Category: Business

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has marked his presence at traditional Pakistan Breakfast in sidelines of World Economic Forum at Davos on May 25, 2022. Pakistan Breakfast is Pakistan’s signature event which is held on every WEF annual meeting to discuss Pakistan’s economic & political situation. 

Pakistan Breakfast was hosted by a think tank Pathfinders in collaboration Martin Dow Group while Chief Minister Sind Murad Ali Shah, Federal Minister for Environment & Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister of State on Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar also attended the session along with a large number of government officials and members of business community.

While addressing the audience on this occasion, FM Bilawal shared Pakistan’s perspective on the economic and social impacts of the evolving geopolitical developments. Pakistan will never compromise on its national interest whenever it engages with any other country diplomatically or economically, minister stressed. The minister was of the viewpoint that we can demonstrate domestically and internationally that Pakistan is a functioning state who is willing to help itself, and then the international community will also understand our potential and help us grow further.

While stressing upon better relations with neighboring countries, Bilawal Bhutto said that we would soon be witnessing the day when Pakistan would be enjoying friendly relation with all of its neighbors including India. The minister also shed light on several other issues including the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, food and energy security, and climate change.

Managing Director World Economic Forum Mr. Jeremy Jurgen also shared his views on this occasion. He shed light on global trade facts and opportunities specifically for developing countries. 

The exclusive breakfast session was moderated by Co-founder Pathfinder Group Mr. Zarrar Sehgal who welcomed the guests and shared the objectives of bringing such interactive sessions. While sharing his viewpoint, Mr. Sehgal said that Pakistan have huge potential for investors and may play a pivotal role in regional growth.  Head of Martin Dow Group Mr. Ali Akhai also shared his views on this occasions.

Pakistan Breakfast is one of Pakistan’s major event which has been conducted regularly in the sidelines of World Economic Forum and for last many years it is being sponsored by Pathfinders Group and Martin Dow Group. The World Economic Forum annually brings together political and business leaders as well as representatives from international organizations, civil society and youth representations from across the world to deliberate and identify pathways to overcome economic, social and environmental challenges.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s leading FMCG Company, English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt.) Ltd (EBM), has been honored by the Employees Federation of Pakistan (EFP) with two awards at the 16th International Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellbeing (OSHW) awards. EBM has won the first position with an excellence award in the food sector. Mr. Anas Hammad, Group Lead EHS, EBM, has been awarded the ambassador award from EFP.

EBM has once again proved to be a frontrunner in workplace health and safety and in maintaining occupational safety and health standards best practices. Along with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications, EBM has developed companywide consistent inspection, reporting and tracking systems with area specific manager’s toolboxes which support health and safety standards. In addition to more than 580 training sessions held for employees in the past years, EBM has also launched a behavior-based safety program, a robust emergency response plan, state-of-the art firefighting system as part of the regular trainings and drills.

When it comes to the physical and mental well-being of employees, EBM is a thought leader and has always prioritized efforts aimed at nourishing its workforce. It recently worked with CERB to hold a workshop on the importance of employee wellbeing as an important factor in employee growth and prosperity.

Upon receiving the awards, EBM’s Deputy Managing Director, Saadia Naveed expressed her views and said, “It’s a delight to be recognized by the EFP for our dedication to employee well-being and safety. It’s a matter of great honour for us to be internationally recognized and appreciated. We remain committed to introducing initiatives that will benefit our employees and the community at large.” The International Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellbeing has been celebrated by EFP for the past 15 years, appreciating the efforts of organizations that manage the well-being of their workforce.

 

Karachi (Nut Desk)

As an extreme heatwave gripped Karachi, KE partnered with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sindh to provide a day-long “Heatwave Relief Training” to KE’s Roshni Bajis and “Mohallah Safety Champions”, encompassing education on basic first aid, heat illness, treatment of heatstroke and heat exhaustion, enabling the participants to become first responders in an emergency.

The Roshni Bajis are KE’s neighborhood safety ambassadors who have been engaging residents across Karachi’s most densely populated areas since 2021, spreading awareness on the basic principles of general safety, electrical safety, rain safety, hazards of power theft and energy conservation. The first cohort was inducted in February 2021 with 40 women, while the second cohort of 60 women began their activity in November.

Collectively, these women have been able to reach over 380,000 households across Karachi educating the public on how to use electricity safely within their homes. Faulty or makeshift wiring inside premises is a leading cause of injury and poses a grave risk to the public. Many of these incidents could have been easily prevented with proper sensitization and education of the residents. Through an innovative approach, the Roshni Bajis also identified 40 women in the areas they work to act as “Mohallah Safety Champions” who are leading the mission to inculcate a culture of safety among their peers even after the Roshni Bajis have completed their drives.

