Helping you Succeed - TCS Courier · Omer Abedin, Alan Powers, Jeremy Parson, Andre Verdier, and...

Helping you Succeed

December 2010 / Issue 4 the newsletter

inside

Lucy Comes to Town!Speaks to ConnecT

Omar AbedinBRAND YOU!

Jeremy Parson

Enjoying LifeAnalyzing Risk!

Jordi Vilanova

Adding Value to HumanCapital

Best Practices inSupply Chain Collaboration

Andre N. Verdier

Umair Jaliawalla

CelebratingThe Trainers Resource Group’s

(TRG) 150th Monthly Meeting

w w w . o c t a r a . c o m

also inside2011: IF NOT NOW, WHEN?Omar Khan

Quality StrategyAlan Power

“Start seeing yourself asGod’s gift to Mankind”Kamran Rizvi

“Pakistanis are more open,brighter, more positive, more keento learn and more able to relateto people at all levels”Roger Harrop

What is it that a Woman Can’t Do?Zaufyshan Haseeb

Personal ResponsibilityLeon Menezes

and Engages with

Saquib Niaz

Aman FoundationMajor League Good Samaritan

Ahsan Jameel

Executive Members TRG

octara.com December 201002

Business today is hard pressed to carry on asusual. When it rains in Pakistan, it really pours,and I say this both literally and metaphorically.Having said that, ‘have umbrella, will travel.’And by golly! Have we traveled in the past fewmonths since the last edition of octara.com waspublished. Floods and bomb blasts notwithstanding, Octara succeeded in notching upan impressive roster of events that catered tobuilding of capacity in both the corporate worldas well as the school system from which will bedrawn the future warriors of many an epicboardroom battle.

From the runaway success of LearnFest thatcelebrated the 150th monthly meeting of theTrainers Resource Group (TRG) to the YoungVoices of Pakistan that featured Voice CoachLucy Cornell from Australia engaging with thebest and brightest of our school and collegesystems, we at Octara have remained undauntedby the sheer hostility of our operatingenvironment, and on instinct have moved toplaying on the front foot the many lethalbouncers sent our way by both Nature and thosewho would wish Pakistan ill.

The fine art of effective articulation is somethingthat all of us need to master, no matter what ourvocation and calling. Lucy Cornell engaged withthe corporate world in Lahore and Karachi in aseries of workshops and seminars, and thenspent a half day tutoring the alumni of the EnglishSpeaking Union of Pakistan and the TCS HydePark Juniors. In my humble estimation she addedtremendous value, and the fact that she returns

in March 2011 amidst great popular demand, testifies to the veracity of mystatement.

Omer Abedin, Alan Powers, Jeremy Parson, Andre Verdier, and Jordi Vilanovashowed ample courage in visiting our shores and holding forth on issues likePersonal Brand Equity, Quality Strategy, Crisis Response, Supply ChainManagement, and Entrepreneurship. Kamran Rizvi traveled to Karachi fromIslamabad and added great value to the LearnFest by holding sessions on theLeadership Paradigm and Breaking News with a difference.

In this issue we have the privilege of talking to Ahsan Jamil, CEO of AmanFoundation, and gaining an insight into a formidable social enterprise that isproviding big gains to civil society in terms of human resource development.Our regular contributors Zaufyshan Haseeb, Leon Menezes, and Omar Khanhave met their deadlines with us, for which we are eternally grateful. Zaufyshanhas written on ‘What is that a Woman Cant Do?’. Leon discusses ‘PersonalResponsibility’, and Omar, our international celebrity and winner of the ‘Top25’ Consultants in the World Award, has presented a powerful piece title ‘2011– If Not Now, When?’ Thank you all.

As we all negotiate some treacherous terrain in our striving for sustenance,it would help to keep in mind that in the face of adversity we cannot retreatto the convenience of being overwhelmed. Also, to quote a Chinese proverb,those who live unselfishly are those who have a life that is most worth living.Thank you for joining us for this read. We look forward to your feedback.

www.octara.com

[email protected]

jamil janjua, CEO, Octara & Chief [email protected]

Season’sGreeting

Patron-in-ChiefKhalid N. Awan

Editor:Adil Ahmad

Senior Graphics Designer:Asif Ali

Member Editorial Committee:M. Arif (Head of OCTARA)

Marketing Executive:Mohsin Rahim

Marketing OfficerFatima Abbas

Marketing Executive:M. Adeel Khalil

Marketing & Service Quality Officer:

Usama Rafi

Business Support Officer:Laiq Ahmed

Business Support Executive:Muhammad Imran Anwer

Who we are

Corporate Trainers Wanted

Octara seeks to expand its pool ofprofessional Trainers. Opportunitiesexist for individuals to partner with

Pakistan’s premier training and eventmanagement company for forging

formidable career paths.Write: [email protected]

octara.com December 2010 03

Octara.com: What bringsyou to Pakistan, ostensiblythe ‘most dangerous placein the world’?Lucy Cornell: I’ll admitt h e r e w e r e

apprehensions, and my family,friends, and colleagues were quite alarmed

when they heard that I was headed this way.They thought I was being quite mad! But, having metMr. Khalid Awan and his lovely wife Sadia in Barcelonalast February, I was quite reassured. I met them at theYPO Global Leadership Conference where I had beenasked to speak as a resource. Mr. Khalid Awan and therest of the Pakistani presence there insisted I come toPakistan, and here I am! The two weeks that I havespent have been fabulous and I am quite overwhelmedby the hospitality that I have received.

Octara.com: Does that mean you will be back?Lucy Cornell: Indeed I will! In March of 2011 in fact,to engage with some new clients that I have made onthis trip, and hopefully to travel via the Karakorum SilkRoute and visit China. In the last two weeks I havedelivered 10 events attended by 500 people, and there’sbeen lots of positive feedback and interest in furtheringthe work. I enjoyed working with The Citizens Foundation

as well while in Karachi.

Octara.com: What was the route you took to becominga Voice Coach?Lucy Cornell: My enlightened mother sent me to theTrinity College of London Speech and Drama in Australia.My training started at the age of 10 and continued rightthrough school. My teacher had trained in London andwas really inspirational. That’s where I gained the ability,strength and courage to be able to have a voice in frontof people. It’s important to start people early so theycan ward off their fears that they tend to grow in lateryears. That’s what I like about what TCS is doing inPakistan through its Hyde Park Juniors program forschool and college kids.

Octara.com: You trained as a teacher in college?Lucy Cornell: Indeed I did! In Sydney’s New SouthWales University I trained as a teacher with a specialtyin Theatre and English, and did lots of theatre and actingduring that period. Then I went traveling for a coupleof years, which I suggest everyone does to discoverwho you are when you’re not with your parents andfriends, and not in your home country. I lived in Londonfor two years and followed voice coaches there at theNational Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company.

She is a champion articulator and a champion of articulation. Lucy Cornell brings theworld’s most sophisticated techniques in voice and speaking to the business world todevelop vocal presence and power for stronger, more inspired leadership. A designatedLinklater Voice Teacher, of which there are just 150 in the world, Lucy has a Mastersof Applied Science in Voice Research (USyd), Bachelor of Arts & Education (UNSW),and a Licentiate Diploma from the Trinity College of London. For over 8 years Lucyhas worked with an illustrious group of clients that include McKinsey, Citigroup, UBS,IBM, ANZ Bank, Bloomberg, and TCS. She speaks regularly for EntrepreneursOrganization and Young Presidents Organization.

Lucy was in Pakistan for two weeks at the invitation of Chairman TCS Mr. KhalidAwan, and visited Lahore and Karachi where she delivered 10 events and connectedto 500 people. Lucy sat down for a chat with octara.com over lunch at the Karachi

Sheraton Hotel, after spending half a day engaging with young debaters drawn fromthe English Speaking Union of Pakistan and TCS Hyde Park Juniors.

