CFO conference: Saqib for reducing gap between population & GDP growth

CEO and Group Director Strategic Planning Atlas Honda, Saqib H. Shirazi said Thursday that gap between population growth and GDP should be at least three to four percent while from a GDP perspective we need nearly seven to eight percent and from population perspective we need to be less than two. He was addressing the annual CFO conference organized by Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP). The conference with the theme of Evolving Mental Models - Sustaining Competitive Edge; Reflect, Transform, Lead' was attended by more than 600 professionals from the fraternity of finance and business.
The CFO conference over the years has emerged as a strong platform where professionals in business and industry meet to explore, confront and thrash out solution to meet the challenges and issues.
Saqib suggested that there is a need to reduce the gap between our population and GDP growth. He said Pakistan's GDP growth rate is 5 percent for the last five years.
He said Pakistan's large population is its customer base that's why multinational companies of the world are interested in investing in Pakistan. Appreciating role of ICAP, CEO and Group Director Strategic Planning Atlas Honda, Saqib H. Shirazi stressed that Pakistan needs a lot more from these professionals. It's a great profession.
President ICAP Riaz Rehman Chamdia in his introductory remarks stated that ICAP's professionals constitute vital part of the industry and it is incumbent for the institute to cater to their needs and expectations. The Institute is fully cognizant of the obligation it carries towards the business and finance professionals. He said that ICAP is committed to provide a better platform for the financial leaders of the country to explore and overcome the challenges of 21st century. He also said that in order to handle the changes happening in the business environment, particularly the finance one needs to acquire new skills.
Khalilullah Shaikh, Chairman, Professional Accountants in Business Committee and Council Member, ICAP shared the Conference objectives, vision and the Institute's contribution towards the finance and economic sector of Pakistan. Dr Wienand Schruff, Board Member and Chair of the Audit Committee, International Federation of Accountants, IFAC delivered his keynote speech on Resetting the standard Setting Model - Enhancing Public Trust or Recipe for Chaos.
Two pre conference technical sessions were conducted on Offshore Assets by Ashfaq Tola, FCA, Council Member ICAP & President Tola Associates and Currency Management by Riaz Nazarali Chunara, FCA, Executive Director, Internal Audit & Compliance, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Panel discussion before the lunch was conducted by Dr Muhammad Amjad Saqib, Founder Akhuwat Foundation. Synthesizing an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem was the topic of the panel discussion in which speakers shed light on the factors and actors of this ecosystem in Pakistan and outline priorities that need to be set and the strategies that need to be pursued to nurture the culture of entrepreneurship. Asif Misbah, Managing Director Macter International Limited, Malik Tahir Javaid President, Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Dr Muhammad Shehryar Shahid, Assistant Professor (Entrepreneurship) LUMS were the panelists.
Panel discussion was conducted by Iftikhar Taj, Chief Financial Officer, United Snacks and Council Member, ICAP. The topic of the discussion was Rewiring Finance Functions - Creating Desired Impact. The speakers presented the thoughts on how advancements are affecting finance, how talent needs are transforming, and what CFOs need to consider on their journey of rewiring the finance function. The panelists of the session were Adnan Afaq, Managing Director, Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA), Ali Qamar, Partner, EY Ford Rhodes and Sheikh Muhammad Salmaan Ali, Chief Financial Officer, Descon Engineering Limited
Eminent speakers around the globe like Richard Morin, Chief Executive Officer, Pakistan Stock Exchange and Mohammed Al Qahtani, World Public-Speaking Champion 2015, Toastmasters International delivered their presentations in the conference.
Mohammed Al Qahtani, World Public-Speaking Champion 2015, Toastmasters International delivered his famous The Power of Words - Reflect, Transform, Lead speech. The speech was followed by question and answer session,
The conference concluded on an appreciative note with the participants looking to the next CFO conference to enrich their experience. The well attended conference provided a platform to leading industry experts and business professionals to discuss debate and seek pragmatic solutions of emerging business and finance issues.