Category: Business

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

The Islamabad Chapter of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Alumni Association celebrated their annual reunion  in Islamabad. This prestigious event brought together a diverse array of industry leaders across different sectors, all bonded by their shared educational experience at IBA.

The reunion was graced by an esteemed lineup of guest speakers, who shared insights into their respective fields and discussed ways to contribute to the community through corporate social responsibility initiatives. The guest speakers shared their wisdom and insights, including Lt. Col. Shahzad Ali Kiani (R), Managing Director of AAA Associates, who is also a proud alumnus of IBA. Ali Raza, CEO of Software Export Board Pakistan; Shahnaz Kapadia, Founder and CEO of Mera Maan; Amir Khan, CEO/President of HBL Micro Finance Bank, and Khurram Rahat, Senior Country Director at Unifonic, also graced the occasion with their inspiring narratives and success stories.

The IBA Alumni Reunion provides an exceptional opportunity for networking, collaboration, and renewing old friendships. This year, the gathering took on additional significance, launching an initiative to fund scholarships for needy students. A core mission of the IBA Alumni Association is supporting the leaders of tomorrow, and this initiative is a practical extension of this commitment.

AAA Associates has initiated a program dedicated to financially assisting deserving students at the IBA. It was conveyed that this commitment and support is ongoing, and it will further aid in making valuable contributions to the institute.

“The IBA Alumni Reunion not only rekindles old memories and strengthens our alumni network but also enables us to give back to society in a meaningful way. We are proud to align with AAA Associates in this endeavour of providing scholarships to deserving students,” MD AAA Associates Lt. Col. Shahzad Ali Kiani (r) expressed his views, while talking to the press.

The event provided an unparalleled opportunity for the alumni to connect and share ideas that could be initiated through various causes for the community’s betterment. The IBA Alumni Association will continue to host events such as this to strengthen bonds, build stronger networks, and reaffirm its commitment to supporting the next generation.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

PepsiCo Pakistan, one of the country’s largest food and beverage companies, has joined hands with the leading online food and grocery delivery platform in Pakistan, foodpanda, as their Preferred Beverage and Snacks Partner. This collaboration brings together the expertise and resources of both industry-leading companies, with the aim of enhancing culinary experiences for consumers across the nation.

The partnership will leverage the unique strengths of each company to create a seamless and delightful experience for consumers. PepsiCo Pakistan is renowned for its exceptional range of high-quality and innovative beverages and snacks, while foodpanda has established itself as a trusted platform for convenient and efficient food and grocery delivery service.

This collaboration will enable consumers to unlock best-in-class deals and discounts with PepsiCo beverage restaurants on foodpanda, experience innovative culinary integrations with PepsiCo snacks, and the opportunity to explore and enjoy a wider selection of beverages and snacks that perfectly complement their meals. PepsiCo will also be supporting foodpanda’s homechefs, which are small-scale home-based businesses, with subsidized buying of PepsiCo products and regular interventions to provide them support for the growth of their entrepreneurial ventures.

“We are thrilled to embark on this exciting collaboration with foodpanda,” said Furqan Ahmed Syed, CEO PepsiCo Pakistan and Afghanistan. “By combining our strengths, we aim to elevate the culinary experience of our consumers by providing them with a wider selection of our high-quality beverages and snacks that perfectly complement their meals. We believe this partnership will transform how people consume food and drink pairings, enhancing their satisfaction and enjoyment.”

“We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance our customers’ dining experience” added Muntaqa Peracha, CEO foodpanda Pakistan. “Teaming up with PepsiCo allows us to offer an even greater variety of beverage and snacks options to our customers, complimenting their meals with products and pairings of their choice. This collaboration is a continuation of our mission to provide unparalleled convenience, choice and quality to our customers as well as help develop meal and snacking occasions even further – enhancing our customers’ experience on our platform.”

