Category: Business

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Beaconhouse, a global network of private schools and institutes educating over 315,000 students in seven countries, has partnered with Tech Valley, an innovative digital consulting firm and trusted country partner of Google for Education in Pakistan. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties to work towards incorporating different Google technologies in Beaconhouse schools, carrying forward its mission to inculcate global best practices to improve education delivery. Under this MoU, Tech Valley, with the support of international Google for Education teams, will assist Beaconhouse in procuring and incorporating Chromebooks for their programmes such as Homebridge and the inception of the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) model on their campuses. Additionally, Tech Valley will conduct training for teachers and admin staff to help them effectively utilise Google technologies such as Google Workspace and Google Cloud Platform. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ali Ahmed Khan, Chief Operating Officer of Beaconhouse, said, “Beaconhouse looks forward to working with the Google for Education team and its local partner, Tech Valley. As its first education sector partner, we are excited to kick off this project and empower our students with Google tools and devices.” Umar Farooq, CEO, Tech Valley, noted that as a local partner of Google for Education in Pakistan, their goal is to revolutionise the education sector of Pakistan by empowering students, teachers, and administrators with a simple solution for intuitive, and easy-to-manage teaching and learning model through Chromebooks and other Google technologies. Paul Hutchings, Country Manager, Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan; and Tim Paolini, APAC Sales Lead from Google for Education, also joined the ceremony remotely. The aim of this project is to equip students and teachers with the latest devices and acquaint them with technology through an easier and more flexible education model. Undoubtedly, it is time to move away from the traditional learning style and adopt technologies to help students adapt to the dynamic high-tech environment.

Pak-Qatar General Takaful signed MOU with ICAP (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan) to provide exclusive discounted Takaful products.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pak-Qatar General Takaful Limited (Part of Pakistan’s Pioneer and the largest Takaful Group) recently signed an agreement with The Institute of Chartered Accountants (a professional accountancy body in Pakistan) in order to provide Takaful services on exclusive discount to Members, Affiliates, Students and Staff of ICAP.

The ceremony took place at ICAP’s Head Office, Karachi The MoU was signed by Mr. Saqib Zeeshan (DCEO) – PQGTL, Syed Masood Akhtar ( Secretary- ICAP), Mr. Ashfaq Yousuf Tola ( President ICAP), Mr. Mehmood Arshad (Executive Director – PQGTL), Mr. Muhammad Zohaib Ali Khan (Vice President – PQGTL).

While speaking in the occasion Mr. Saqib Zeeshan Said, “This partnership between Pak-Qatar General Takaful and The Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan will help to take forward our long-term vision of providing Takaful and will increase awareness amongst the masses about Takaful coverages.

Karachi (Nut Desk) Faysal Bank Limited organized a heartwarming ceremony for flag hoisting on August 14th, 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of Pakistan, at their iconic Abdullah Haroon Road branch. Celebrations of the 75th anniversary required a platinum edge, therefore FBL decided to showcase Pakistan’s inclusivity by inviting the Special Olympic athletes to grace the occasion.

Athletes from Pakistan chapter of Special Olympics were invited to join FBL in this grand celebration of Pakistan’s Independence Day. FBL is enthusiastic to have these special champions shine with equal resonance.  The reverberation of their achievements becomes equally treasurable.

 Sports in Pakistan may have carried a national Flag, but their emotional impact far outweighs any other effect. 40 members of the athletic team joined the FBL families on Sunday morning to be part of flag hoisting ceremony along with cake cutting ceremony and Prizes were also distributed among special athletes to recognize their efforts in the field of sports despite having challenges. Each person held on to a mini flag to flutter and add cheer to an already vibrant environment

