UBER PAKISTAN PARTNERS WITH SHAUKAT KHANUM CANCER HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE
Uber, the international smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers, has signed an MoU with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) as a part of its long-term commitment to partner on sustainable initiatives that will digitally empower Pakistan.
Uber plans to actively participate in SKMCH&RC’s initiatives to raise breast cancer awareness across Pakistan. To extend its support, Uber will be celebrating the Pink Month this October. Riders will be able to donate to the cause by using the promo code “HOPEUBERSKMCH”. Uber will donate the fare from rides taken with this promo code to SKMCH&RC’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.
As part of the initiative, Uber will also initiate a blood donation drive in various cities of Pakistan. Furthermore, Uber will provide free rides – to and from SKMCH&RC’s to encourage riders to participate in the one-day drive, details will be available on facebook https://www.facebook.com/uberpakistan/.
Uber has also raised funds for SKMCH&RC in the past. The Uber team has been spending quality time with children undergoing treatment at these hospitals.
Apart from helping millions of Pakistanis move around the cities by offering access to affordable, reliable and most importantly safe rides, Uber is utilizing its platform to support the community on a greater level. As a responsible corporate organization, Uber works on the fundamental of giving the community back with every opportunity that comes its way. Currently, over 25 thousand drivers are using the app to be connected to part time work, and the number keeps growing every month.
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PSO TOPS ICAP’S RANKING LIST
Pakistan State Oil Company Limited (PSX: PSO) has been ranked at top position in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan’s (ICAP) List of top 100 corporations of the country. This achievement has been reflected in a recent report published by the ICAP’s publication, The Pakistan Accountant.
’The ICAP Top 100 Companies of Pakistan’ list gives recognition to high performing companies where ranking is devised based on data received from the Pakistan Stock Exchange and financial reporting of the corporations. PSO’s achievement is based on meeting ICAP’s criteria set under the category of ’Revenue wise Top Performing Companies’.
PSO has reported 21.1% higher revenue, amounting to Rs. 1,097 billion, in FY2017 compared to Rs. 906 billion in FY2016. The company has also reported 76.7% more profit-after-tax, amounting to Rs 18.2 billion in FY2017 compared to Rs 10.3 billion in FY2016. Comparing performance of FY2017 with FY2015, PSO has shown a remarkable growth of 163.8% over the last two years when it earned Rs 6.9 billion in profit-after-tax. Despite continued liquidity challenge due to circular debt, PSO businesses have been showing progress year-on-year.
The Managing Director and CEO of the PSO, Sheikh Imranul-Haque, said,
“This remarkable achievement itself explains the efforts of PSO which is working relentlessly in the service of the nation. Our focused strategy has witnessed a phenomenal growth across PSO’s business portfolios in recent years. Our planned expansion into the non-fuel retail business will also add to the brand’s value as we are growing into a company that offers multiple services to its customers across its fuel and non-fuel segments.”
“For the management of PSO, our top business ranking comes with a great deal of responsibility, as demonstrated in recently again during events of fuel shortages in the country. It is indeed a sense of commitment to keep adding value through our business lines for our customers, business partners, shareholders, government and wider society whose every journey begins here.”
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MOL GROUP & MARI PETROLEUM SIGN MOU ON STRATEGIC COOPERATION
MOL Group and Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MPCL) today announced a strategic cooperation initiative for evaluating future potential business opportunities in the local, international upstream exploration and production sector.
The MoU for strategic cooperation was signed by Dr. Berislav Gaso, Executive Vice President Upstream, MOL Group and Lt. Gen. Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad (Retd.), MD/CEO MPCL, here at MOL Group HQ. Other dignitaries including Mr Graham Balchin – MD/CEO, MOL Pakistan, Mr Ali Murtaza Abbas – MOL Group Regional Advisor Middle East, Africa & Pakistan, Aqib Anwer – GM Business Development & Commercial, MPCL and Tufail A. Khoso, GM Exploration, MPCL witnessed the signing.
The strategic cooperation between the two petroleum exploration companies envisages exploring opportunities jointly in Pakistan, the Middle East, African continent and CIS Region, especially the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.
