OPEN Washington DC and the U.S.-Pakistan Business Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a Roundtable Discussion with the Governor of Sindh, Honorable Imran Ismail, and a delegation of prominent Pakistani business leaders, on Thursday September 5 2019. U.S.-Pakistan Business Council President, Esperanza Jelalian, chaired the Roundtable and provided opening remarks, and OPEN Washington DC Chairman Hasnain Aslam spoke on behalf of OPEN DC. OPEN DC President, Aakif Ahmad, Board Member Nabeela Khatak and Charter Member Qaisar Shareef participated along with members of the local business community including Waseem Haider, CEO, Datawiz Corporation, Tahir Rameez, COO, Datawiz Corporation, and Obaid Ahmed, President, Euro-American Shipping and Trade. Representatives from P&G, Motorola, PepsiCo, Citi, USIP, USAID, State Department and Johns Hopkins SAIS also joined the discussion among many others. The event took place at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC.
The Pakistan Delegation was led by the Governor of Sindh, Honorable Imran Ismail, along with Kamran Nasir CEO of JS Global Capital, and Ehsan Ali Malik, CEO of Pakistan Business Council. The delegation included CEOs and Executives from the following Pakistan-based companies: Engro Corporation, Hub Power, DG Khan Cement, JS Energy, Pakistan Petroleum, OBS Group, Pak-Brunei Investment Company, Oil & Gas Development Company, Habib Bank, United Bank, MCB Bank, Pakistan State Oil, Grant Thornton, Xiphios Innovations, Venus Pakistan, Tundra Fonder, JS Bank, Rosenblatt Securities, and JS Global Capital.
The Pakistan delegation emphasized the opportunity within Pakistan for U.S.-based companies to profitably invest citing growth in the retail market, consumer goods, hospitality, tourism and other sectors including energy, pharmaceuticals, and small manufacturing. Among the key growth indicators they cited: disposable income among Pakistani consumers has doubled since 2010 and consumer demand for goods and services is projected to grow quite substantially over next two decades. Multinational companies in Pakistan have enjoyed consistently high returns on equity over the past five years, and companies are making further capital investments in Pakistan including Nestle, Coca Cola, Unilever and Exxon Mobil. The Roundtable discussion also addressed the great potential for growth within the business process outsourcing sector in Pakistan, and the importance of developing the small and medium sized business sector. U.S. participants in the Roundtable emphasized that strengthening economic ties between the US and Pakistan is important, but that changes in regulatory, tax and governance policies to make it easier for U.S. companies to do business in Pakistan remain as important steps for Pakistan policymakers to take in order to realize greater foreign direct investment in Pakistan.
The Roundtable resulted in a productive dialogue and opportunity for networking. The Pakistan delegation offered its help to U.S.-based companies to understand the market potential within specific sectors in Pakistan and navigate the steps needed to build a sustainable market presence. They emphasized the importance of direct business-to-business contacts in order to advance business opportunities. The Honorable Governor of Sindh offered the resources of his office to support a simplified “one-window” approach for U.S. companies to complete licensing and regulatory steps. Among the ideas shared by U.S. based participants, included an invitation from the CEO of Datawiz Corporation, Waseem Haider, to assist Pakistan-based companies in developing a strong collective presence at leading US technology, healthcare and other national trade shows as a means to facilitate new business opportunities and partnerships with US companies.
OPEN Washington DC would like to thank Board Member Nabeela Khatak for helping to organize this event in cooperation with the U.S. Pakistan Business Council. OPEN Washington DC also thanks U.S.-Pakistan Business Council President Esperanza Jelalian for hosting this event at the US Chamber of Commerce and for her terrific collaboration with OPEN DC. We look forward to working with the Council on additional events and activities in the future.
For more information about the U.S.-Pakistan Business Council.
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