 “Faysal Islami strongly believes in inclusion from all segments of the society.” Yousaf Hussain, the President, and CEO of FBL reiterated FBL’s mission as part of its strategic objectives. “On this special day of 75th year of our independence it is important to remember that we have to work towards the shining Pakistan, FBL plays its role by providing economic opportunities in a Shariah Compliant manner.’’ He further elaborated on the importance for society to endorse this need for inclusion and allow youth to aim for their dreams irrespective of their challenges.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Lahore Central Business District Development Authority (LCBDDA) also known as Central Business District Punjab (CBD Punjab) enthralls the patriotic passion with Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day celebration at CBD House Punjab. The ceremony loaded with patriotic zeal was attended by Mr. Imran Amin-CEO LCBDDA, Brigadier (R) Mansoor Janjua-COO LCBDDA, Directorate Heads, Management Officials and the entire ancillary staff of LCBDDA. The celebration began with flag hosting at CBD House Punjab, along with special prayers for the development and safety of the country, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony that enhanced the charm of the celebration. CBD Punjab family added to the celebration by recreating the iconic national song “Yeh Watan Tumhara Ha” as a tribute to our beloved homeland. Mr. Imran Amin-CEO of LCBDDA while expressing his views said “as a nation, we have seen challenging times and have come together united as one nation to overcome them. During these moments of celebration and joy, please take a minute to remember how truly fortunate we are to be able to celebrate our freedom. LCBDDA feels immense pride that we have played a pivotal role in the journey of development by establishing Pakistan’s first business district. In a short span of time, CBD Punjab has ameliorated Pakistan’s image on the global economic map and is committed to striving for the development of Pakistan with full zeal and passion”. On the account of the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan, the CBD family extends its wishes to our nation fellows on this auspicious occasion and prays that we see our flag waving with the true Pakistan spirit. Today CBD Punjab has reaffirmed its commitment for the development of the country. The future projects of the authority will be an epitome of excellence for the homeland which will surely enlist Pakistan in first-world countries.

QUETTA (NUT DESK)  Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) is contributing US$150,000 to Balochistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to support its relief efforts in the wake of unprecedented floods in the region. Remote communities in the province were hardest hit by the heavy monsoon rains which killed more than 500 people in Pakistan.

In a phone call today with the province’s chief minister, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Barrick President and Chief Executive Mark Bristow expressed the company’s condolences on the loss of life and suffering inflicted on the people of Balochistan. He said the contribution to the emergency fund was a demonstration of the spirit of partnership in which Barrick, Balochistan and Pakistan had embarked on the reconstitution and restart of the Reko Diq project, which holds one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits.

Balochistan will have a 25% fully funded share in the project (10% free carried and 15% to be funded by the federal government). Pakistani state-owned enterprises will hold another 25% and Barrick, with 50%, will operate the mine. “Balochistan will benefit enormously from its stake in the mine. Even before construction starts, once the legalisation process has been completed and the project reconstituted, we will start implementing social development programs representing an estimated investment of US$70 million over the construction period.

In addition, Reko Diq will advance royalties of up to US$5 million in the first year, up to US$7.5 million in the second and up to US$10 million thereafter until construction starts,” Bristow said. During peak construction the project is expected to employ approximately 7,500 people and once in production it will create 4,000 full-time jobs. Its policy of local procurement will stimulate the development of a robust local economy. “Reko Diq has an estimated life of at least 40 years, so it will be generating substantial benefits for its Balochistan stakeholders for generations to come,” Bristow said.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  Strengthening its long-standing commitment to the nation’s unity this Independence Day, BankIslami held the Azadi Walk for its employees with the support of Commissioner Karachi Division. The Azadi Walk took place in the afternoon of 12th August, starting at Metropole and ending at the Commissioner’s office. The event was attended by CEO BankIslami Syed Amir Ali, Commissioner Karachi Mohammed Iqbal Memon , and senior Bank management and government officials. BankIslami is also proudly sponsoring the upcoming “Platinum Jubilee Youm-e-Azadi Pakistan Festival” organized by Commissioner Karachi Division.

BankIslami has been at the forefront of renewing the national spirit of freedom, progress, and inclusion every year with meaningful and engaging employee activities. And this time, they have taken it a step further and beyond. This year’s walk was significantly bigger and on a much larger scale. The walk was followed by speeches by the Bank’s CEO, senior management and the event’s esteemed guests. The event was then brought to a close with a special shield distribution ceremony and a Hi-tea for the attendees.

President and CEO BankIslami, Syed Amir Ali commented on the occasion, “Not only is this a great opportunity to change scenery on this auspicious occasion of our beloved nation’s independence, but also a refreshing team-building event for our staff participating today. We are united here today in our common interest of redefining togetherness and creating the world that we want; a world where everyone walks the path of life together, and no one is left behind.”

