LAHORE (PRESS RELEASE)
Passion and enthusiasm among the participants extended on to the second day of the Young Leaders Conference (YLC), 2019. The founding partner English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt.) Ltd. was also the sponsor of the second day of this premier event.
The theme of the day sought to shed light on Diversity, Inclusion & Technology of Pakistan through a diverse panel of industry icons. The theme explored a variety of aspects the ever-evolving digital realm has had on Pakistan and how it continues to shape its future.
The ever so vibrant Umair Jaliawala spearheaded the stimulating activity ‘Sooper Hai Poora Pakistan’ where the participants were given the chance to express who they are. The inventiveness and individuality of each participant showcased the pride in one’s origins and a desire for inclusivity.
Talking about EBM’s stance in the YLC, Shahzain Munir, Director EBM, commented, “It is the need of the hour to engage the youth of our country into something much more productive and industrious. The advantage they get through this forum is to gain insight from the experiences of various industry’s giants and find a way to be inspired and pave their way towards success. EBM has been a proud supporter of the School of Leadership’s initiative and we hope to see a positive revolutionary change in eager young individuals as a result of this conference.”
A thought-provoking discussion was also carried out by Nadeem uz Zaman, Marketing Director of The Coca-Cola Company, where he explained how the company has aligned its content creation with its branding, marketing, sales and profitability. Quantifying these aspects in terms of metrics has become more complex than ever before. His session focused on identifying the metrics of a brand’s success in this day and age and what path needs to be taken by brand managers today.
Qasif Shahid of SimSim, during his session brought everyone up to speed on FINTech. What started out a buzzword very quickly became a major disrupting tool in the traditional financial services arena. During the session the participants got the opportunity to learn from Qasif, deep insights with the aid of case studies and examples, into how FINTech is changing the dynamics of business and their relationships with their customers. Qasif actively engaged with the audience with a group activity where participants used their creativity and knowledge to envision FINTech in Pakistan decades from now.
The conference also featured speaking sessions by ACCA’s Machine Learning Research Team where they explained the relationship between artificial intelligence and machine learning; how does it impact our industries, workforce and future of learning. ACCA’s ML Research Team worked with examples and global case studies to simplify these complex phenomena.
Short educatiOnal sessions on E-Health Clinics and Pakistan’s AgriTech soon followed. Haseeb Sattar from My Zindagi, Sehat Kahani spoke about how Pakistan’s need for adequate health services can only be met by creating innovations that integrate health and technology. He also explained how Sehat Kahani’s innovative model of affordable health care for marginalized communities use technology to solve this critical issue. Nouman Saeed, AgriTech also highlighted one of the key issues that has plagued the country for decades since its inception. Pakistan’s principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25% of Pakistan’s agriculture accounts for less than 21% of GDP and employs about 43% of the labour force. We are in our 72nd year but we have not been able to capitalise on agriculture. Nouman Saeed talked keenly about how, in today’s age, we leverage technology to enable agriculture and optimize the country’s potential.
Qaiser Abbas, addressed on the possibilities of Pakistan and the world, emphasized the need of exploring the difference between curiosity, change and transformation. Change yields more, better, or different from what came before; of how transformation, adversely, is an act of bringing creating, opportunities and possibilities. In his experiential session, he provoked the audience to think and act outside their comfort zone and limits, and to step into the realm of creativity and possibilities.
For the past 17 years, YLC has offered exposure to worthwhile causes, networking opportunities, and learning sessions, presented by over 50 expert speakers from different fields. This year’s conference has been sponsored by our Founding Partner EBM and Cause Partners Australian Pathfinders, Ahung, Naya Qadam, Feroze1888, FNF Pakistan, Khaadi, PTCL, Marie Stopes Society, SSGC, Zee Foundation, Daraz, Wilshire, KFC, Jubilee Life Insurance, USEFP, Education in Pakistan, Arshad Group, Hubco, IBEX Global.
The Dunya Media Group is the official media partner for the conference while Xenith PR serves as the PR partner, helping to bring the message of YLC to all media platforms and providing essential coverage.
YLC 2019 is being held in Lahore and Chandbagh from 1st July-6th.