. David’s work at VERITAS has been featured in countless media forums including Forbes and Bloomberg, CEO magazine and the Robb Report.
Following the lecture, the audience is encouraged to participate in a Q&A with Hashim. Questions? Contact alumni@gsd.harvard.edu.