OICCI, Unilever mark Women’s Day

KARACHI: The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), partnered with Unilever Pakistan and Circle, marked International Women’s Day with an event to celebrate the opportunities and challenges of enabling equity within a workplace, a statement said on Tuesday.

The event included a series of talks and mentoring sessions, connecting leaders from the corporate and startup world with women leaders of the future from across Pakistan. It provided an opportunity for women leaders from the corporate world as well as leaders of women-owned businesses to network, upskill and learn from each other.

Keynote speakers of the event were Amir Paracha, president OICCI and CEO Unilever Pakistan, Rehan Shaikh, vice president at OICCI and CEO of Standard Chartered, Mushtaq Chapra, founder of The Citizens Foundation, Sidra Iqbal, consultant and TV presenter along with Sadaffe Abid, founder and CEO, CIRCLE.

Speaking on the occasion, Amir Paracha said, “There is an urgent need for women to distinguish between equity and equality to reshape their narrative and career trajectories for the future.”

Sharing Circle’s journey in using technology to drive women empowerment, Sadaffe Abid said, “While we see some progress on women’s participation in the economy, the pace of change is slow.”

Bringing access to internet and digital literacy to girls and women was imperative, she emphasised.