The collaboration between PepsiCo Pakistan and foodpanda Pakistan will be operational in the coming weeks, while both companies already share a strong partnership vis-a-vis foodpanda’s e-grocery platform, Pandamart. PepsiCo and foodpanda are highly committed to continually improving and advancing their partnership, driven by a shared vision to redefine the online food and grocery delivery experience for consumers.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)

S I Global Solutions, one of the emerging IT and IT-enabled companies, has celebrated its 8th work anniversary at its headquarters in Karachi and globally with its associated consultants, remote employees, and freelancers, marking a success of serving more than 650 customers worldwide. During the eight years, the IT company has expanded its presence in major cities of Pakistan and six different countries with a team of dedicated and specialized ICT professionals in emerging fields, who accomplished 700 projects for foreign clients in more than 30 different countries. CEO S I Global Solutions Noman A. Said said, “SI Global’s success story is a testament to their vision for an inclusive and innovative future. We are delighted to celebrate our accomplishments and reaffirm our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve. With our integrated system integration platform and our talented team of professionals, we will continue to deliver exceptional services that exceed expectations. The IT company provides innovative and customized services to renowned private and public sector entities in various sectors, including port and shipping, logistics, healthcare, financial, textile, etc. The services of S I Global were recognized at the national and international levels with different prestigious awards including the President of Pakistan’s Award on IT exports. SI Global Solution Private Limited is the fastest growing IT company having a presence in the USA, UAE and local branches in Pakistan spread across Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. The company specializes in delivering application software, web-based, e-commerce, and cloud services as well as core networking solutions. Its founder and CEO has over 20 years of venture capital experience in the US, Pakistan, and GCC countries with unique insight, relationships, and expertise in big data, mobile, HRM SaaS, and cloud ecosystems.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)

Karandaaz, a prominent organization at the forefront of promoting financial inclusion and driving digital transformation in Pakistan, is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Vizpro, a leading player in the digital payments ecosystem. This collaboration aims to tackle a critical challenge faced by distributors and retailers across the country, which is the lack of easy access to e-money for digital payments. The partnership falls under Karandaaz’s esteemed “Pilot to Scale” program, a platform dedicated to fostering innovation and scaling up transformative projects in the financial sector.

The primary focus of this collaboration is to facilitate the digitization of retailer-to-distributor payments, introduce Raast IDs for merchants, and refine the existing business model while exploring a merchant lending framework. By streamlining these processes, the partnership aims to significantly enhance the efficiency, convenience, and security of digital payments, particularly within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector.

Waqas ul Hasan, CEO of Karandaaz, stated, “At Karandaaz, our vision is to foster financial inclusion and catalyze digital transformation in Pakistan. We are thrilled to partner with Vizpro on this transformative initiative, as it aligns perfectly with our mission to empower individuals and businesses with seamless access to digital financial services. By leveraging Vizpro’s expertise in mobilizing digital payments ecosystems, we aim to revolutionize merchant payments and drive economic growth in the country. This partnership is a significant step forward in our journey to create an inclusive and resilient financial ecosystem that improves the lives of people across Pakistan.”

Sharjeel Murtaza, Director – Digital Financial Services of Karandaaz, emphasized the significance of the partnership, stating, “At Karandaaz, our unwavering commitment lies in harnessing the potential of digital innovation for creating a vibrant and inclusive financial landscape in Pakistan. Our strategic partnership with Vizpro marks a significant leap forward in realizing this vision. By facilitating the adoption of interoperable digital payments, expanding the accessibility of the Vizlink App, and prioritizing a seamless user experience, our goal is to revolutionize digital payments for distributors and retailers across the country This partnership exemplifies our commitment towards enabling and scaling innovation for driving transformative change within the digital payments landscape.”

Vizpro was chosen as the partner for this initiative because of their strong commitment and expertise in mobilizing digital payment systems. As a sister concern of a well-established distributor for Unilever Pakistan, Vizpro brings valuable industry knowledge and existing relationships with merchants. The initial focus of the partnership will be in Lahore, with plans to expand to other cities and towns across Pakistan. This expansion highlights the shared goal of Karandaaz and Vizpro to make a significant impact on the digital payment landscape, benefiting businesses and communities nationwide.

CEO Vizpro, Akbar Ayub Khan talked about the partnership saying, “Vizpro and Karandaaz collaboration is going to be key to scaling-up of Vizpro’s operations of digitizing the retail supply chain & helping retailers go cashless. Vizpro looks forward to benefit from Karandaaz’s expertise and presence in the digital finance space. I am confident that Vizpro’s in-depth knowledge of the distribution model and associated retail supply chain will enable it to tap various other opportunities in this area and open avenues of further long term engagement/collaboration with Karandaaz.”

