Category: Business

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) TECNO Mobile – the leading smartphone manufacturer announces the launch of its newest multi-color-changing smartphone CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian in Pakistan. To catch the buzz over TECNO’s new device, tech lovers and design enthusiasts have flocked to both online and offline shops. TECNO stirs the market by storm with the industry’s first 64MP camera features equipped with RGBW + (G+P) technology for even better photography results. The award-winning Slimmest Bezel design is promising enough to enthrall its audience in Pakistan.

Camon 19 Pro Mondrian edition is inspired by the famous Dutch Painter, Piet Mondrian’s abstract paintings. For its amazing design and style, the device has also received a Silver Award and a MUSE DESIGN AWARD. The CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian features Polychromatic isomer technology keeping loyal to its “Industry’s First” and “Segment First” ideologies. The monochrome rear panel of a device can now reliably display various changing colors in the sunlight, creating a vivid “light chasing” effect. Camon 19 Mondrian is the fusion of innovation and technology.

TECNO ranks among the top smartphone brands in Pakistan, according to Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan, who commented on the successful launch of the camera-focused CAMON 19 Pro Mondrian. “With the most recent release of CAMON 19 Mondrian, we hope to continue raising the bar for technology and aesthetics by providing pro-level photographic features in a smartphone at a competitive cost and providing a light-chasing encounter with these color-changing features of Mondrian to satisfy the evolving customer demands.”

Camon 19 Pro Mondrian will be available all across Pakistan in the offline market. You can buy this amazing handset online through Daraz with a complimentary TECNO branding bag at the price of Rs 51,999. Visit the official Facebook account for more news and updates.

Lahore (Nut Desk) Pakistan’s first female led Coworking Space ‘Workshack’ recently launched in Islamabad to accelerate women empowerment across the region. This coworking opportunity is created by the Managing Director Parvin Khudadad, a single mother and an educationist for more than 30 years, and the CEO Tooba Saad Khan, an active Board Member of Industrus Private Limited and Ex-HR Team Member at US Embassy Employees Association. A range of amenities such as Free internet, Free tea & coffee, Electricity with backup, Day Care, Valet parking, TIA-R 3 Cloud Solution, Health Coverage up to Rs. 500,000 per annum per user, Corporate & b2b Solutions, Shuttle Service, Roof Top Cafeteria, Dedicated Cloud Support Team and 24/7 surveillance & Security are housed within the space. While availing these facilities, women will find a networked community of other ambitious women with like-minded goals. Reflecting upon the need of women empowerment, the Managing Director, Ms. Parvin Khudadad commented, “As a single independent mother, I could foresee that the restrictions associated with working women and the challenges they encounter won’t be that simple. Therefore, I always wanted to create such a space for them where they could pursue their businesses and startups smoothly.” Emphasizing upon the significance of women development in Pakistani society, the CEO of foundation Ms. Tooba Saad Khan stated, “Being a mother of a toddler I always wished to start something of my own after my baby. The strenuous work routine and time constraints led me to conceptualize the idea of a co working space where mothers and women like me could work stress free and have no barriers to entry.” Talking on the occasion at the opening ceremony, the Chief Business Officer of Jazz, Mr. Ali Naseer said “Jazz has partnered with Workshack to provide Garaj Services for the female-led startups involved in the co-working space. With organizations shifting to a more hybrid model, co-working spaces are able to provide extensive networking opportunities, fuel innovation and deliver a safe space for entrepreneurs where they are able to network, learn and boost their businesses.” Also present at the said ceremony and commenting on partnership with Workshack, Sardar AbuBakar, The Chief Finance & Digital Officer and SEVP of Mobilink Microfinance Bank said “Ecstatic that Workshack is catering to the needs of female entrepreneurs and budding startups through dedicated co-working spaces & business solutions. Really great focus, & innovation potential” Worksack is now open for business and as their first community welfare gesture, the much-needed female led co-working space has contribute to the great cause of flood disaster and have announced to donate its first deposit of customers to flood victims.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Engr. Syed Ashfaq Hussain, has been elected unopposed as Chairman of the Constructors Association of Pakistan (CAP) while Haji Noor Muhammad Khan as Senior Vice Chairman for the year 2022-2023. Members of the Association also elected unopposed Ch. Amir Majeed as Vice Chairman (Punjab), Syed Muhammad Naeem Kazmi as Vice Chairman (Sindh), Malik Riaz Khan, Vice Chairman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Syed Muhammad Saleem as Vice Chairman (Balochistan), and Munir Ahmad Abbasi as Vice Chairman (Islamabad). Others who were elected unopposed as members of the executive committee are Engr. Shahid Rafiq, Engr. Muhammad Saeed Shamsi, Ch. Sabir Hussain Javid, Saif Ullah Zia from corporate class, while Imran Abbas Awan, Saeed Ahmad Mughal, Sheikh Tariq Nazir were elected as executive committee members from the associate class. Ms. Amna Ghazal Usmani elected from Women Entrepreneurs The outgoing Chairman Engr. Kamal Nasir Khan welcomed the new team and hoped that it would work with full force to resolve the issues being faced by the contractor’s community and construction industry.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan has to increase the usage of quality hybrid seed to save its agriculture from total destruction. Maize and Rice, out of the total five big crops of the country, are the only two crops which are not only meeting the domestic requirements but also being exported to fetch the much desired foreign exchange. Pakistan was expecting rice production during the current season around 9.2-0.5 million metric tons. However, recent heavy monsoon rains and floods have destroyed 30 per cent of the rice crop especially in Sindh. Pakistan Hi-Tech Hybrid Seed Association (PHHSA) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik stated this while talking to media persons here on Thursday on the occasion of first-ever Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association. He regretted that white gold (cotton) is facing very serious situation as Pakistan has to spend a lot of precious foreign exchange on its import to meet the domestic requirement and to fuel the biggest industrial and exporting sector of the country. He called for increasing the use of hi-tech hybrid seed for revival of agriculture in the country. While addressing the members, Shahzad Ali Malik said that their association is still at infancy stage having 102 members but they are striving to push this number to 150 at the earliest. He assured the participants to raise the issue of seed at every level for resolving issues faced by the seed industry. He also handed over a cheque of Rs 4 million to Al-Khidmat association and announced to donate another Rs 1 million for KPK as donation by the Association for helping the flood hit persons in Sindh and flood hit farmers in KPK through PARC. Senior Vice Chairman PHHSA Shafiq ur Rehman in his address stressed the need for strong lobbying by the association members to get their issues resolved. He said seed is a federal subject even the agriculture has been devolved to the provinces after 18th amendment. Members on this occasion also raised the issue of free movement of wheat seed which was hindering their efforts to produce quality seed for the next crop. REAP representative Pir Nazim Hussain Shah, Sajjad Sulaiman Malik and various others also attended the meeting on this occasion.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Have you ever found yourself stuck in a situation where you received your bills before you got your salary or had to bear the late fees because you got your salary after the due date was passed? Then ABHI has brought Pakistanis a unique solution, where they can pay their bill from their earned but unpaid salary.

