Azfar Ahsan named new BOI chairman

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan has been named the new Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) after his appointment was approved on Tuesday by the federal cabinet.

Ahsan is the fourth person to have been appointed to the post and has replaced Atif Bokhari who resigned in June due to “personal reasons”.

The newly-appointed chairman is the founder of Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG), which represents the elite of Pakistan's national intelligentsia, including corporate and business leaders, ministers, senators, governors, federal secretaries, politicians, distinguished academicians, energy experts, tech entrepreneurs, defence personnel, police officers, foreign policy experts, media practitioners, and the movers and shakers of civil society.

He also established the Nutshell Group, of which he is the Founder CEO, and has also hosted over 3,000 foreign delegates in Pakistan, including, among others, global CEOs, senior executives, ministers, academicians from Ivy League universities, and thought and knowledge leaders from 35 countries over the last 21 years.

Earlier, officials had anticipated that former chairmen Zubair Gilani and Haroon Sharif were in the running to take over from Bokhari.

Sharif was appointed as Chairman Board of Investment in September 2018, while Gilani was given the charge in June 2019.

What is BOI?

BOI has been set up for the promotion of investment in all sectors of the economy, facilitation of local and foreign investors for the speedy materialisation of their projects, enhancement of Pakistan's international competitiveness, and contribution to economic and social development.

The board assists companies and investors who are investing or intend to invest in Pakistan as well as facilitates the implementation and operation of their projects.

It acts as a focal point of contact for existing and prospective investors, both domestic and foreign, to provide them with all necessary information and assistance in coordination with government departments at the federal and provincial levels.