Under the scope of the project, Karandaaz and Vizpro will collaborate on scaling operations and business development, driving marketing and awareness of the Vizlink App, and enabling the Raast P2M (Person-to-Merchant) use-case. The aim is to create a seamless and efficient digital payments ecosystem that simplifies transactions for distributors and retailers while ensuring a user-friendly experience.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

The 28th Pakistan HVACR International Expo & Conference 2023 concluded with a success at Expo Centre Karachi.

The 03-day Pakistan’s Largest HVACR Exhibition and Conference organized by Karachi Chapter of Pakistan Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (PHVACR) Society in collaboration with ASHRAE Pakistan Chapter of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The event showcased the latest technology and developments in local and international HVACR sector.

At closing ceremony, the Chairperson of Organizing Committee said “We are thankful to all of our participants as specially the foreign delegates who shown their interest and trust in 28^th HVACR Expo and Conference. Their presence in the expo gave a great opportunity to local participants to network with international exhibitors.

More than 15,000 professional visitors visited the event, whereas, more than 150 companies participated through their stalls in the expo, and displayed their products through more than 13,300 square meters exhibiting space in 04 halls in which 1 hall was dedicated for international conference with this year theme “Sustainability through Energy Efficient Approaches”. A mix of international and local participants will be there to showcase the latest technology and innovations in the field of HVACR.

International participation Came from China, Turkey, Germany and few other countries. The exhibitor’s categories include: Alternative Energy / Suppliers, Cables, Air Curtain Importers / Manufacturers, Ceramic Wool, Centrifugal Fan & Axial Fan, HVACR Green Products, Air Duct System, Boilers-Domestic / Commercial, Air Coolers, Air Filtration & Purification, Fans, Automation, Burners Oil / Gas, and many more.

The expo captured the great success and big number of industry experts, professionals and personalities from Academia visited the expo and attended the conference. 29^th PHVACR 2024 is scheduled for next year.

 

Rahim Yar Khan (Muhammad Yasir)

The Etihad Group recently organized an extraordinary Property Sales Event for its prestigious real estate project, Etihad Garden. This highly anticipated event took place on Sunday (June 11) at the prestigious Royal Desert Palm Hotel in Rahim Yar Khan.

The event was a great success, and the efforts of the organizers were commended by Etihad Group’s Managing Director Chaudry Munir, Group Directors Raheel Munir, Suhail Munir and Faisal Munir, Etihad Group’s Chief Executive Officer Chaudry Muhammad Shakeel, Etihad Group’s Chief Operating Officer Sheikh ShujaUllah Khan, and Project Head Sales Syed Adnan, along with other members of the Etihad Management.

At this exclusive event, attendees were provided with a sumptuous Hi-Tea, along with the chance to engage with expert consultants who provided in-depth analysis of the local property market and shed light on the incredible investment prospects offered by Etihad Garden. Attendees were also offered the chance to avail exclusive event-only discounts.

On the occasion, Etihad Garden’s Project Head Sales Syed Adnan Khalil stated that the project was expected to be a groundbreaking residential and commercial development that will offer a unique opportunity for individuals seeking a vibrant, modern, and luxurious lifestyle in Rahim Yar Khan. He added that with its prime location and state-of-the-art facilities, Etihad Garden promised to be the epitome of elegance, comfort, and convenience.

The Etihad Group is renowned for its commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering projects that surpass expectations. Etihad Garden is a testament to their vision, and this Property Sales Event presented yet another opportunity — after the group’s recent hugely successful Family Property Gala event — for potential customers to engage with the project developers.

 

 