This is the first time in Pakistan that people can do that. People get tired of budgeting and keeping aside a separate amount for bills every month – which usually ends up getting spent on different things because of inflating prices on everything. But now people can budget better by paying the bills from their salaries before their official payroll date. All people have to do is get their companies onboard with ABHI’s Earned Wage Access Product and help themselves and their colleagues in this time of need.

ABHI, launched in April 2021, is Pakistan’s first financial wellness platform that aims to change the way employees receive and spend their salary by allowing them to access their earned wages in real-time. While also providing support to businesses with the products like payroll processing, payroll financing, and invoice factoring. The company has financially empowered 300+ companies like Alkaram, Gul Ahmed, TPL Corp, United King, Soorty Textiles, Dairyland, HRSG, Cnergyico (Formerly Byco), and Sadaqat Textiles and continues to expand its operations rapidly. If you want to register your company with ABHI or need help to smoothen your business cash flows, visit www.abhi.com.pk and reach out to us for expert advice.

 

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Brainchild Communications Pakistan, the largest media agency in Pakistan according to the latest RECMA media agency rankings report, has restructured its leadership teams to propel new avenues for growth.

Usman Qayam takes over Starcom Pakistan as the new general manager. At the same time, Saud Umar Khan was named the general manager for Publicis Media, and Urooj Hussain was raised to general manager of Mediavest.

Starcom Pakistan

“Usman joined us in 2009 as a management trainee,” said Farhan Khan, the chief executive officer of Brainchild Communications Pakistan. “His experience within the agency network spans a diversified range of businesses, including P&G, National Foods, Dawlance, KFC, HBL, KIA, Engro, TikTok, and Mondelez, to name a few. Usman has been relentless in his pursuit for agency growth and brings passion to the game when working for his clients. His forte has been hand-holding clients when they are looking for communication solutions and leading them to unlock opportunities with market-firsts avenues to test & learn from.​”

An alumnus of SZABIST and an adjunct faculty of management sciences at his alma mater, Qayam has inspired many young graduates to join the Starcom Management Trainee program.