Lucy Cornell, Chief Inspiration Officer, Voice Coach, Australia

“You’re only as good as your last gig!”


These had been introduced to meby my voice coach in Sydney whohad trained in London. I watchedthem taking classes and was reallyinspired by the work they weredoing with actors, lifting their voiceto bring alive the texts both modernand Shakespearian.

Octara.com: By now you haddecided that this was the field youwanted to embrace?Lucy Cornell: Absolutely! Iheaded back to Australia anddid a Masters of AppliedS c i e n c e f o c u s i n g o nresearching the voice, and bringtheatre voice and techniquesinto the medical profession asspeech therapy. I found a MasterVoice Teacher in Sidney, Isabel Kirk,and she was amazing. Sheintroduced me to Kristin Linklaterwhose work is called ‘Freeing theNatural Voice’. She is Scottish livingin the US, and Isabel in Australia isa Master Teacher of Kristin’s work.There are only 150 people who havetrained with Kristin, and I am oneof them. There are only 15 MasterTeachers. Over the next 5 years Iwent to the US four times to train,and in the fifth year I was ready totrain with Kristin.

Octara.com: What was it likelearning from the grand guruherself?Lucy Cornell: It’s a real Master-Apprentice system. I trained withKristin in the Adirondacks woods inthe north of New York State. Therewere 15 of us from around the worldgathered in a hunting lodge for fiveweeks, away from the outside world.We were enclosed in this space andgot thoroughly infused by Kristin’swork. Her role was to make surethat we were ready to go out andteach. She tested us on ourtechnique, on our ability to teachand be humble in our teaching,support the other person’s voice,breathing techniques, and lots ofphysical work. It was a hugeexperience getting deconstructedand reconstructed many times over,with lots of tears and peels oflaughter and joy, and all the otheremotions that you can go through.That is the point of it all. Toexperience emotion through thevoice. It was an extremely catharsis

inducing and bonding experience.We went through some very strangethings together.

Octara.com: What has been yourbusiness strategy?Lucy Cornell: I have taken thetechniques that I learnt from Kristin,which are traditionally for actors,and applied them in the businessworld with business people who aremoving around the world making

presentations, and who feel theirvoices are not strong enough. I havebeen playing overseas for the last6 years since meeting YPO in 2004.They loved me. You’re only as goodas your last gig! That’s what Ibelieve. I still get nervous before anaudience because there’s always anelement that you don’t know about.There’s me and my c l ientrelationship manager Kylie whom Icouldn’t do without. The problemis that I am mybusiness’s onlyasset, so I need totrain somebodyelse with soul,intelligence, rigor,e n e r g y , a n dcommitment. It’sreally hard to findsomeone who iswilling to do thevoice work and beall of that as well.The acting worldpays a pittance, butfortunately mybusiness is with thecorporate world.

Octara.com: Is itp o s s i b l e t otransform a smalland squeaky voiceinto one that iss t r o n g a n dexpressive?Lucy Cornell: Asmall and squeakyvoice is not natural,it’s habitual, and Ibelieve that we areall born with a

voice which has the capacity toexpress what we think and feel, andneed. Over time our voice getsshaped and repressed out of us. Sothe voices you hear now are voicesof habit that reflect our environment,and experiences, and limitations inthe world. That’s when you need tofree up the natural resonance inyour voice so that your intelligenceand heart can be heard.

Octara.com: What kind of foodare you partial to?Lucy Cornel l : Seafoodbarbeque cooked by mymother! Small lobsters on thebarbeque with garlic. InAustralia we are very influenced

by Thai and Indonesian food, so weuse a lot of coriander and chilli andlight spices. I loved Pakistani foodtoo. Specially the Allo-ghost thatMr. Khalid Awan’s cook made forus for dinner last night!

Octara.com:Thank you Lucy Cornell for theprivilege of your presence in ourmidst! Thank you for coming toPakistan.

A small and squeaky voice isnot natural, it’s habitual

Lucy with Karachi Worhshop participants

Lucy with Lahore Worhshop participants


Octara brought together with LucyCornell in a half day Workshop aselect group of youngsters thatcomprised the finalists of the EnglishSpeaking Union of Pakistan’s AllPakistan Declamation Contest, alongwith alumni of the TCS Hyde ParkJuniors Public Speaking Program.The occasion was dedicated to thememory of late Brig. Sadiq Awan,a great patron of the youth who, atthe time of his passing, was thePresident of the English Speakingunion's Is lamabad Chapter.

Bright and early on a Friday morningthe Karachi Sheraton Hotel’s Bela& Chambeli conference room wasbrimful with bright sparks, eager topolish their speaking skills withtechniques that this most amazinglady from Australia was about toimpart. Many moons ago the AussieRodney Eyles, along with his notableforbearers Rodney Martin and GeoffHunt, had been titled in Pakistan asthe Thunder from Down Under! Thesquash world had seen Pakistan andAustralia rule the roost and engagein many an epic rivalry. Lucy wasno squash play, but she was hereto steal Rodney’s thunder. Giventhe dire need of Pakistani youth tofree up the natural resonance intheir voice so that their intelligenceand heart could be heard, voicecoach Lucy Cornell’s impact uponthe Pakistani landscape was goingto be far more profound thananything the Aussie squash brigadehad managed to accomplish.

Inspirational speaking is an elevatedform of rhetoric, said Lucy. “Theaudience is moved emotionally,intellectually or physically by aneloquent argument, vision andinsight. Being an inspirationalspeaker demands that you resonate

through three layers of voicesimultaneously. These comprise theinner voice, the physical voice, andthe inspirational voice.”

Lucy referred to Aristotle, the Greekphilosopher, who wrote the guidingthesis ‘Rhetoric’ in 330 BC. “Rhetoricis the use of language to persuade,and his great work has been thebackbone of persuasive argumentto this day. Aristotle outlines threefundamenta l e lements fo rpersuasive argument. There isEthos, the speaker’s power ofevincing a personal character whichwill make his or her speech credible;Logos, or the speaker’s power ofproving a truth, or an apparent truth,by means of persuasive arguments;and Pathos, the speaker’s power ofstirring the emotions of his or herhearers.” Generating Ethos requirescommitment, courage, connection,passion, and conviction; Logosrequires structure and the clarity ofideas; and Pathos requires presence,breath, energy, vibration, physicalvoice, catharsis, elevated language,core human values, purpose, andthe getting to the heart of the matter.

“There is an unwritten contractbetween you and your audience,”said Lucy, even as she put theassembled group of young highachievers through their paces witha series of physical and mentalexercises geared to limbering upthe body and mind. “You haveasked them to listen to you, andthey expect to have their timerespected, to be moved, and to havetheir intelligence honoured. Asinspirational speaking is aboutmoving intellectually, ethically, andemotionally, consider speaking asa conversation rather than apresentation.”

As examples of inspirationalspeaking Lucy showed video clipsof Muhammad Ali Jinnah, BenazirBhutto, Queen Elizabeth the First,Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama,Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin LutherKing Junior. “In any art form therewill be a phrase that describes theconcept of being present. In sportit is called ‘being in the zone’. Inmusic it is ‘being in the groove’. Inperformance it is ‘being in themoment’. You may also know thisas being ‘in flow’. For a speaker tobe in flow requires an alignment ofbody, breath, thought, feeling, andvoice. When one of these facetsdominates or is weak, your presenceis compromised.”

Lucy quoted Master voice teacherKristin Linklater who said that theperfect communication for the actoror speaker implies a balancedquartet of intellect and emotion,body and voice; a quartet in whichno one instrument compensateswith its strength for the weaknessof another. So the more present youare, the more presence you have.