ZAHID CHUGHTAI

Colombo (Sri Lanka): Fish & Shrimp farming has the potential to earn more than US $2billions per year provided, a pro-export policy is enacted, fish farmers are taught to implement Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and exempting duties and taxes at different stages of this sector. It will help bring down the cost of production for the Inland Aquaculture Farmers who at present are engaged over approximately more than 250,000 acres of land all over Pakistan. These could fetch handsome foreign exchange if incentivized by exempting sales tax on fish & shrimps feed, seed (babies) of fish & shrimps, exempt duties & taxes on all kinds of import of fish & shrimp for brood stocks and machinery for manufacturing Aquaculture feed or use in Aquaculture farming. Similarly, these farmers should be provided electricity at subsidized rates. Haider Ali Director of an agro-based company observed this while talking to this scribe at the “AquaCon”, an event organized by the US Soya Bean Export Council (USSEC) recently in Colombo to promote investment in technology-based scientific farming in Aquaculture. Aquaculture startups from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka pitched their projects to the investors at the event. Haider regretted that Inland Aquaculture Farming could not catch the attention of the government because for fish consumption we mainly relied on open water (sea, river etc) catching which now a day is reducing gradually. The reason for less productivity in open water due to the use of small mesh-size nets for the last so many years which were harmful to baby fishes and did not let them grow ultimately resulting in genocide and changing the ocean and river ecosystem too. For the last few years, the Fisheries Development Board (FDB) was working on improving Inland Aquaculture Farming by conducting various development programs and trying hard to educate farmers. However, still, the desired results had not been achieved. To achieve goals and increase per-acre production FDB along with Provincial Fisheries Department (PFD) had to work hard and transfer the proper and practical knowledge to farmers in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Though at the Provincial level, there were lots of fish hatcheries but not a single shrimp hatchery was available in Pakistan. To improve Inland Aquaculture Farming in Pakistan, the Federal Government with the support of all Provincial Governments should focus on increasing the number of hatcheries with an increase of production from 500-1000kg to 3000-4000kg per acre by educating fish farmers to increase the exports and meet local demand as well. Bangladesh Inland Fish Pond Culture achieved 2,405,415MT from 495,000 hectares (2017-18) whereas Pakistan is no way near to them. Pakistan’s Inland Fish Pond Culture production is not more than approximately 200,000MT whereas Pakistan can increase aquaculture in more land area than Bangladesh using those lands which are saline and not suitable for agricultural purposes. Currently, Bangladesh has 100 fish processing plants out of which 76 are approved by the European Commission and exporting more than 60-70% of its total production (sea, river and inland culture) to Europe, the USA and Japan whereas Pakistan has very few processing plants in which only three processing plants are approved from European Commission, Haider added. Another grey area of this sector was that all fisheries departments both in Federal and Provincial governments did not have accurate data on production which should be streamlined, he regretted. For the last 3-4 years some fish farmers were trying to improve per acre production capacity by using fish feed but unfortunately, this sector was again ignored by the Federal Government in the supplementary budget of 2022 by abolishing the exemption of sales tax on fish feed which was exempted before the said supplementary budget whereas sales tax is exempted on poultry and cattle feed. Haider was of the view that above mentioned facility not only enhances the farmers’ capacity to increase per acre production but may also attract foreign investments which ultimately result in an increase in GDP and create employment in the sector, he concluded.

METRO PAKISTAN MARKS THE ‘WORLD ENVIORNMENT DAY’ WITH TREE PLANTATION DRIVE AT INDUS HOSPITAL LAHORE,

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) METRO, the leading international wholesale company, marked the ‘World Environment Day’ in continuation of its ‘Clean & Green Pakistan’ vision, with a tree plantation activity in collaboration with Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) at the newly constructed 600 bedded Indus Hospital Jubilee Town Lahore. The plantation drive ceremony was attended by senior management of both the organizations, and over 200 tree saplings were planted at the site.

Expressing his joy, Mr. Marek Minkiewicz, Managing Director, METRO Pakistan stated, that: “This plantation drive is part of METRO’s ‘Clean & Green Pakistan’ initiative that has become an annual event to mark the World Environment Day. We are happy to partner for this with the Indus Hospital, a state of the art health facility that provides cashless services to everyone. This initiative of planting trees is our contribution towards making this hospital an environment friendly place.”

In addition to the annual plantation drives, METRO was among the first big organisations to make use of the solar energy by installing solar panels at all its 10 stores across Pakistan, from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad to Faisalabad & Multan, and has been instrumental in reducing the carbon footprint by over 2,600 tons per year. It is also leading the initiative against use of plastic bags and has introduced non-woven recyclable bags all under its ‘Clean & Green Pakistan’.