“​He has built a robust client portfolio out of Karachi only with a multi-billion annual turnover alongside winning many awards for his clients. said Khan. “Starcom Pakistan is all about energy, drive, and passion for being the market leader in the coming years, and Usman hopes to carry that challenge moving on.​”

Publicis Media

Starting his career in 2004 with Ufone, Saud Umar Khan has an extensive work experience in the telecommunications sector through the telecom growth years in Pakistan. His last assignment in Pakistan was heading brand communications at Warid Telecom before venturing to the UAE, where he led the commercial team for a construction group.

​”Saud joined us in Islamabad as the Associate Director in July 2017 to manage the regional operations,” said CEO Farhan Khan. “In early 2019, he was challenged to manage a more extensive portfolio in Lahore, becoming the portfolio director for the north region. He not only added new clients but also grew the region to a multi-billion-rupee portfolio, delivering the highest-ever growth. He spearheads Publicis Media across Pakistan with Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad offices.​ He has managed a diverse portfolio of clients, including Coca-Cola, Fauji Foods, Packages, Samsung Electronics, Servis Shoes, Zameen.com, and Zong 4G.​”

Harnessing the power of the modern media landscape to drive one-to-one consumer engagement at scale, Publicis Media creates value for clients through global media agency brands and scaled capabilities across investment, strategy, insights and analytics, data and technology, commerce, performance marketing, and content.​

The media brand was launched in Pakistan after the group won the Nestle media review in Q4 2021, with Publicis Media gearing up to introduce global learnings to the Pakistani market.

Mediavest

Starting her career with Brainchild Communications Pakistan in 2009 as a management trainee, Urooj has worked across multiple functions in media planning, buying, digital, and e-commerce across various categories such as personal care, telecom, and consumer appliances, with a core focus on the FMCG space across multiple local and international brands such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, National Foods, Engro, Dawlance, EFU and more. ​

Launched in 2010, Mediavest is a rising star in the portfolio of Brainchild Communications Pakistan agencies, now boasting a portfolio of clients across over a dozen categories, including telecom, consumer electronics, apparel, and financial services.

“Urooj has contributed an annual billing of over three billion rupees through long-tail SMEs to large multinational clients,” said Farhan Khan. “This spectrum of experience and knowledge enables her to deliver customized, optimized, and business-relevant solutions to all our clients across the spectrum.​”

Restructuring strategy

Rated BBB+ by The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited (PACRA), Brainchild Communications Pakistan is embarking on the next phase of its journey of becoming a full-service advertising agency. Distinct media brands and respective general managers open room for a larger client base without compromising conflict of interest in competing categories.

“Our business direction will be much more experiential and thoughtful about data-driven tactics,” said Benish Irshad, the chief operating officer at Brainchild Communications Pakistan. “Supported by Z2C Limited, our new strategy reflects a bold new vision for evolving Pakistan’s media & technology landscape. We must capture the ever-present growing opportunities of a changing marketplace and reward our senior leadership with a streamlined structure built around clients’ needs.”edia trademarks of the divisions of the Publicis Groupe.

 

 

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) A delegation of the U.S Consulate General led by the U.S Ambassador in Pakistan, Mr. Donald Blome, met with Mr. Imran Amin, Chief Executive Officer of Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA) and Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), to discuss the bilateral business ties between governments and business communities of both countries. The delegation was briefed about ongoing projects and the futuristic approach of Pakistan’s first business district, Central Business District Punjab (CBD Punjab) and World’s Largest Riverfront Project RUDA. The delegation was also given a detailed presentation about the investment potential opportunities, environmental and economic significance of RUDA and CBD Punjab in the development of the province. Mr. Imran Amin, CEO of PCBDDA & RUDA while expressing his views said “the interest of foreign governments and the international business community is a corroboration that CBD Punjab has made a positive impact on the global economic map. CBD Punjab is a novelty in the development of an economically stable and welfare state of Pakistan’’. United States Ambassador and CEO RUDA also discussed projects related to Waste Water Treatment Plants. These plants will have modern infrastructure, ensuring water’s effective management and cleanliness which will be first of its kind in Pakistan. RUDA projects related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT), paperless fully digitized environment was discussed in order to build Pakistan’s largest Smart City.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Faysal Bank Limited (FBL) collaborates with Pakistan Freelancers Association to facilitate the freelancer community through providing Shariah Compliant digital financial solutions and capacity building of freelancers.

The partnership initiated since the inception of Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA), a non-profit organization founded to empower Pakistani freelancers, covers joint mentorship programs, seminars, webinars, conferences, professional training events and certification courses on financial literacy, alongside facilitating Freelancers and start-ups to reach out to FBL for their needs of digital financial services.