Lucy Cornell was present rightthrough the Workshop! And herpresence generated the kind ofenthusiasm amongst her youngcharges that made time fly onsupersonic wings. The kids wouldhave gladly stayed on for the restof the day and through the weekendlistening to her, absorbing her pearlsof wisdom, and practicing toperfection the fine art of inspirationalspeaking, but alas! While all goodthings need not necessarily cometo an end, there comes a time tomove on to the other necessities oflife, like lunch! Thank you Lucy! AndBon Appetite!

A Tribute To Brig. Sadiq N. Awan


The TCS Connect Forumcame alive once more andb r o u g h t t o g e t h e r adistinguished gathering ofPakistan’s corporate elite towelcome Lucy, and getsome inspired coachingfrom her in optimizing theuse of their voice. SaqibHamdani, the CEO of TCS,was present along with hisTop Team of seasonedexecutives to welcome thei n v i t e e s . T C S M M S ,represented by its National

Sales Manager MMS & Print Business Rao Salman, tookthe kudos on behalf of the sponsors TCS, with JamilJanjua opening proceedings in his role of CEO Octara,the event managers for the evening.

Jamil Janjua welcomed the guests and Lucy Cornell.“Today Lucy spent the first half of the day addingimmense value to the speaking skills of our school andcollege systems top debators at a workshop dedicatedto the memory of Brig. Sadiq Awan, our Chairman Mr.Khalid Awan's elder brother, who at the time of hisdeath on November 11th last year, was the Presidentof the English Speaking Union of Pakistan's IslamabadChapter.The workshop this morning was a tribute tohim."

The ability to properly articulate one’s thoughts is centralto effective communication, and the development ofself-confidence and self-esteem, said JJ, initials thatJamil Janjua is known by to both friend and foe!

“This has been an area of great interest for TCS, and,in pursuance of our corporate social responsibility, wehave sponsored and organized for the past many yearspublic speaking workshops and competitions for schooland college going young adults. This we have doneunder the banner of TCS Hyde Park Juniors. We set upthe TCS Connect Forum in 2003 to celebrate 20 yearsof TCS, and invited thought leaders and opinion makersfrom around the world to share their experiences invarious disciplines that contribute to a successful conduct

of business, and indeed life. This activity received anoverwhelmingly positive response from our esteemedclientele such as you, and that has given the TCS ConnectForum a permanent and prestigious niche in the TCSpublic relations effort.”

Lucy Cornell took the stage in the midst of generousapplause, not so much for her content which was yetto grace the ears of the audience, but for the vote ofconfidence she had given Pakistan by being there thatevening. One could see that she had established aninstant rapport with the captains of trade, commerceand industry present. She positively glowed, her eyessparkled, and her words flowed with practiced easegiving full expression to her ‘vocal zoo’, harnessing fouroctaves and more as her voice dipped and rose,mesmerizing the audience and holding it captive notagainst its will. Lucy Cornell was definitely in themoment, and in flow.

Amidst a lot of very good advice from her, what caughtone’s attention is what Lucy described as the ABV ofSpeaking. Arrive, Breathe, Vibrate. “When you arrive,

TCS VP Sales Salman Akram connects with Lucy in Lahore as Arif Ansari (Senior SalesManager) and Mohsin Ansari (Regional Director Ops Central Region) look on

“Claim your voice and move your audience”Lucy Cornell

Select gathering at the Lahore Connect Forum

07octara.com December 2010

CEO Octara Jamil Janjua introduces Qasim Awan andinvites him to distribute the Workshop certificates

ensure that you get over the ‘speaking jetlag’inherent in a business culture that is full ofdistractions. The more present you are themore presence you will have. Breath helpskeep you in control and makes for inspiration,and carries you from the inside to out. Yourbreath is the fuel for your voice. The powerof the voice is that you can literally vibrateyour audience on a cellular level, and movethem into action. So the more generous youcan be with your voice the more your listeneris likely to hear you and literally resonatewith you. Your vocal birthright is to have atleast a four octave range, but most of us livein a one octave range, particularly politicians.This is specially true if the culture you findyourself in allows only for a restricted rangeof expressivity.”

Earlier in the day during the Young Voicesworkshop, Lucy had short listed four youngbright sparks to demonstrate inspirationalspeaking at the TCS Connect Forum. FatimaMalik (University College Lahore), AhmedNawaz (Fazaiia College for Boys Islamabad),Lalarukh Rashidi (Westminster School andCollege Karachi), Saad Hussain, and IsmailKodvavi (Karachi University) had spentanxious moments preparing and rehearsingthrough lunch and tea. Each one deliveredhis or her piece with conviction and aplomb,and earned a rousing round of applause.Lucy beamed with pride. These had beenher children for half a day, and she hadtransformed them.

The program ended with a presentation toLucy of a small Afghani carpet. Fond ofmeditating as she is, some wonderedwhether she would ride her ‘flying’ carpeton the return journey Down Under!

Rao Salman(TCS National Sales ManagerMMS & Print Business)gives the thank you note

TCS CEO Saqib Hamdani connects with Lucy in Karachiand presents her with a ‘magic’ carpet!

Lucy conducts a participant through the octave range

The Karachi Connect Forum drew a large and distinguished audience


Pakistanseems to be in

a lamentable state of affairs. Myparents still reside there, so I speaknot just from an external perch, butfrom the visceral experience of lovedones . My fa ther gave h isprofessional life to the diplomaticservice of his country andremembers still with moist-eyedpride when Pakistan came intobeing. The promise of “Faith, Unityand Discipline” has certainly beendebauched since and we need toexercise leadership. In this instance,that means no scapegoats and amuch overdue look in the mirror.

LEAVE ASIDE THE BOGEY-MENSo we’re all responsible. We haveno shortage of talent, we have noshortage of resources, we have beendeluged with foreign aid… if todaywe could show some credible pathto progress, the whole world wouldrally around our success. Nucleararmed failed states are in no one’sbest interests.

Let’s ban talk of our favorite bogey-men. No one owes us a living. If wewere socially stable, educationallyadvanced, and economically viablewe wouldn’t be up for grabs. It’stime for less chest-pounding andmore self-respect.

Corporate leaders have to throwdown the gauntlet, talk to theirconsti tuencies and lead an

educational renaissance in thecountry. They have to use theirbusiness pulpits to drive messagesof self-respect. As a recent movieabout the deplorable state of USeducation said, “The fate of thiscountry will not be determined onthe batt lef ields, but in theclassroom.” Amen.

And perhaps we need to getMuhammad Yunus to teach us howto set up our own Grameen Bankand bring micro-enterprise to ourrural poor. We can also practice the“PD” (Positive Deviance) approachand look for communities that arerelatively successful, harmonious,where educational levels are highand make them models and learnhow to extend that modelelsewhere.

CERTAIN THINGS DON’T ADD UPWe pay some of the lowest taxes inthe world, and this from our richestcitizens. We have parasitic elitesliving behind fences and walls andpeople dream of returning home sothey can have “staff”. That they cando this at rates only possible whena large portion of the population isilliterate and with no social mobilityseems to violate few people’s notionof religious ethics. The best in thisregard help to educate the childrenof their staff, to ensure their nextgeneration can have a viable future.Bravo to us when we give morebecause we have more.

In South Africa, post Mandela, aleadership conference was called.All the key power blocs, people whohated each other, rivals and worse,were assembled. They were led byUS conflict resolution experts to

connect, to express their feelingsand views, and to create possiblefuture scenarios for South Africa.They were not to “judge” thescenarios, simply align on the mostprobable ones. These werepublished far and wide. And itbecame clear that the rabid pursuitof private agendas would lead tomeltdown. Only “Phoenix from theashes” as a scenario offered hope.And somehow, it was invested withsupport, from past enemies whofound a way to move forwardtogether, however grudgingly.

