KARACHI: Corporate leaders gathered for a panel discussion at Habib University on Saturday discussed the role of corporate sector in dealing with the situation arising out of coronavirus pandemic spread in the country.

The pandemic, which affected economic activities worldwide, has forced the corporate sector to rethink and reconfigure their strategies. However, the business leaders believe that every crisis offers some opportunity and one such opportunity lies in supporting development of technology-enabled educational systems capable of training workforce of the future.

“In a country lagging behind in education, only brick and mortar model won’t solve problems. We need access to technology, internet and digital literacy to produce a workforce that is competitive in a global environment,” said president and CEO of Engro Corp Ghias Khan.

Ehsan Malik, the CEO of Pakistan Business Council, moderated the panel discussion, held on the Habib University campus.

The issue of gender equality at workplaces was highlighted by Bashir Ali Mohammad, the CEO of Gul Ahmed Textiles.

He said women comprised half of the country’s population and “we should now think about how to provide them jobs for sustainable economic growth”.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2020