Combating Kundas

The Roshni Bajis and Mohallah Safety Champions are only one facet of a comprehensive, company-wide strategy on safety. Across Karachi, theft of electricity through kundas and illegal wires continues to endanger citizens causing injury and even death.

Between 2021 and 2022, Over 200 cases of electrocution were reported across Karachi, all occurring inside premises or due to the use of kundas which were leaking current. KE’s distribution field teams are constantly conducting kunda removal drives across Karachi. Only last week, teams operating in the Lyari and Baldia areas removed over 4,500 kilograms of kundas in a single day.

Kunda removal drives are not straightforward tasks. KE’s teams are regularly met with resistance from local residents who feel entitled to steal electricity, neglecting the risk to their personal and collective safety. Despite the challenges, the utility’s staff continues its crackdown to create safer environments enabling the provision of uninterrupted, secure, and reliable power supply. These steps are being taken to pave the way for a brighter, safer Karachi.

Lahore (Nut Desk) On Mother’s Day, EBM and BBDO Pakistan came together with a campaign that transforms a societal view of blaming mothers into empathizing with them through one of its leading biscuit brand Gluco. The idea was conveyed through a very clever “flip” of a commonly asked question in Urdu: “Kaisi maa ho?” (What kind of a mother are you?), a rhetorical question which is meant as a criticism of the mother. The powerful ad flips the words around to “Kaisi ho, maa?” (How are you, mother?), turning it into an empathetic question. Peek Freans Gluco through its platform of Gluco Moms wants to continue the tradition of celebrating motherhood in all the roles. With EBM’s purpose of nourishing lives, hearts and communities, the campaign will help in changing behaviours and will serve as a mirror to the society. In the sub-continent a child is seen as a mother’s score card. Every failure and achievement of the child is attributed to the mother. The campaign features mothers in the home, at work, and travelling – ensuring representation of mothers from all walks of life in Pakistan and their experiences.

The minute and a half long video is a powerful call for action when it comes to supporting mothers. Aaminah Saeed, General Manager of Marketing, EBM Pakistan, believes it’s about time we change the narrative around motherhood. “Motherhood is a lonely journey where the toughest of critics are often your own family members and relatives,” said Aaminah. “Through this campaign, we as EBM with our aim of nourishing lives, hearts and communities’ endeavour to initiate conversations that may lead to a wider societal change.

EBM’s Peek Freans Gluco under the platform of Gluco Mom’s, have flipped the narrative by turning around the same question into a positive one and focused on the need for more empathy for mothers. This might be a small gesture of changing the words, but it goes a long way of changing the world for mothers. Each small step leads us to the bigger picture each day” “As BBDO, we are always eager to tell stories that create impact for brands and for the culture alike.

In Gluco, we found a willing client who shared our eagerness. We all might not be moms, but we all have moms. I wish that all mothers are shown compassion rather than criticism”; says Atiya Zaidi- Managing Director and Executive Creative Director, BBDO Pakistan. In a span of two days the film has received more than 5 million views and has sparked a much-needed conversation on being kind to mothers and not hold them to impossible standards.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Staying true to their mission, Telenor Pakistan leadership met with senior officials from LUMS to strengthen linkages between the private and academic sectors. The LUMS delegation, including Dr Arshad Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Mr Shahid Hussain, Rector, and Ms Nuzhat Kamran, Director of Advancement, met with CEO Telenor Pakistan Irfan Wahab Khan and his team to discuss partnerships for future collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

LUMS officials were briefed on the network’s ongoing work revolutionising digital and financial sectors through innovative educational interventions that enhance the end-user experience with an eye on scaling technology.

Irfan Wahab Khan said, “Telenor Pakistan and LUMS share the ambition to create a stronger, more resilient digital society that thrives on inclusion. Collaboration between the industry and academia, such as applied research and data science, is key to pushing business innovation. With research finding its way in the industry supported by data insights, this tie-up  will pave the way for digitalisation advancements that ultimately improve livelihoods and empower young minds to do more and be more.”

Dr Arshad Ahmad commented, “Telenor Pakistan has contributed to a strong digital ecosystem supporting tech startups. Advancements in health, fintech and platform learning have resulted from improved connectivity and communication, even in the most challenging times. We look forward to forging stronger ties and  achieving great goals with Telenor Pakistan.”

Telenor Pakistan has a history of collaboration within the country’s education sector, focusing on improving the state of digital education, such as its recent partnership with Orenda, Noon Academy, and Telenor Velocity’s onboarding of multiple Ed-tech startups. Discussions like this enable the kind of knowledge-sharing partnership that cannot be achieved through financial investments alone and is fundamental in building Pakistan’s human capital development.