South Africa today still has manyproblems, but it survived thatexistential moment, and found away forward. Corporate leaderscould help organize such an effortin Pakistan. I would happily showthem the case-studies of whathappened in South Africa, and Chile,what has and hasn’t workedelsewhere, and we could replicateour own version of this in Pakistan,with foreign and local facilitators, ifwe have the will, spirit and guts forit.

GET TALENT OUT AND BACK INAs I go around globally, I don’t seeenough Pakistani talent beingexported. And when we do go out,we lecture others, or else sullenlywithdraw. Most people don’t wantto take tutorials from places withoutmuch of a productive track record.And while there are many strengthsin our culture and our people, weshould shut up and let them shine,so others can experience them,rather than listen to senselessinsecure stridence.

I have consultants from Australia

2011:

WHEN?IF NOT NOW,

Omar Khan


calling me asking to be coached.Indians have, Americans have. I haveyet to hear from one in Pakistan askingfor this in any credible way (or if so,as some kind of “free lunch”). And Idon’ t see enough Pakis taniconsultants out there at all amongtheir global compatriots. It’s aparadigm issue, certainly not a talentor capability issue.

We have to get our talent out therein all fields. We have to competeglobally and show we can reallycollaborate and build relationships,not just be professionally capable andthen hide in self-constructed ghettos.

And then we need to provide enoughopportunity to attract talent back. Butthat will require a new cadre of leadersback home we can learn from, whowill transform our corporate culturesinto progressive hotbeds. It will meanstart-ups that will give people a stakeand a shot at making it for themselves.

Exportable talent should be a keyperformance indicator of anycorporate leader… thereby we bringthe “outside in”. Will people comeback? Let’s make it worth it for themto do so by having the best “employeevalue propositions” in the region. Ifwe can’t pay the most money, weneed the best cultures. What isplanted will grow.

GET ROLE MODELS VISIBLEI believe if we gathered examples ofPakistani role models – men andwomen doing admirable things withtheir lives, inspired by their faith andwho can speak in an encompassingway about it, it would make for apowerful piece for the Western media.

Imagine pitching to Newsweek a storyon “unsung heroes in Pakistan”. Or“Islam for progress: Real Leaders inPakistan.” We have the role models.It’s a matter of presenting their story.Corporate leaders with media contactscan get this going. People like me willvolunteer to help interview, present,write.

Why don’t we use the global media,and the blog conversations that wouldflow from them, the Twittering thatwould ensue, to showcase Pakistaniand Muslim role models? If all peoplesee are killers and maniacs, why besurprised if they can’t tell an

“extremist” apart from an authenticMuslim.

Japanese Americans were interred incamps during World War II post PearlHarbor. They changed the viewtowards them by showing new rolemodels, by providing new imagesand realities. So did the Germans. Sohas any nation or people who havemanaged a turnaround. Let’s givepeople something else to look at,listen to and talk about.

GET COMPANIES OUT THEREWhy should our companies, some ofour local companies, not challengethemselves to develop a regional, intime global brand? As companiesfrom Pakistan do so, employingforeign nationals, being showcasedin the press, so will the image ofPakistan transform, and so will thereality as we make it so.

Why don’t we challenge ourselves tohelp launch Pakistani brands that cancompete for customers in a freemarketplace of desires, needs andtastes?

We have numerous iconic andseasoned leaders at home who canserve as consultants, coaches, asenablers for any entrepreneur willingto make a serious bid for this.

The more Pakistan interacts with theworld out there, the better. We needa pattern interrupt; we need aninfusion of fresh inspiration andstimulus. We need leaders tochallenge us to define ourselves byour dreams and vision, rather thanour fears and gripes.

If 2011 can be the year for ditchingbogey-men, creating dialogues acrossdivisions and committing to realscenarios, getting talent exported andcreating an “employee valueproposition” that gets talent back inas well, if we showcase our rolemodels and not just our demons, andif we can catalyze our companies toplay a bigger game on a bigger field,we’ll move forward…and deserve to.


He has been building steam inPakistan on critical quality issuesthrough a propagation of an integrated approach towardsoperational efficiency, delivery capability, and cycle timereduction throughout the business functions. Lean andSix Sigma are Alan Power’s weapons of choice. Afterconducting two-days workshops both in Lahore andKarachi, he engaged with the shoguns of trade,commerce and industry in a two hours seminar, alsoattended by the Chairman TCS Mr. Khalid Awan.

Alan has previously headed Quality Management atLloyds Bank in the UK and now runs his independentconsultancy MPower (UK) Ltd. While at Lloyds hedeveloped a model for corporate leadership based onQuality Management which he describes as leadershipfrom the Head, Hands, and Heart.

There are five key principles that we focus upon withLean, says Alan. “Specify value, Identify the value stream,Create Flow, Create Pull, and Strive for Perfection. Tospecify Value, you need to ask: Who is the customer?What do they value in the service or product that youprovide? What influences their ‘buying decision’?Alternatively, ask yourself the question: Is this an activitythat a customer would be prepared to pay for?”

Lean is aimed at waste, cycle time, reduction of workin progress, standardisation, cost reduction, flexibilityand responsiveness, and demonstrates a clear bias toaction. Six sigma emphasizes improvement in thecapability of business process to reduce variation in thefinal service e.g. time and quality, often measured byerrors. It is aimed at complex problems, processcapability, stability, and demonstrates a bias to analysis.Lean six sigma is a mix of both methodologies to

establish throughout the organisation a set of rules andprocedures that work to continuously generate results.

Alan identifies Dr W Edwards Deming as the primemover in the efficiency arena, following his ‘vital’ visitof 1950 to Japan. Today, efficiency is acknowledgedworldwide through the Deming Prize for industry andthe Deming Prize for schools.

Speaking of the Porsche case study, Alan saidthat in 1991 and 1992 Porsche were in a CrisisSituation. In 1990 it made a profit of $10 millionon sales of $3.1 Billion, and in 1992 it made aloss of $154 million on sales of $1.6 billion, with

Sales not looking to rebound in the short term,and the Company set to go under within 18 months.

For the first time in its history a CEO was appointedfrom outside of the Porsche family. Wendelin

Wiedeking came from the auto parts industry, and madethe decision to use external consultants from Toyota’sconsulting wing.

Toyota’s operational observations were that Porschehad never in the history of the company built a car firsttime fault free; Porsche “plan” to get it “wrong” everyday; They had built a system of checking and skilledinspectors to find the faults; They had built a systemand skilled workforce to re-work the faults; They haddeveloped checking and reworking in to the career pathfor their “high performance” staff. Checking andreworking had become an industry in Porsche, and allthe highly skilled staff were removed from the actualprocess. In Toyota they plan to get it right, and they getit right and self inspect early in the process not at theend, with the highly skilled guys deployed in the process“coaching and improving” area.

With no engineering changes the Toyota consultantstook the hours needed to build the Porsche 911 from120 in 1991 to 76 in 1995, to 45 in 1997. Average defectsper vehicle at the end of line went from 105 to 45 to 25during the same period, and Full cycle time from weldingto finished car from 6 weeks to 5 days to 3days; Workin progress inventories 17 days to 4.2 to 3.2 days. Thenumber of directors, managers, and supervisors in thePorsche operations dropped from 328 to 226 to 212. OnJuly 27th., 1994 a Carrera rolled off the production lineerror free at final inspection, the first time in thecompanies 44 year history.

The Six Sigma Black Belts have their work cut out forthem in Pakistan. To be successful, however, they mayneed to add a Karate Black Belt around their waist tocounter waste.

