Lesco’s board to put advertisements for refilling top positions

LAHORE: The board of directors of the state-owned Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has decided to put advertisements to refill the higher management positions, including chief executive officer, at the company in a bid to make the hiring process transparent, sources said on Thursday.

The sources said in a major likely shake-up at one of the biggest power distribution companies of the country, the posts of chief executive, chief financial officer, head of Internal Audit and director Legal of Lesco will be advertised in the next couple of weeks. 

The post of secretary will also be filled by following due procedure in order to induce professionalism in the working of power utility, they added.

Lesco sources said the ministry of water and power gave the previous CEO a charge of the most important post on temporary basis a few weeks back with submissive timeframe of ‘till further order’. 

A board member, on condition of anonymity, said a power distribution company like Lesco can never be run efficiently with such an arrangement. 

The legality of the notification of this appointment is also very much in question since the federal government has no legal right over such selection, he added. Early last year, a court knocked down an attempt by the federal government to arbitrarily appoint a CEO.

The Lesco, supplying electricity to Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okrara and Nankana, was registered in early 1998 under the Companies Ordinance 1984. All the financial and policy-related matters, as per the company laws, are the prerogative of the board of directors. 

The sources said Lesco was reorganised into an independently-run corporatized entity with the aim of its commercialisation and eventually privatisation.

They also said the post of CEO Lesco would be advertised in a manner that a vibrant and energetic professional is hired for the top slot. 

The board is very much confident that it can provide excellent services to customers by turning power utility into a corruption-free and efficiently-run company in shortest possible time, following a major reshuffling of the high-ups.

The sources said the Lesco’s directors considered such high profile appointments an opportunity to bring real change in the working of power utility. All these posts are among highest ranking positions. As per the organisational structure, the board assumes the position of apex administrative body.

Under the proposed reshuffle, the remaining top most positions are to be refilled in a due process. This huge administrative step, if taken as per the law, will positively change the management practices at the helm of affairs, leading to improving service delivery, said the board member.   

“Hopefully, change of guards at the power utility would act as a game changer, bringing relief to the load shedding-stricken masses,” a source said. “People will get rid of the complaints of over-billing and poor customer service with induction of professionals.”