Lahore (Nut Desk) Zonergy corporation, Pakistan Leading Integrated Solar Solutions provider with more than 30% market share, has officially announced its entry into the European market with the establishment of an office in Italy. Zonergy Europe will operate from Milan, from where it will offer European customers its extensive range of smart and efficient renewable energy solutions. Zonergy has been in Pakistan for last several year with key initiative of 300 MW Quaid-e-Azam Solar park in Bahawalpur, Punjab province. Zonergy has been one of the key players in evolving Pakistan’s renewable Energy landscape.

Zonergy is widely recognized for its global expertise in PV and energy storage and now looks forward to sharing its technical strength and professionalism with new and existing clients in Europe. The Company has an existing portfolio based around the four major product categories of residential, commercial, large-scale power stations and photovoltaic modules

Zonergy is a widely respected integrated smart microgrid solution provider, dedicated to providing its customers with the most advanced solutions and services. The company’s offerings are based on residential energy storage systems, incorporating inverters, lithium battery modules and BMS, and on solutions for the Commercial and Industrial segment.

Key Features of Residential Systems:

Modular design: modular design of the overall system solution, stackable installation, flexible capacity expansion and power upgrade.

Aesthetically attractive: ‘white goods’ style, suitable for a modern home

Safe and reliable: intelligent natural heat dissipation, multiple protection against overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent and overheating.

Smart and user friendly: support of GPRS, WiFi, RS485 and USB interfaces, LCD display, APP and web-based remote monitoring

Smart Switching: support of zero power failure and seamless switching between on and off-grid.

Compatibility: wide PV voltage range of 120-550V, high current of 13.5A

Since its foundation, Zonergy has developed both technical strength and significant engineering experience. The company is home to first-class technical R&D and engineering implementation, giving it a profile which allows it to cover both the domestic market in China and also have a presence in a number of overseas countries, including those in Europe.

Zonergy’s hybrid energy storage system supports functions such as PV access, battery storage and  grid-connected and off-grid output. It can be connected to photovoltaic strings from 200V to 850V and used with 420V-850V high-voltage energy storage batteries. The system utilizes a reliable power frequency off-grid inverter, based on simple wiring and strong inductive load capacity. It can be part of a complementary oil-solar off-grid system with a fuel-fired generator. When the generator is started on continuous rainy days, it can reduce the battery configuration and the initial investment.

The inverter has 100% unbalanced load capacity, which is suitable for driving single-phase loads. It can also monitor the voltage, current and insulation resistance of each string, as well as the voltage, current, temperature and remaining power of the storage batteries, constantly checking system operation to reduce potential faults.

With a multi-level modular design, the inverter supports multiple sets in parallel, covering 30kW to 500kW inverter and 100kWh-900kWh battery capacities, making it suitable for multi-scenario distributed energy projects. With IP55 protection, intelligent monitoring and remote operation and maintenance, the EMS management system has multiple operational modes. Hierarchical linkage and multiple levels of protection ensure the safe operation of the system, including lightning protection, battery and thermal management and a fire extinguishing system.

Zonergy continues to evolve by offering smart and intelligent microgrid energy solutions based on large commercial business requirements and emerging needs. The company embraces a model of continual growth, offering customized and cost-efficient solutions to its global customer base in order to fulfil its ambition of becoming a world leading PV manufacturer and solution provider.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) BankIslami, Pakistan’s leading Islamic financial institution, has launched its state-of-the-art Digital Service Centre for an improved customer experience. BankIslami understands the evolving consumer needs, and continues to bring innovative solutions to its valued customers across the nation.

The Bank’s Digital Service Centre offers customers a variety of services to meet their daily online banking needs, such as offering cheque encashment options through a virtual teller, instant money credit into the bank account, and quick service with no queues, and much more. With extended working hours from 10am to 10pm, the CCDM accepts unlimited cash and cheque deposits with instant deposit receipts.

The Digital Service Centre machines are equipped to accept notes of 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 only, with a maximum withdrawal limit of PKR 500,000 per transaction. BankIslami customers can avail up to PKR 500,000 cheque encashment, and up to 100,000 if a customer has a BankIslami cheque with no account.

Commenting on the occasion, BankIslami President & CEO, Syed Amir Ali noted, “The Bank’s CCDM is a powerful platform that is designed to grow every day, and is now all set to empower users to make informed decisions on the go. Technological achievements like these allow us to completely redefine the customer experience with fresh and innovative tools, tailored for inclusion and to create even greater convenience for BankIslami users”

BankIslami remains at the forefront of driving change across the Sharia-compliant banking industry in Pakistan.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Acting Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr. Murtaza Syed recently visited Meezan Bank’s Head Office in Karachi along with the Deputy Governor Ms. Sima Kamil and the Bank’s senior management.

The Governor inaugurated the Digital Centre, built purposefully for catering the needs of Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) customers.

