Highlighting the pressing need for fostering an environment conducive to women's success in business and entrepreneurship, the OICCI hosted its 6th Women Empowerment Awards on April 30. OICCI Vice President Rehan Shaikh, in his opening remarks, stressed that empowering women is not just a moral obligation but also a critical economic imperative.

The prestigious awards recognized the outstanding efforts of three remarkable companies, with Procter & Gamble Pakistan taking the coveted title of Champions, closely followed by Nestlé Pakistan and Unilever Pakistan as first and second runners-up. Shazia Syed was celebrated with the Iconic Corporate Women Leaders Award for her remarkable leadership contributions.

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, former caretaker finance minister and esteemed recipient of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz for outstanding public service, graced the ceremony as the chief guest. Her address underscored the fundamental significance of providing women with access to finance and education for their holistic advancement.

U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan Consul General Karachi Conrad Tribble also graced the event.

A pivotal moment of the event was the unveiling of the 'Increasing Women's Inclusion in the Pakistani Economy' handbook, a comprehensive policy paper aimed at promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace. Andrew Bailey, Co-Chair of OICCI Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee, emphasized the imperative of implementing the handbook's recommendations to materialize Pakistan's vision of a more equitable society.

Further enriching the occasion was an insightful panel discussion on the topic of the handbook, moderated by Aisha Sarwari and featuring esteemed panelists Dr Lalarukh Ejaz Ejaz, Sarah O. Munir, and Zarrar Khuhro.

The event also recognized the exemplary efforts of companies in various special categories, including PepsiCo Pakistan, Total PARCO Pakistan Ltd., Engro Corp, Shell Pakistan Ltd., Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Ltd., Jazz, and Chevron Pakistan Lubricants Private Ltd., for their remarkable contributions to women's empowerment.

This year, we also introduced the ‘Spotlight Video’ segment to recognize companies within the OICCI that have notably improved their rankings over the past five years of their participation in the Women Empowerment Survey. The top three companies with a significant increase in their rankings were ibex. Pakistan, Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan, and Meezan Bank Limited.