Alan Power, Consultant Trainer

“Leadership from the Head, Hands, and Heart”


Kamran Rizvi is a founding director, trainer,executive coach, keynote speaker andconsultant at Navitus, a leading organizationdevelopment (OD) consulting and trainingfirm in the country. He brings innovative,effective and practical strategies forimplementing change in a variety oforganizations striving to grow, buildsustainability, and improve productivity,efficiency, quality and impact. Kamranpioneered the personal-improvement and ODmovement in Pakistan in 1991, after workingfor fourteen years in retail and commercialbanking in the Middle East and the UK.Kamran’s session at the LearnFest was pure dynamite!'Leadership Paradigm - BREAKING NEWS with adifference' occupied two sessions, and could have easilygone on for the entire week, given the potency, indeedurgency of the topic in hand and Kamran’s analyticaldissection of it. He began by defining ‘paradigm’ asbeing a set of rules by which we interpret reality. “Thekind of leader you are depends upon your paradigm.Bad news sells! Breaking News with a difference wouldfocus on the good news,” he said. Referring to his recentvisit to the World Economic Forum in WashingtonKamran ventured to say that had he not been fromPakistan he would not have been a hero! “There were400 delegates. There were plenty of Indian but nonoticeable presence from Pakistan, except perhaps formyself. Pakistan has such a bad perception that nomatter what you do you look good!”

Ticking Time BombThere is no bad news except that which we create forourselves, he said. “Heroes are those who face theodds. Living like a coward is the bad news. Whateveryou are earning is what you think you can earn. To start

with, bring about a change in your thinking. Pakistanhas the power to make a difference by bringing aboutpositive change. We are rich! We have the physicalresources and the human talent we need to engineer asignificant turnaround. There are 70 million Pakistanisbetween the ages of 18 and 30. We are the envy of theworld. But if their development doesn’t take place itbecomes a ticking time bomb. Despite bad governanceand the resultant poverty, the common folk have a smileon their face. Our per capita happiness is the highestin the world. Western societies have serious happinessissues, with loneliness a leading problem. We are anadventure program called Pakistan!”

Turnaround“There are examples all around us that inspire positivechange. Vietnam is an inspiration where turnaroundsare concerned. There is not a single male or female inVietnam who is underutilized. In Pakistani society wedo not like educating women, and if they acquire aneducation then they are ostracized. Ireland hastransformed from a nation of potato sellers to a powerfuleconomic engine powering the European Union. Whatwe need to do is take responsibility for our own lives.

“Start seeing yourself asGod’s gift to Mankind”

Kamran Rizvi

Kamran strikes a ‘special’ for octara.com!


Career development is the rise in the quantum ofresponsibility you assume, and relies upon continuouslyincreasing your awareness about yourself, about others,and about your social, political, economic and naturalenvironment.”

Kamran regularly writes leadership and managementarticles for Blue Chip, a leading business magazine ofPakistan. He obtained his MBA degree from theUniversity of Strathclyde, Scotland, where he majoredin organization development. He is a graduate of theDale Carnegie Inc., having completed courses inManagement; Executive Image; and Effective Speakingand Human Relations. He has also attended a numberof courses that include “Leadership for the 21st Century”,at the J F K School of Government, Harvard University;Dr Peter Senge's “The Learning Organization – Buildinga Sustainable Future”; and “Strategic Leadership andChange Management” at the Wharton SMU Program,in Singapore. Kamran is an approved training resourcefor members of YPO (Young Presidents Organization),headquartered in the United States.

Truth Generates Confidence“Knowledge doesn’t make for confidence,” says Kamran.“The more you know the more you realize how littleyou know. Ignorance, on the other hand makes forarrogance. Don’t feel shame in admitting that you don’tknow. Truth generates confidence. Become familiarwith your opportunities and threats. Problems areopportunities in disguise. We must leverage our Godgiven attributes in improving our lives, one step at atime. What we have for free we don’t value. If you don’ttrust yourself then progress is not possible. WarrenBuffet’s life vision and mission is to be the biggesttaxpayer in the world. In terms of philanthropy, Pakistanis said to be the fourth highest in the world.”

World Needs Nuts with Ideas!How and where do we start is the question that Kamranposes, and then answers himself. “We start now bybelieving in ourselves. If you load a donkey with booksthen don’t expect him to become a professor! Peoplesee you as you see yourself. Start seeing yourself as

God’s gift to Mankind. See yourselfas competent and secure. If youdoubt your own confidence andsincerity, then the world will too.Generate ideas of value by firstfinding a significant problem thatyou want to passionately fix inyour world. Team up with sincereand competent people who sharein your mission. Jack Welch saysthat the world needs nuts withideas! Plan, strategize and executetogether. Pakistan’s misfortunehas been its leaders who havee i ther been s incere andincompetent, or competent andinsincere.”

Kamran loves to devote his time facilitating leadershipprograms for youth locally and internationally. To thisend, he serves on the board of School of Leadership(SoL) in Pakistan, best known for its flagship program,the Young Leaders’ Conference (YLC), now in its 9thyear. He is also a board member of ICLS (InterculturalCommunication & Leadership School) headquarteredin Rome, Italy. He is invited to conduct sessions onleadership, internationally, to encourage confidencebuilding between young community leaders fromdifferent cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Pretty Woman!Kamran is married, has three grown up children, andis based in Pakistan. His son is settled in Toronto wherehe is following his father’s vocation of his own volition.Being into motor-sports, he draws upon sports analogies.Kamran’s daughter is an HR practitioner with SaudiAramco in London. Kamran loves watching movies,taking walks, and spending time with his friends. JuliaRoberts in Pretty Woman is his favourite actress, andSteven Spielberg’s Amistad his favourite movie, as alsoDead Poets Society featuring Robin Williams. Ladiesand gentlemen, a big hand for Kamran Rizvi!

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Founder Members TRG, Jamil Janjua and Kamran Rizvi

Unleash the ‘monster’ in you!

“We start now by believing inourselves. If you load a donkey withbooks then don’t expect him tobecome a professor! People see youas you see yourself. Start seeingyourself as God’s gift to Mankind.”


Jeremy Parson of the UnitedKingdoms is Senior Consultant atthe Parsons Consulting Agency, anda renowned expert in Global CrisisResponse & CommunicationManagement in Asia, China, North& South America and Europe. He isalso the Senior Consultant toAkzNobel, Burson Marsteller(Unilever), Fleishman-Hillard (EliLilly), ICI Pakistan and the SmithsGroup PLC, along with being aMember of the Institute of PublicRelations. He has served asMarketing Director of the GreenGiant Company.

OCTARA organized a highly popularinteractive workshop with JeremyParson on Crisis Response andCommunication Management thatfocused on knowing what to do andsay at the times of crisis. TheWorkshop was designed to impartan understanding of a crisis and itsimpact on Reputation and BottomLine, and have a response plan toknow what to do and say; learn theimportance of leadership and havingthe right crisis management team;understand the power of the mediaa n d t h e s p r e a d o f t h e i rcommunication; learn to keep up tothe speed in the Golden Hour; andh a v e t h e c o n f i d e n c e t ocommunicate.

Jerry Parson brings real life dramaand the pressure of the mediaintrusion to his audience bybroadcasting credible incidents asbreaking news stories, and thenchallenges the delegate to respondand defend the reputation of thecompany.

“Today we live in a crisis ridden

society where trust and belief invalues are sometimes forgotten. Anunderstanding of the ‘psychologyof crisis’ is offered to explain whystakeholders and the public ingeneral believe that crises are “actsof betrayal” where somebody mustbe to blame. Delegates gain theopportunity to counter this reactionand criticism by learning a formulaof communication so as to beseen, heard and understood at timesof crisis,” says Jeremy.

Punjabi rootsOctara.com sat down with JeremyParson for an extended chat in thefive star climes of the Sheraton Hotelwhere he was residing andconducting the Workshop as well.It turned out that Jerry is fairly wellintegrated with Pakistan. His wifeNoel’s family is from Lahore, andshe spent the first ten years of herlife there before shifting to boardingschool in England. His elder son ismarried to a girl from the Punjab aswell. Jerry’s been to Pakistan overten times, and describes it as a niceplace with nice people to work with.