MPCL is one of the leading petroleum exploration and production companies of Pakistan with more than 60 years of rich history. It manages and operates the country’s largest gas reservoir (in terms of current reserves) at Mari Field.
MOL Group in Pakistan is the largest foreign producer of oil and gas. The two oil exploration and production companies with a robust financial background have desired through this MOU to exchange technical knowledge and industry experiences, allowing for further discussion of potential local, international upstream growth synergies and possible partnerships.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Berislav Gaso said that “MOL Group comes with over 75 years of E&P experience, and has a successful record of creating value through its upstream activities in many countries. In Pakistan, the company has acquired institutional knowledge, that coupled with MOL Group’s technological edge, can help create value beyond MOL Group’s current operational portfolio in Pakistan. We look forward to this new partnership with MPCL for exploring new business potential on the global level.”
Expressing his views, Lt. Gen. (R) Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad stated “MPCL and MOL Group have a very successful partnership in the Karak joint venture in Pakistan. With the MoU signed today, we look forward to expanding our relationship to E&P opportunities internationally, while continuing to grow our relationship in Pakistan.”
Mr Ali Murtaza Abbas commented “The strategic cooperation between MOL Group and MPCL will form a technically and financially sound foundation, on which we can build our future business. There are numerous opportunities and potential of hydrocarbon reserves that can be harnessed for the future energy needs of not just the region but in fact the world.”
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MICROSOFT PAKISTAN COLLABORATES WITH UNDP FOR YOUTH-DEVELOPMENT
Microsoft Pakistan, a global leader in technology and innovation, has recently signed an MoU in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The primary objective of this partnership is to complement each other’s efforts to benefit the youth of Pakistan as well as the broader community.
Microsoft has a comprehensive philanthropy programme that pursues social well-being through innovative technologies. It invests generously to improve the quality of an ordinary man’s life. Similarly, UNDP is working with the Government of Pakistan, civil society, development partners and the people of Pakistan to help find solutions to persistent development challenges.
Mr. Abid Zaidi – Country Head of Microsoft Pakistan stated: “At Microsoft, we believe in sharing our success with the communities, wherever we operate. This collaboration with the UNDP will play a vital role in helping the youth and various other communities. With this joint effort, UNDP and Microsoft aim to work on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to create opportunities for the youth, which will go a long way in accelerating national progress.”
Under the agreement, Microsoft and UNDP will recognize opportunities to work on their existing programmes, whereby combining the innovative technologies from Microsoft, with the development experience of UNDP to help the youth of Pakistan. Both the organizations will harness ICT solutions to enable skills development and provide broader access to employment, as they work on income-generation and digital-literacy. Technology-enabled training for youth and adults is a proven strategy for faster economic growth in developing countries.
Moreover, this partnership will work on enhancing the business-incubation programmes for youth, whereby focusing on education with easier access to the remote areas. Microsoft and UNDP will also work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)which focus on key areas including; poverty-alleviation, democratic governance, and peace-building, climate-change, disaster-risk and economic inequality.
Mr. Ignacio Artaza – Country Director of UNDP in Pakistan stated: “We are excited to be a part of this collaboration with Microsoft where we will join forces to work towards achieving the SDGs by promoting youth employment, digital literacy, and innovation.”
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K-ELECTRIC TAKES 1ST POSITION IN ‘LARGE NATIONAL COMPANIES’ CATEGORY
K-Electric secured the 1st position in the category of “Large National Companies” by the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) at the 5th Employer of the Year Award 2016 held at a local hotel in Karachi.
EFP conferred the award in recognition of K-Electric’s best practices in HR Management practices, Health & Safety at work, Skills and Vocational Training Initiatives. The Employers’ Federation of Pakistan was established in 1950 and focuses on harmonious industrial relations and human resource skill development through effective and meaningful participation at national and international levels. The Employers’ Federation of Pakistan launched the Employer of the Year Award in 2012 to recognize the efforts of large, medium and small enterprises for their contribution towards the creation of a skilled workforce.
