KARACHI: (Parliament Times) ACCA and the Pakistan Business Council’s Centre of Excellence in
Responsible Business (CERB) released their joint survey ‘Ethical Mindset:
From Vision to Practice’ at a high-profile event featuring corporate leaders
here in Karachi. The survey gives a holistic view of current dynamics of
ethics and governance practices in Pakistan’s corporate sector.
The launch event in Karachi featured a thought-provoking panel discussion
including contributions from leading figures in the corporate sector and
accountancy profession, including Dr. Zeelaf Munir, Managing Director &
CEO, English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt.) Limited, Mr. Aamir Niazi, CEO –
People and Business Advisory – HRSG, Ms. Raeda Latif, Head of Marketing
& Business Development, PSX, Mr. Khalid Awan, Chairman, TCS Holdings
(Pvt.) Limited, Shabbar Zaidi, Senior Territory Partner, A. F. Ferguson & Co.
and Ms. Hena Sadiq, Partner, Audit and Assurance, Deloitte.
Keynote speakers at the event included Ms. Hedd Megchild, Head of
Business Integrity Initiative the Department for International Development
(DFID) and Mr. Arif Masud Mirza, Regional Head of Policy – MESA, ACCA.
In a written message, Helen Brand OBE, Chief Executive, ACCA said:
“While ACCA’s main responsibility is ensuring our members operate to the
highest standards of ethics and professionalism, we also take leading role in
seeking to drive an appreciation of, and an adherence to, ethical conduct
and practice across the business world. The ethical landscape is a complex
ecosystem and one which requires everyone and everything within it to be
operating in concert, with shared values and a common understanding.”
In the opening remarks, Dr Zeelaf Munir, CEO EBM and board member
PBC, highlighted:
“CERB is the first of PBC’s outreach initiatives to build capacity and
capability of small and medium-
sized businesses in Pakistan. CERB’s mission and vision greatly aligns with
the PBC Members as PBC has also adopted the World Economic Forum’s
(WEF) Compact for Responsive & Responsible Leadership.”
Speaking at the conference Mr. Sajjeed Aslam, Head of ACCA Pakistan
said:
“All businesses in Pakistan operate in the triple context of the economy,
society and the environment and ACCA believes that the good corporate
governance is about being mindful of the impact that a business model has
on its surrounding and the way a business can contribute to the long-term
health of the company. Hopefully this report will help businesses to examine
their vision and strategic direction in a broader context, which will in turn
allow their organisations to achieve sustainable growth.”
Whilst addressing the audience, Mr. Khalid Awan, Chairman, TCS Holdings
(Pvt.) Limited in his keynote stressed:
“The real valuation of businesses is no longer the balance sheet. The
greatest value driver of the enterprise is the first goodwill that you have
generated’.
The survey and event both highlighted that companies do place emphasis
on an ethical culture and there is a need for greater employee engagement
on the topic of ethics to do justice to the company values.