Naqvi asked CBD Punjab to enhance transportation efficiency. New infrastructure projects should absorb Lahore’s traffic congestion, CM Punjab told CBD. Traffic congestion: CBD Punjab briefed Naqvi on new road infrastructural projects.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, visited Central Business District Punjab (CBD Punjab), project site to assess the progress of the development work for CBD Punjab phases 2,3 and Main Boulevard linkage to Bab E Pakistan, Walton Road, Lahore. During the visit, Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab was provided a comprehensive briefing by the CEO of CBD Punjab, Imran Amin, highlighting the significant advancements made in the project. Executive Director Technical CBD Punjab, Riaz Hussain, Project Director CBD Punjab, Asif Iqbal and senior officials of CBD Punjab were present during the briefing. CBD Punjab has embarked on the development of phases 2 and 3, along with the establishment of a linkage between the Main Boulevard Lahore and Bab E Pakistan, Walton Road. Notably, CBD Punjab will construct flyovers at Ghora Chowk, Lahore, Walton Railway Crossing, and Bab-e-Pakistan, addressing key traffic congestion points.Construction of a roundabout at Kalma Chowk has also been advised by CBD Punjab. Expressing his vision for timely project completion, Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab emphasized the importance of providing maximum relief to the people. He directed the authorities to ensure that the newly constructed roads are wide enough to accommodate the increasing traffic load, a crucial consideration for enhancing transportation efficiency. CEO CBD Punjab, Mr. Imran Amin, expressed his commitment to delivering a state-of-the-art project. He reiterated CBD Punjab’s commitment to delivering high-quality infrastructure projects that will greatly benefit the people of Punjab. The visit was attended by esteemed government officials, including the Chief Secretary Punjab, Secretary Planning, Commissioner Lahore/DG LDA, CCPO Lahore, CTO Lahore, Deputy Commissioner Lahore, and Chief Engineer LDA.

World Bank Mission Along with MD, PMDFC, Visited Municipal Committee Okara Okara’s New Sewerage System Design Uses Natural Slope of Land Instead of Pumping Motors: Syed Zahid Aziz, MD PMDFC Due To the Machinery Provided Under The Punjab Cities Programme, The Garbage Collection Capacity Of The City Has Increased To 90%: Malik Faraz Awan – ADCR Okara.

Roads Park And Parking Sheds Worth More Than 3200 Million Are Under Completion In Okara Under The Punjab Cities Program. Hafiz Talat Municipal Officer Mc Okara.

Lahore (Qasim Ali) A delegation comprising senior officers of the World Bank visited Municipal Committee Okara today. The World Bank delegation included Mr. Abedalrazq Khalil, Shahnaz Arshad and Suhaib Rasheed. Malik Faraz Awan, ADCR Okara welcomed the delegation on arrival at the DC office and while giving a briefing to the delegation on this occasion, he said that under the Punjab Cities Program. MC Okara has been provided with modern fuel-efficient machinery which has improved the garbage collection capacity of the MC from the city by 35% and now more than 90% of the garbage generated in the city is being collected daily. While the fuel costs of the MC have also decreased due to the new fuel-efficient machinery. On this occasion, Syed Zahid Aziz, MD, Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company said that with the support of PMDFC, a sewrage system has been designed for Okara, in which the natural slope of the land has been used instead of pumping motors. This will save valuable MC resources as well as environmental damage. The mission also visited various projects under the Punjab Cities Program at MC Okara. Syed Zahid Aziz, MD, PMDFC, Malik Faraz Awan, ADCR, Okara and other officers also visited the mission on this occasion. Hafiz Talat, MO (I&S) gave a briefing on the ongoing projects under PCP at the project sites. The municipal officer said during the briefing that various projects worth more than 3200 million rupees are underway in Okara under the World Bank Funded Punjab Cities Program.Along with these projects, under the Punjab Cities Program, the “Baldiya Shikyaat” App has just been launched to improve the provision of municipal services to citizens. World Bank Senior Officer Mr. Abedalrazq Khalil visited various project sites and also interacted with the citizens and asked their feedback about these projects. Citizens expressed their satisfaction on the quality of the projects. On this occasion, Abedalrazq Khalil further said that under the Punjab Cities Program, projects for providing basic necessities of life are being completed in 16 cities of Punjab at a cost of about 23 billion rupees. Meanwhile, during the next fiscal year, another 16 billion rupees will be provided by the World Bank for various projects. These projects include water supply, drainage, solid waste management, construction of roads and streets, construction of parks and bus stands. The PCP is being implemented in Jehlum, Daska, Wazirabad, Kamoki, Muridke, Haifzabad, Jaranwala, Gojra, Jhang, Kamalia, Okara, Burewala, Vehari, Bahwalnagar, Khanewal, and Kot Addu.