Speaking at the award ceremony which was attended by corporate heads, government officials and ILO representatives, K-Electric spokesperson described this award yet another testament to KEís organisational transformation and said, “At KE, our people and our culture are our biggest asset. Due to this we ensure that the most diligent policies are put in place in terms of recruitment as well as development of talent. We try our best to ensure that every possible learning opportunity is available to our teams. Further, diversity and inclusion is one of our top priorities and has enabled us to assemble a diverse team of talented, focused and high achieving individuals who are responsible for our success.”
KE is driving Human Resource transformation by digitizing HR processes and under this ambit, KE has launched Success Factors, SAP’s state-of-the-art cloud based HR solution to drive a high-performance culture across the organization and allow teams to pursue their passion at work. Last year, KE also launched People Connect, a first of its kind initiative in Pakistan, where various employee service channels have been consolidated and synergized using both digital and physical mediums to cater to the utility’s diverse employee base. In addition to the above the power utility has focused on enabling and energizing its diverse workforce through other initiatives such as My Child Care Assistance and an extended Maternity Policy which facilitates working mothers.
The utility also runs a comprehensive talent acquisition program annually for business and engineering students to ensure that the youth of the country has access to the growth and learning opportunities available at the only vertically integrated Power Company in the nation. Earlier this year, the utility also initiated the Apprenticeship Programme 2017-18 aimed at enhancing employability of management and non-management workforce through skill development, mentoring and on-job training. KE aims to train over 550 apprentices in core business areas of generation, distribution and transmission during this two-year programme.
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K-ELECTRIC WINS FIRE & SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR 6TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Continuing its winning streak, K-Electric won the Fire & Safety Award 2017 for the sixth consecutive year. The award ceremony was organized by National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) & Fire Protection Association of Pakistan (FPAP) last evening at a local hotel. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Minister of Transport & Mass Transit, Government of Sindh was the chief guest.
The award recognizes KE’s commitment for adopting and implementing a robust Fire Safety Management System throughout its network. The power utility conducts regular safety trainings for its employees and during FY 2016 over 63,000 hours were focused on training in areas including basic safety, environmental awareness, quality management system, first aid, firefighting and protocols for the peak season of summer. Additionally, KEís team conducted numerous sessions about fire prevention and safety practices at the Federal Civil Defence Training School, Karachi.
According to KE spokesperson, “Safety is our top priority at KE and we ensure that our people, community and the environment we operate in is cared for in each and every one of our actions. The award is yet another acknowledgement of the company’s commitment towards promoting a safety-first culture in line with the global best practices.”
KE is compliant with the highest world class safety standards and has a robust safety management system in place.
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JS BANK PARTNERS WITH CREDITFIX TO FORM DIGITAL CONSUMER LENDING PARTNERSHIP
JS Bank Limited & CreditFix Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a Digital Consumer Lending Partnership. Under the agreement, CreditFix will provide JS Bank credit scores of consumers and leads hence enabling faster and more efficient lending with less risk. The MoU signing ceremony was held at the AWT Plaza, Karachi and it was attended by the senior management from both Creditfix and JS Bank.
JS Bank & CreditFix intend to ensure innovation to maximize consumer’s banking experience. Through this agreement, users will be able to relish the perks of credit scoring and it would also help lenders to make more accurate credit decisions. Furthermore, this partnership would also save time for consumers as Creditfix uses social media and on-device data to provide consumer credit scoring which is much quicker and allow easier access to consumers.
Commenting on the occasion, Group Head Consumer Banking & Specialized Products JS Bank, Raja Abdullah said, “We believe this partnership is going to revolutionize credit scoring mechanism in Pakistan allowing us to widen our consumer credit products to a much larger population”
Owais Zaidi, CEO Credit Fix commented that, “We are very excited about the opportunity to make lending faster, easier and accessible to the masses in Pakistan while driving down the cost of acquisition and processing for our partner banks”
CreditFix’ mission is to bring access to credit at fair terms to over 50mn Pakistanis left out by the formal lending institutions. It uses an AI based credit scoring model that uses behavioral data and financial indicators to risk assess borrowers. For more information, visit www.creditfix.pk
JS Bank is considered amongst the fastest growing banks within Pakistan’s banking landscape with 323 branches in 161 cities and one international branch. JS Bank is part of JS Group, one of Pakistan’s most diversified and progressive financial services groups. For more information, visit http://www.jsbl.com