 Chairman Meezan Bank’s Board Mr. Riyadh S.A.A. Edrees, Meezan Bank’s Founding President & CEO Mr. Irfan Siddiqui and the Bank’s senior officials were also present on this occasion.

In his brief address, the Acting Governor congratulated the management and RDA team of the Bank to channel substantial volume of remittances and achieving remittances of $ 1 billion in RDA and added that other banks should also focus their attention towards increasing remittances through RDA and come up with innovative means for achieving this milestone.

 He noted that overseas Pakistanis have always made Pakistan proud through their achievements and dedication to their motherland. He observed that the country needs more investment from abroad to fund the current account deficit and raise much needed foreign exchange reserves.

He recalled while various other banks joined the RDA at a later stage, Meezan Bank was amongst the first eight banks that launched this service since its inception.

 Dr. Syed acknowledged the elements behind this success such as the Bank’s dedicated focus on the product, its joint initiatives with SBP to create awareness about RDA, Shariah-inclination of overseas Pakistanis and availability of all necessary support from the regulators.

Dr. Murtaza Syed was also accompanied by Managing Director, Deposit Protection Corporation, Syed Irfan Ali, Executive Director Mr. Saleemullah, Executive Director Mr. Sohail Javaad and the Chief Spokesperson SBP Mr. Abid Qamar.

Mr. Irfan Siddiqui thanked the State Bank for their support in the RDA initiative and their patronage in inaugurating Meezan Roshan Digital Centre and said that Meezan Bank has always been fully committed to supporting this important initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Meezan Bank’s Chairman Mr. Riyadh S. A. A. Edrees expressed his gratitude to SBP for their untiring support and efforts in promoting Islamic banking in Pakistan. He assured SBP’s leadership that the Board of Meezan Bank is committed towards supporting SBP’s various initiatives including RDA, Low-Cost Housing and SME Financing.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Annual Integrated Report (‘the Report”) which outlines the PMI’s new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework based upon a formal sustainability materiality assessment conducted in 2021. The Report also includes an updated Statement of Purpose as well as detailed information about PMI’s strategic vision, performance, governance, and value creation model.

The redesigned ESG framework recognizes two distinct topic areas: “Product Impact” pillar (including issues related to PMI’s products) and “Operational Impact” pillar (including issues related to PMI’s business operations). This distinction forms the basis of PMI’s new approach to sustainability, which consists of eight clear impact driven strategies that aim to address the most material ESG topics .

PMI’s 2025 Roadmap outlines key goals and informs the route of PMI’s long-term plan has been revised and now comprises of 11 headline goals connected to the eight strategies that clearly explain the social and environmental impacts PMI aims to achieve. PMI’s ‘Statement of Purpose’ has also undergone revision to ensure it remains a current and fair representation of PMI’s strategy.

Highlighting the strong commitment towards inclusion and diversity as part of the sustainability strategy, the Report also outlines the details of the MakeYourComeback initiative implemented by Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited (PMPKL), a subsidiary of PMI, in 2021. The initiative aimed to hire women who had taken a break from paid work and wished to relaunch their careers for its various projects. The Report also details how the implementation of ALP (Agricultural Labor Practices) helped increase labor efficiency in Pakistan while mitigating any potential risks to contracted farmers, committing to continuing these efforts as per the revised sustainability strategies in response to Pakistan’s local community needs.

Mr. Roman Yazbeck- Managing Director PMPKL, while reassuring PMPKL’s commitment towards sustainability goals and framework, said, “For PMPKL, sustainability is a fundamental opportunity for innovation, growth, and purpose-led, impact-driven, long-term value creation. We are constantly working to put our sustainable values into action so that they are fully reflected in our products and operations. Following the strategies and goals highlighted in PMI’s integrated report, PMPKL aims to work on the targeted categories by designing and implementing related initiatives and delivering results locally.”

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has requested the foreign minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to put transfer of agriculture technology as his top agenda and direct Pakistani embassies abroad to encourage technology transfer projects in agriculture. REAP hails Bilawal Bhutto’s zeal to improve Pakistani’s agriculture sector productivity and yields shown by him during his tour to different countries recently. Bilawal spoke from heart about the importance of agriculture in Pakistan’s economy and how it can play its role in improving the lives of Pakistanis.

Ali Hussam Asghar, Chairman REAP, in his statement issued here Monday said the only way forward to becoming food secure is by improving yields per acre with use of new technology. He also requested the foreign minister to give utmost importance agriculture development in projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He assured that REAP and its members would stand behind foreign minister in his vision to grow more and export more. He said drought like situation being faced by the country right now makes introduction of drought resistance seed varieties as need of the hour and foreign minister can play a pivotal role in this regard.

Shahzad Ali Malik, Group leader in REAP was of the view that agricultural machinery and seed technology should be sourced to Pakistan from China under CPEC to increase per acre yield and making available more for domestic requirements and to export more.