FBL Head Corporate and Investment Banking, Mr. Ali Waqar said: “FBL has been at the forefront of digital Pakistan initiative. In order to support freelancers, we were the first commercial bank in Pakistan to join the Global Network of Payoneer, facilitating freelancers and companies in receiving payments via home remittance channels. Moreover, our recent collation with Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is also a testament of the ongoing efforts to support endeavors and activities of mutual interest for the facilitation of freelancers.”

“FBL has launched Burraq Digital Freelancer Account (Islamic), which has opened door to host of banking services, including consumer finance and related payment services. FBL has actively participated in multiple events organized to support the digital technology, youth empowerment and freelancing ecosystem.” Mr. Aneeq Malik, Head of Consumer Finance and Payment Services, FBL added.

Mr.Ibrahim Amin, Co-Founder and Chairman, PAFLA commented: “We are honored to have banking partner like FBL, this collaboration is key enabler for the Digital Pakistan initiative, enabling digital financial services for the growing gig economy. Through this collaboration, both the organizations would continue to extend their digital services to the masses and therefore contribute to the country’s most extensive digital initiative.”

FBL’s partnership with PAFLA will drive financial inclusion. The market opportunity is significant since Freelancing has witnessed an incredible upward trajectory in Pakistan. Pakistani freelancers globally ranks 3rd in software development and technology and generate throughput of approx. $1 Billion annually through providing freelance services on leading global platforms.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Faysal Bank Limited (FBL) joins hands with Pakistan Cricket Board for the promotion of PCB Grassroots Cricket Development Program. An introduction and promotion event was recently held at a local hotel in Karachi in this regard.
 
Faysal Islami, a leading Islamic bank, firmly believes in promoting all initiatives that contribute towards the positive projection of Pakistan, both nationally and internationally. Healthy sporting activities in general, and promotion of our current and future sporting stars in particular, is one avenue through which the Bank is actively playing its part towards a bigger national cause. “Diversity and Inclusion is a part of our core ethos, which entails grooming young talent and engagement on a positive and sustainable basis. The intent has always been to further strengthen the infrastructure for opportunities and development of the youth across all segments of society as we have immense talent that remains untapped,” said Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO of Faysal Bank Limited. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yousaf Hussain applauded the efforts of PCB towards the nurturing of talent in Pakistan and expressed the Bank’s keen intent to aggressively support PCB in this remarkable initiative also. 
 
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Ramiz Raja said “I am delighted to welcome Faysal Bank on board. One of the core objective of the Pakistan Cricket Board is to strengthen the cricket base in the country by providing state-of-the-art facilities and the desired knowledge to cricketers from a very young so they groomed into top-notch cricketers, who are ready to serve the country at the international stage.”
 
He further said “Through this partnership, we will develop a strong grassroots structure to help our up and coming cricketers and bring foreign coaches into our domestic cricket who will impart their vast knowledge and depth about the game. It is vital to have coaches – who have coached and played around the world – at domestic level as that is where a player is fine-tuned and graduates to the international level.”
 
Along with Ramiz Raja (Chairman PCB), the event was attended by PCB Board of Directors, Senior Management of FBL, dignitaries from the corporate world and other legendary cricketers. The guests were excited at the prospect, potential and promise of the program and hoped to see great outcomes as a result of it.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Director General National Logistic Cell (NLC), Major General Yousaf Jamal visited Central Business District (CBD) Punjab to review infrastructural work in progress. Chief Operating Officer of Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), Brigadier (R) Mansoor Janjua, Mr. Riaz Hussain, Executive Director Technical, (PCBDDA) and the support staff of CBD Punjab were also present at the site visit. DG NLC was given a detailed briefing about the progress of the ongoing construction work by Mr. Riaz Hussain, Executive Director Technical, PCBDDA. During the briefing, he talked about the completion of the excavation, column work, steel fixtures and concrete pouring for the raft of the under-construction parking plaza along with the overall infrastructure work in progress. Talking on the occasion Brigadier (R) Mansoor Janjua, Chief Operating Officer of PCBDDA said” the pace of the construction of parking plaza and infrastructure work of phase 1 is very encouraging. We have a healthy working relationship with NLC and our other consultants onboard, with their continuous support we will deliver a world-class amenity to the residents of the district”. While sharing his views during the visit DG NLC said “I can witness the progress in the construction of the parking plaza and infrastructure development. The synchronization between the consultants and CBD Punjab site support team is laudable which has made the construction work flawless”. He further added that as a contractor NLC will ensure that international standards are being implemented throughout the construction process. High-end quality standards and procedures are being observed during the construction of the parking plaza and infrastructure development at the CBD Punjab site, which is a step forward in turning the dream of an economically stable Pakistan into reality.