KARACHI (November 21, 2012) – ACCA Pakistan yesterday organised Accountants for Business Global Forum Pakistan 2012 at Marriott Hotel, Karachi. The event aimed to surface the challenges facing businesses and in particular the accountancy profession through an exciting mix of three panel discussions.
These innovative discussions were moderated by prominent industry experts including Mr. Junaid Iqbal, CEO Elixir Securities, Leon Menezes, Senior Human Resource Professional and Afra Sajjad, Head of Education, ACCA MENASA. Ms. Rabia Garib, editor in chief, Rasala Publication, Online and events CIO Pakistan was the master of ceremony at the event.
Mr. Nasim Beg set the scene for the first panel discussion on the rise of capital markets. Speaking at the event Mr. Nasim commented “The fiduciary responsibilities need to be managed when raising capital. A private equity model in a regulated environment will help growing businesses to access capital from public at large.” The panelists for this group discussion included Javed Hassan, chief executive officer, Institute of Capital Markets, Fazal Hussain Gaffoor, chief financial officer & company secretary Central Depository Company of Pakistan Ltd, Haroon Askari, deputy managing director, Karachi Stock Exchange Ltd and Musarrat Jabeen, head of policy, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.
The second panel discussion “Building a better business through diversity” emphasised that in today’s world accountants need to have diverse skills, knowledge and experience in order to enable them to think laterally which will help them to become leaders of tomorrow. The panelists for this session included Faisal Imran Hussain Malik, managing director and chief executive officer, Haleeb Foods Limited, Naz Khan, chief financial officer, Engro Corporation Ltd., Ayaz Ahmed, chief financial officer, Habib Bank Ltd, Abdul Rahim Ahmad, director and head of financial services, GE Pakistan.
Waqar Malik, CEO, ICI Pakistan started the third panel discussion “Tempering the pursuit of profits” by highlighting that “the pursuit of sustainable and long term profits can be achieved only through managing risks ethically”. Muhammad Shehzad Yousuf, deputy chief financial officer, Karachi Electric Supply Company, Najam Siddiqui, chief financial officer, Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd., Khayyam Mushir, partner assurance, Ernst &Young Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder Ali Furqan Syed, head of internal audit, Nestle Pakistan Ltd. were a part of this discussion forum.
The event featured high caliber delegates and industry experts. The symposium concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Syed Muhammad Fahad, Vise chairman, ACCA Pakistan Members Network Panel, “ACCA Pakistan accountancy futures agenda at its heart; the current global economic situation, while posing undoubted threats to businesses here in Pakistan, also provides a great many opportunities for future growth and I am grateful to all today for effectively contributing towards determining the road map to do so.” Sponsors of the event namely Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited, Nestle Pakistan Limited, Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited, Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Tameer Microfinance Bank Limited and Engro Corporation were appreciated at the event.