BankIslami is the country’s first scheduled Islamic Bank with more than 340 branches spread across the country in 123 cities. The Bank specializes in RIBA-free products and services which are delivered to customers in the most efficient and user-friendly manner.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) Lahore chapter has called upon the government to engage overseas Pakistanis in joint ventures and other investment opportunities in the country by extending a package of incentives including tax-holiday packages. However, all the efforts should be made that any overseas investment should not come in real estate and any other such sectors where investment is considered as dead investment. Rather it should be directed to such ventures which should create more job opportunities, increase the manufacturing and value-addition activities thus producing a win-win situation for the government, the investors and the masses.

Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) Lahore chapter President Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer in a statement issued here Friday said that if the government wanted to stabilize the economy then it should focus to convince the overseas Pakistanis to invest in the country instead of looking towards obtaining new loans. However, he said that there is a trend that overseas invests in the real estate and properties considering it a safe and more returning sector.

However, Pakistan needs that they should come in to production sectors which could enable the country producing more value-added items and more revenue for the country and jobs for the youth. Ejaz said that overseas Pakistanis could be convinced to bring technology from their respective countries of living. He said on the other hand the government should make such laws and regulations which could save these overseas investors from fraud or any other hood wink. He said investors should be given a complete package which could save their money, earn them good return and help put the national economy on its own foot.

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) Excel Labs organized the launch of its Melody Branch, a multi-specialty center, with an open house in Islamabad on 12^th August, 2022. The ribbon cutting was performed by Senator Mushahid Hussain, who congratulated Excel labs on introducing such a fine quality unit in the heart of city where it was much needed.

The center situated at Melody Market, G-6 Markaz adjacent to GPO Islamabad and offers a state of art GE Optima 520, CT scanner which performs high resolution images with 70% lower radiation. A Fuji Digital x-ray unit provides images and reporting promptly. The GE Ultrasound unit installed does regular and Doppler studies. Full lab services with urgent reporting are also available.

Excel Labs is Pakistan’s most trusted state-of-the-art diagnostics organization with over 100 collection centres across Pakistan. It was founded upon core values of patient service and quality testing. During the past 28 years, Excel Labs has built a reputation for excellence in both of them and from a small local lab; it has grown to become a national network serving each patient with the same care and service.

CEO Karandaaz, Waqas ul Hasan, shared that the capital contribution by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office has enabled Karandaaz to make an investment in Excel labs which has not only helped the business grow and create more jobs but provided an additional support to Excel Labs to quickly establish COVID-19 testing capacity after the pandemic broke out.

On the occasion, Dr. Naseer Ahmad expressed his gratitude to the all the guests for participating and pledged to continue providing state of the art services across the country. He remarked that there is a great need for high quality healthcare in Islamabad and this center provides a neat and clean environment for patients who can avail multiple services without waiting for an appointment.

Akzo Nobel Pakistan paints the colours of patriotism with #PehchaanKaRung

encouraging skilled youth of today to contribute to nation-building

Pakistan (Nut Desk) On the momentous occassion of the 75 years of Independence of Pakistan, AkzoNobel – the maker of Dulux brand of decorative paints, today launched a powerful social campaign ‘PehchanKaRung’ to inspire today’s youth to play an active role in shaping the destiny of the country.

As a global colour expert, AkzoNobel knows the importance of colours in our lives. Homes are much more than walls, they symbolise identity, respect, emotions and their most cherished moments. For nearly five decades now, Dulux Paints have been an instrinsic part of every family’s life in Pakistan. The over 2,000 vibrant colours of Dulux have b een protecting the interior and exterior of homes and adding colours to the lives of families.

Elaborating on #PehchanKaRung, Mubbasher Omar, Chief Executive Officer, AkzoNobel Pakistan Limited. states, “As a responsible corporate, AkzoNobel is committed to contribute to the sustainable future of Pakistan. For decades, the vibrant colours of Dulux have been bringing alive our identity as individuals and families. As we near the historic 75 years of Independence of Pakistan, let us celebrate our identity as responsible citizens of Pakistan and contribute to the future of our country.”

Through the latest social activism movement on the occasion of Pakistan’s 75 years of Independence; AkzoNobel is reinforcing that homeland comes before home and will always be the biggest part of every Pakistani citizen’s identity. The campaign, narrated through the lens of a young architect urges the youth of today – the intellectual capital of the country to realize their responsibility and contribute to the progress of Pakistan.