“It’s very good to be here workingwith Octara. I appreciate myassociation with them because theyallow me to peddle my bit and saymy say. This means that I can comein having done my research aboutthe delegates at the Workshop, theircompanies operations and the risksthey run. Background preparationis very important. Then what I needto do is get them thinking abouttheir risks because from risks arisecrises, and sadly in this day and ageeverybody lives with risks. You haveto analyze them and be preparedfor them. We develop an operational

response plan that gets people torespond incredibly quickly, getthemselves together, have aprocedure, and then carry it out.”

The Golden HourThey have to assemble quicklybecause the modern day public,supported by the media, demandinstant news, says Jeremy. “So themedia have set a term that’s knownas the ‘Golden Hour’. If you have anexplosion at 10am, then you haveuntil 11am to analyze what hashappened and get your story outinto the media place. If you don’t,then someone else will put the storythere for you, like speculators,rumour-mongers, competitors, etc.It’s a very vicious world out there.So assemble quickly, have a quickand accurate analysis, and put outa holding statement to the mediaand public so their attention can beh e l d u n t i l y o u g e t m o r einformation.”

Calm, Controlled & CommittedAccording to Jeremy crises eitherescalate dramatically, or they goflat. The danger zone arrives whenthe television stage is reached. Bodylanguage and the choice of wordsplay a big role here. “The terrifyingthing is that within 30 seconds thetelevision audience will make up itsmind whether you are the good guyor the bad guy. It could be the wayyou sit, or the tie that you’rewearing. They may not like thewords you use, or the way you saythem. You have to be very good atgiving television interviews tosucceed. The media is veryaggressive. If there is blood thenthere is viewer interest. But youcannot be aggressive with the media

Jeremy Parson


since you want to project anorganized and reputable image ofyour company. You must comeacross as a calm, controlled,committed executive. It’s a challengeto get across that you’re doing theright thing and representing the rightpeople, and that you’re there for thesake of the people rather than justcommercial profit.”

Parson ConsultingAfter an extended stint with industry,Jeremy Parson set up shop forhimself , and with a very supportivewife started Parson Consulting thatr a n a s a s p e c i a l i s t P Rcommunications agency. It was verysuccessfully, and then his partnerbought him out so that he couldconcentrate at what he did bestwhich was crisis response and crisismanagement communications. “Ithas taken me around the world. Inthe last 12 months I have been inChina, Singapore, Thailand, theUSA, and here I am in Pakistan. I goback to the UK for two days, andthen to Chicago in the US. Thenature of the crisis differs fromcompany to company, but theprinciples governing operationalcrisis response and communicationdisciplines remain the same fromhi-tech manufacturers of medicalequipment to oil explorationcompanies to those in the securitybusiness.”

Rugby & National ServiceJeremy was born in 1938 and thewar was still around when he grewup. “My delight in those days washaving a dehydrated banana. I hadtwo other brothers and food wasobviously quite scarce. A chocolatepudding was the height of the

gourmet month! I was very keen onrugby football, and played forBlackheath Rugby Club and thenwent on to play for my county Kent.I was the last to do national service,and while there played for the RAF.In those days rugby players were ofnormal size. Now they’re huge! Iwas a wing three-quarters, a tall,skinny guy who could run fast. Wewere known as ‘fancy boys’ becausewe played along the edge of thefield and could talk to the girls in thestands! Like the Quarterbacks inAmerican football we were knownfor our fast feet and high knees.”

National Service wasn’t a bad thing,says Jeremy. “You mix with all sortsof people. I had quite a shelteredlife, and then suddenly I wasstanding shoulder to shoulder withpeople from very di f ferentbackgrounds. There was a ratherfamous Welshman rugby playerwho was my Captain, and he was agreat person for strategy with allsorts of plans. We won most of ourmatches. It was a proud time for meand good for my Dad to see that Ihad got to play at that level. Now Iski a lot, and do a bit of scullingsince I live near the River Thames.I play a bit of tennis, and love to eat!My wife got her Sub-continentalrecipes from her mother, who gotthem from her mother-in-law, whogot them from her grandmother,etc.

Apprenticeship versus HigherEducationJeremy attended public school butnever went to university. “Therewere not too many universitiesaround, and as always, as is today,they were very difficult to get into.

There were alternative channels,and I wish these were there today.I don’t begrudge people going touniversity. It is a very necessary anduseful time. But I think some peopleare better suited to go intoapprenticeships and go straight intocommerce. So that’s what I did whenI joined an agency’s apprenticescheme. If you have the good luckto have good teachers then the first12 years of education are quitesufficient to equip you with the skillsets that you would need in laterlife. I had an English teacher by thename of Mr. English! He was verygood at what he did, and I learnt alot. On the other hand my Mathsteacher taught me Algebra, and Idon’t have a clue! And alwayswished it would go away. It was onething me being not very bright, butmy teacher was not very good.”

Beatles break the ParadigmJeremy says that he came of ageduring the age of the Beatles andMaggie Thatcher. “The Beatlesrepresented a fantastic socialbreakthrough. There was a timewhen unless you had the rightschool tie and education, and bythat I mean public or grammarschool, you really had quite adifficult task to get on in life. TheBeatles came from Liverpool. Theywere excellent lyric writers andmusicians, and they showed theworld that you didn’t have to be anold Etonian to be able to makemoney and be successful. TheBeatles weren’t bad guys, and theyhad a pretty good code of conductwhich was so necessary becausekids of that generation would followwhat the Beatles would do. I am agreat music lover and always travelwith my music which extends fromthe classical to the Beatles andothers of my generation. It’s a greatcalmer for me.”

Out of Africa is a movie that has leftan impression upon Jeremy. “Inthose days you didn’t have to showthe full frontal to show your emotionand love for somebody. These daysthe love that is expressed has to bein your face! Film production todayis technically fantastic, but I supposeI come from a generation that likesthe old fashioned plot, and I don’twant too much aggression orcomputer animation.”

Thank you, Jeremy Parson.

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Jeremy Parson with Workshop participants

As I write this we hear that 4 million of your countrymenare without a roof over their heads as a result of theunprecedented flooding and we hear that the UN hasfinally voted through a large aid package.

Pakistan doesn’t deserve this disaster - it must feel asif the whole of creation is against you in these times. Ifeel for you.

BUT…..

When I was last in Pakistan in June I was asked overlunch what differences I perceived between Pakistanand India from a business point of view.

My answer was this:

Of the very many business people I have worked within both countries over a long period those in yourcountry have been generally, more open, brighter, morepositive, more keen to learn and more able to relate topeople at all levels. I said that I found the caste systemin India intruded adversely on occasions as does theirexcessive bureaucracy.

I also said that, perhaps not surprisingly, there seemsto be something of a siege mentality amongst businesspeople in Pakistan that leads to an inward looking focusand sometimes a lack of belief that your companies canbe the equal of any, anywhere.

To continue my theme of an earlier newsletter, withPakistan having a common border with three of thefour, so called, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)countries that are forecast to be the top global economiesby 2025 you are in THE ideal position to become, atleast, the “Singapore” of the region - or more.

I recall Singapore being known as a place for cheaplabour - now they have exactly the same GDP/head ofpopulation as the European Union.

I firmly believe that you can do the same.

BUT…..

It is up to you, the business people, to make it happen.You need to be globally business aware, you need tobe entrepreneurial and you must develop a culture ofnever making do with less that world class productsand services that you can sell to the world.

You can do it and I would hope to play a small part inmaking it happen. I see my role through my

Octara Masterclasses, and my work in-company, to helpopen business leaders eyes to the opportunities, to thesimplicity of business and to just how easy it is to growand prosper - in good times or bad.

I look forward to working with you to that end andplaying a small part in the emergence of a resurgent,vibrant and successful Pakistan!

