News Desk
LAHORE: All Pakistan Women Movement is an initiative that is working to promote gender inclusion in Pakistan through awareness, advocacy and capacity building of girls and women. APWM hosted a full day mega-conference on gender inclusion titled Evolve 2020 – Inspire .Include . Empower happening on January 12, 2020.
The sensational event was brought to life by 30 eminent speakers from the industry who shared their ideas and insights on the importance of inclusion in workplaces and social avenues. The conference was aimed to raise awareness, do advocacy and share practical ideas to bring change in the mindset, change attitudes and business practices to convince and motivate corporations to create inclusive and gender-balanced workplaces.
The first part of the conference was moderated by the amazing couple Zaufyshan Haseeb Hassan, managing partner Intek Solutions, and Haseeb Hassan founder of Intek Solutions. They started the conference with amazing energy and highlighted the event agenda. The first keynote for the session was Niaz Malik, a speaker, and trainer, who talked about the landscape of inclusion in Pakistan and how has it changed over time.
The first track of the conference was Male Champions of Inclusion moderated by Faisal Sherjan, Director NIC Lahore, that included eminent male CEOs from the industry who in their capacity have contributed towards creating inclusive workspaces in their organizations and are strong advocates of inclusion. The track started with a keynote by Saleem Ghauri, CEO Netsol and moved on to a panel discussion that included Dr. Omar Chughati, Director Operations Netsol, Dr. Shahzad Khan, CEO CCL Pharmaceuticals and Nabeel Qadeer, CEO InfinIT Labs and Waqas Khan, Director HR Pakistan Tobacco Company.
The second track of the conference was a fireside chat on Driving Inclusion at Workspaces that included discussion on the pathway to create avenues and workspaces that support women in gaining financial independence. The chat was moderated by Muhammad Moazzam Shahbaz, CEO Naqeebz Network and Seema Aziz, Cofounder SEFAM Limited.
The third track of the conference was Dreamers and Achievers moderated by AyubGhauri, Director Netsol and highlighted an impressive journey of women leaders from Pakistan and their opinion on the roadblocks and their solutions. The keynote of the session was Andaleeb Abbas, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs who shared her thoughts on the topic. It was followed by a panel discussion that included Fatima Asad Said, Managing Director Abacus, Masarrat Misbah, Founder and CEO Depilex, Maryam Chughtai, Dean Faculty of Education LUMS and Dr. Sumaira Rehman, Director Superior Group.
The fourth track was interesting because it included a discussion by the power couple on climbing the career ladder together. The session was moderated by Maryam Baqir, CEO The Publicist, and included Monis Rehman, CEO Rozee.pk and Sadia Khan, CEO Autosoft.
The second part of the event was moderated by Wasif Mazhar, Chief Learning Officer Make It Happen, who shared his belief on the importance of inclusion.
The fifth track for the conference included a fireside chat between an eminent lawyer and a jurist on policy frameworks and the law changes that can help in the promotion of inclusion in the country. Saad Rasool, Partner at Sr Law and Justice Nasira Iqbal, Distinguished Jurist, engaged in a conversation to highlight the pertinent aspects of the existing laws on inclusion and recommended the framework for the future.
The last track of the conference was on Social Impact Driving Inclusion that was moderated by Tosheeba Sarwar, CEO Tehmina Durrani Foundation. The keynote for the session was Dr. Amjad Saqib, Founder Akhuwat and the panel discussion included Zain Ashraf Mughal, Founder SeedOut, Shameelah Ismaeel, Founder Ghar Par and Margo Aziz, Director Chouiefat. The panel discussed the importance of the social inclusion of women and their role in driving Pakistan’s economic and social development. The event concluded on high notes with the conclusion from Javaria Khan, Founder All Pakistan Women Movement. The people engaged in constructive discussions and networking and lauded the efforts of the team on pulling off a great event. (www.allpakistanwomenmovement.com)
