Prior to his current role as Vice-Chancellor of LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences), Arshad Ahmad served as Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning at McMaster University in Canada. He is also past President of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and past Vice President of the International Consortium of Educational Developers. Arshad completed his MBA and PhD in educational psychology at McGill University, received a lifetime 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 1992, and was a professor of finance at Concordia and McMaster Universities.

In 2022, Arshad was recognized as the International Educator of the Year by the Academy of International Business, and the CASE Asia-Pacific Leadership Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. His research interests are in impact assessment, teaching philosophies, student evaluation and pedagogical partnerships.