Roger Harrop

“Pakistanis are more open, brighter,more positive, more keen to learn and

more able to relate to people at all levels”



The mood at TRG’s Committee of Founding Memberswas ambivalent. Some would have called it a case of‘all Chiefs and no Indians’. Others would have seen itfor what it was, a plethora of opinions, often at oddswith each other on how to go about commemoratingwhat clearly constituted a landmark event for thisinformal assembly of corporate trainers and humanresource development practitioners.

Jamil Janjua, CEO Octara and current President of TRG,wasn’t sure whether he should be thrilled, or concernedabout the situation obtained. A plethora of opinions isa good thing provided their holders are willing to backthem with action. The 100th Monthly Meeting hadexceeded most expectations with Iqra University as thehost venue, and an impressive brochure brought outby the TCS Management Development Services at muchexpense of time, energy and money to mark theoccasion. The ‘problem’ with corporate trainers is thatthey’re hard at work all the time, not surprisingly, giventhe state of Pakistan’s corporate sector.

All concerned parties earnestly wanted to be involvedwith organizing the 150th monthly meet Party in abefitting manner. But nobody, it seemed, had thephysical hours to contribute that an undertaking of thismagnitude would require for a successful staging. ThenTRG founding member Shireen Naqvi stepped into thebreach. Over the years she has put together a valuableresource of energetic and intelligent young adults ather School of Leadership (SOL). She also had therequisite experience in pulling off extravaganzas, yearafter year, given the unqualified success of the SOL’sannual Young Leaders Conference that ran for 6 gloriousdays, playing to some 400 delegates from acrossPakistan. She was so obviously the cat that the TRG

founding members were looking to bell, and did.Shireen took up the challenge in right earnest, bringingto bear upon the enterprise her formidable store ofenergy and talent. Torque, the SOL’s spin-off that hadevent managed the TRG monthly meets of late, was inthe hot-seat as well. Reflecting Shireen’s energy andcommitment were Umair Jaliawala, Saquib Niaz,Sumaira Salamatand Zain Goplani,her able bodiedlieutenants runningt h e s h o w a tTorque, and inthem fine protegesshe has developed.

Shireen and herteam put togethera t w o d a y sextravaganza thatf e a t u r e d 1 4 9training sessions of75 minutes each,50 trainers, 13exhibitors, and 600attendees, give ortake a few. TheKarachi Sheraton Hotel, cited by some as perhaps beingtoo upscale a venue for such an occasion, provided abefitting setting for an area of endeavour that dependson the corporate world for its flourishing. Going by thelarge number of training organizations that signed upfor LearnFest, specially the number of new outfits,corporate training is a thriving industry indeed. A fewveteran trainers like Arshi Ahmed Aziz were conspicuousby their absence.

CelebratingThe Trainers Resource

Group’s (TRG) 150th MonthlyMeeting with a 2 days Extravaganza

of Training Sessions Galore!

Jamil Janjua and Shireen NaqviFounder Members Trainers Resource Group (TRG)


Day One began with Navitus holding court in Ballroom‘A’. The feast for thought laid out by Navitus included'OD on OD: Organizational Development' by NadeemChawhan; 'Anxiety management: Take charge of yourtensions' by Shireen Naqvi; 'Motorcycle Drive' by AdnanHusain; 'PAITH nahi to Seth Nahi - What Matters & WhatSplatters' by Masood Jan; and 'In-Sync' by FarhadKaramally. On Day Two 'Switch on! Turning relationshipsto gold' by Shireen Naqvi; 'Salesman ki Pitari: Salesman'sMagicbox' by Fakiha Imran; 'Motorcycle Drive' by AdnanHusain; and 'Leadership Paradigm - BREAKING NEWSwith a difference' by Kamran Rizvi occupying twosessions.

Franklin Covey in Ballroom ‘B’ chipped in with ExclusiveStephen Covey Q&A with Pakistan (Recorded session);‘Focus – Achieving your highest priorities’ with MaryamWazirzada; 'Intensive Coach Training - RCS' by AndleebAbbas; '7-Habits of Highly Effective People' by SarahBeg; and 'Leadership – Great Leaders, Great Team,Great Results' by Andleeb Abbas.

In Ballroom ‘C’ Learning Minds was on parade with'Common Sense @ Work' by Sohail Zindani; 'ThinkingSkills - Getting out of the box, not out of your mind' byAbbas Husain; 'Everyday Leadership for Everyone' bySohail Zindani; 'Work-Life Balance! Enjoying Work &Celebrating Family' by Saira Kabeer; and 'Scene ONHai' by Sohail Zindani. On Day Two 'ExcellenceCommittment' by Sohail Zindani; 'The Dance of Change'by Abbas Husain; 'What They Don't Teach You atBusiness Schools' by Hina Baloch; and 'Bohat Ala! ServeWell - No Matter What' by Sohail Zindani.

Event managers Torque set up shop as well in SumbulRoom with 'Excelerating Life' by Shahrukh Hussain;'The PlaySeeBow Effect' by Umair Jaliawala; 'What'syour size? Knowing+Doing' by Abid Naseem; 'Screw it,Let's do it!' by Umair Jaliawala; and 'Brand ME | Inside-Out' by Nuruddin Abjani. On Day Two 'Turn Techy:Enhance Productivity' by Danish Ejaz; 'Sales Cheetah'by Umair Jalaiwala; 'HORIZEN - Zen of touching newhorizons of personal & professional life' by AsmaMustafa; 'ProJet: Project Management' by Abid Naseem;and 'Turn by the Tick' by Shahrukh Hussain.

TerraBiz and Others were in Mogra Room, and featured'Wired Pakistan - How Social Media & Communicationis changing the way of Business' by Afzal Shahabuddin;and 'Beyond Elastic Limits' by Sarmad Tariq.

People Excellence in Gulab Room put up 'Developingthe People Factor' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty; 'Influence &inspire through Communication' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty;'Art of Getting Things Done' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty;'Stress O Meter' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty & Mauna Khan;and 'From Boss to Coach' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty. On DayTwo People Excellence was joined by Engage HR, andjointly they delivered 'Its WE, not ME' by HumairaAhmad; 'He who controls the MAZE, controls the RAT'by Humaira Ahmad; 'Public Speaking: Overcoming theFear Factor' by Palvasha Hassan; 'Whale Done (Powerof Positive Relationships)' by Zeeshan Lakhpaty; and'Motivating People for High Performance' by ZeeshanLakhpaty.

Farhad Karamally

Leading Thoughts on display to enrichminds that have the time and money

UmairJaliawala

Saquib Niaz


Stimulus stimulated the Sanobar Room with 'GenderSensitization' by Rabayl Memon; 'Disaster Management'by Humair Mumtaz; 'Enlightening the IC' by Sahib KarimKhan; 'Substance Abuse Awareness Funshop' by FarhadKaramally; and 'Disability Sensitization' by MehreenShoaib.

We at Octara took up positions at Kanwal Room with'An Introduction to True Colors' by Rose Marie Fernendezdelivered as the first broadside, followed by 'UnlimitedPotential' by Baseer Sami; 'Release Your Brakes' bySaadi Insha; and Winning Decisions (a unique simulationwhich closely replicates the key functions of amanufacturing organization) by Sualeha Bhatti thatoccupied two sessions. On Day Two 'Create Distinctionto Avoid Extinction - 'Think! Before it's too late!' byTauseef Qadri; 'An Introduction to True Colors' by RoseMarie Fernendez; 'Maseeha: Art of Counseling' by Dr.S A Rab; and 'Managing Dinosaur Brain: BossManagement' by Dr. S A Rab.

