OICCI and Unilever Pakistan jointly organized an awareness session on Competition Act 2010 with support from the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP). Amir Paracha, VP OICCI and CEO Unilever Pakistan, M Abdul Aleem, CE/Secretary General OICCI and Aman Ghanchi, Lead Regulatory core team of OICCI welcomed Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan, Chairperson, CCP and her team which included Mr. Noman Laiq, Secretary CCP and Director General Cartels and Trade Abuse, and Ms. Urooj Awan, Deputy Director, Office of Fair Trade (OFT), CCP.

Abdul Aleem welcomed the participants to the session and shared that OICCI members rate CCP as one of the best regulatory bodies in Pakistan with professional capabilities at par with international standards. He emphasized that the Commission plays a key role in promoting competitive business environment which leads to an increase in productivity and helps in attracting foreign investment. Aman Ghanchi briefed the audience on the objectives of the session and shared that a good understanding of various aspects of the Competition Act 2010 is important for the companies to work smoothly without any compliance issue.

Rahat Kaunain Hassan thanked OICCI and Unilever Pakistan for the session and shared that such interactions are important to develop a good understanding of the law and of the point of view of both sides. The Office of Fair Trade at CCP works to discourage deceptive marketing practices and encourage compliance and corrective behavior. Noman Laiq and Urooj Awan gave an overview of the Competition Act and shed light on the deceptive marketing practices. They emphasized that firms should not make unreal claims, hide important information from the consumers and should print it in a way that it can be easily understood by the consumers. Companies should also not use the competitors’ patent designs, trademarks and/or any other item registered as Intellectual Property.  The presentations were followed by an interactive and engaging Q&A session.

Concluding the session, Amir Paracha thanked the Chairperson and her team for sharing their knowledge with the audience and acknowledged the efforts of CCP in upholding the fair business practices in the country.