BUDDING TRAINERSThe Budding Trainers were in Boardroom 1 with I'mthe Captain of My SHIP' by Hussain Changi; 'Jitna GurhUtna Meetha' by Sumrah Ahmed; 'The Bachi Theory'by Abid Bana; 'Welcome to the REAL World' by UroojAqeel; '26.2 - Presentation Skills' by Talha Iqbal; 'Andaz-e-Bayyan' by Mehran Khan Duurani; and 'It's my TIME'by Ismail Kodvavi. On Day Two 'This is my decade' byZain Goplani; 'Leadership @ Level 5' by Nazia Ramzan;'The Abba Theory' by Abid Bana; It's my TIME' by IsmailKodvavi; 'Mis Management vs. Mrs Management' byHussain Changi; 'Live your life to the FULLEST' byMehran Khan Durrani; and 'Power of Thoughts' by VinodKumar.

For the organizers the LearnFest was both a highlyreinvigorating and energy sapping affair. Notwithstanding, it ended on a high energy note with anassembly of all stakeholders for a debriefing session.Jamil Janjua thanked Shireen and her team for pullingoff an unqualified success, and there were calls forstaging LearnFest on a biannual, even quarterly basis.Whether that happens remains to be seen, but withyoung blood firmly entrench at the TRG controls theactivity graph is bound to rise.

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Octara put together a two daysworkshop with Omar Abedin onBuilding Brand Equity, and followedit up with a seminar with theprovocative title ‘Brand You!’ In theold days of the Wild West cows gotbranded with red hot branding irons.Even today outside the Marketingworld to be branded, or labeled, isconsidered a matter of great shameand disrepute. But in Omar Abedin’sscheme of things Personal Brandingdescribes the process by which youstand out from a crowd bydifferentiating yourself from otherswith the same skills and abilities.Omar Abedin is a master Trainerand Regional Director (Africa, MiddleEast & South Asia) at the DanielAdams Company, USA. He is aconsumer marketing professionalholding 18 years of hands on BrandManagement experience withorganizations like Philips, LondonDairy, Novartis, IFFCO, ReckittBenckiser, Johnson & Johnson andmore.

“There are three elements that YOUas a BRAND should focus on,” saysOmar. “Value proposition – Yourvalue proposition means what YOUSTAND FOR, in terms of yourp e r s o n a l i t y , a p p e a r a n c e ,

competencies,and strengths. It’s everythingyou provide asa person thatwill make yous t a n d o u t .B R A N DYOURSELF!Differentiation– differentiation is what MAKES YOUDISTINCT from the crowd. YOU AREYOUR OWN BRAND! Marketability– Marketability is how compellingYOU ARE AS YOUR OWN BRANDto potential employers. It’s what willmake them want to hire you, retainyou or open up a new opportunityfor you. It’s never too early to BeginBuilding a Personal, Powerful BrandPersonality — and the earlier youbegin in your career, the moreprofessional weight YOU will carry.”

At the seminar Omar went throughthe tools of the trade that one needsto start gaining traction in thecorporate space. There are noshortcuts to building a brand, hesaid. “Brands are built l ikestalagmites that grow one inch in100 years. A brand’s equity iseverything that must travel with itwhen it moves to a new company.

A product is the resultof customer insight.Consumer perceptionleads to consumerattitudes and beliefsthat in turn lead tousage habits anddemand. Demandgenerates channelstrength, factoryshipments, and profitmargins that decidehow much you aregetting paid. This inturn decides howmuch you are valuedas a brand.”

Marvel Comics, with intangiblecartoon characters as its assets, wasbought by Disney for $28 Billion.Walmart is the biggest company inthe world with $400 Billion in annualsales, of which $150 Billion comefrom China. The US has a $800Billion trade deficit with China.“ C r e a t i n g a n d m a n a g i n gperceptions is job number one foreach and every one of us,irrespective of the managementhierarchy position. What is yourbrand capsule? What key benefitsdo you offer that you own? Whataspects of your personality andvalues make you attractive toprospective employers? How do youcompare with competition? Whatdifferentiates you from everyoneelse? Once you have figured outwhat you want to be, how do youbring it to life? 98 percent of allcommunication is non-verbal.”

Every action you take is either adeposit in, or a withdrawal from theBank of Brand Equity, said Omarquoting Daniel Adams, and makingit perhaps the seminar’s best bit ofadvice. “We love brands and the artof giving them competitive fire. Webelieve in discipline, creativity, hardwork, and at all times keeping itsimple. Be aware of your ownbehaviour and action. Do you havea perception plan? What does yourbrand stand for?”

“It’s never too early to Begin Building a Personal,Powerful Brand Personality” Omar Abedin

BRAND YOU!Training Partners


“Collaborative andintegrative are buzzwordsof great consequence”Andre N. Verdier on Best Practicesin Supply Chain Collaboration

Andre N. Verdier is CEO of MRM-Global. MRM-Global has signed aStrategic Alliance Agreement withOctara to market and deliver itsTraining Services in Pakistan. MRM-Global will deliver its entire rangeof Public as well as In-houseT r a i n i n g P r o g r a m m e s i ncooperation with Octara. MRM-Global was founded by and isheadquartered in Dublin, Irelandwith offices in London & Dubai.MRM-Global is dedicated to supportthe industry providing changemanagement and business processimprovement services with as p e c i a l i s t k n o w l e d g e i nProcurement, Supply Chain andLogistics.

Through the aegis of MRM, Octarais looking forward to accreditationfrom the Dublin Institute ofTechnology (DIT) for Certificate in‘Integrated Procurement & SupplyChain Management’. The Programconsists of 7 modules of 2.5 dayseach, and the candidates mustcomplete these modules at regularintervals over a period of 18 months,and submit a thesis at the end of it.The program is meant for industryprofessionals with workingknowledge in the field. “It willbenefit people working in supplychain positions, in procurement,operations, and even people infinance, human resource andinformation technology,” said Andreon a recent visit to Karachi toconduct an Octara workshop. “Ithink it is applicable across the entire

business spectrum to understandhow supply chain works and whatit does, and how it interacts with allthe other departments. Within the7 modules there is one dedicated toIT, and another to demandmanagement which concerns themarketing and sales side. Then thereare the usual supply chain activitiesl ike p lanning, forecast ing,p r o c u r e m e n t , l o g i s t i c s ,transportation, and other valueadded services.”

The Dublin Institute of Technology,specifically its department calledthe National Institute of Transportand Logistics, is dedicated to doingprograms in the supply chain andlogistics area using both academicknowledge and practical industryexperience. The DIT is part of worldrenowned Trinity College.

“Supply chain sustainability andintelligence are key factors. Peopleare finally talking about supply chaininstead of jus t ta lk ing ofprocurement. Efficiencies today arein the movement of products.Collaborative and integrative arebuzzwords of great consequence. Ifyou look at an operation as anactivity between the supplier on onehand and the customer on the otherhand, then in between you havemodern management where youcapture what the customer wants.Then there is forecasting where youplan what you are going to do, andthen you have procurement logisticswhere the raw material is bought,followed by manufacturing logistics.Thereafter follows the logistics ofdistribution. All these activities haveto happen in sequence, and theremust be col laborat ion andintegration. You don’t want a ‘silo’situation where people are doing

very well internally, but are notcommunicating with each other atthe different steps, and thereforeare denying the organization thebenefits of a seamless process.”

In his last assignment Andre wasthe Head of Supply Chain andreporting to the CEO. “We basicallyrun everything except Finance, HR,IT, and Sales. We do forecasting,procurements, activities within themanufacturing environment,transportation, warehousing, anddistr ibut ion. I t ’s becomingincreasingly fashionable fororganizations to have a Chief SupplyChain Officer or the Senior VicePresident of Supply Chain whoreports to the CEO and takesownership of all Supply Chainactivities within the organization,working together with Sales,Finance, IT, and HR.”

Very successful models haveoutsourced the logistics part, saysAndre. “The moment you finish withmanufacturing you outsource it toyour logist ics partner whowarehouses for you, and whodistributes and transports it to thefinal retail points. There are verygood and s t rong logis t icsorganizations who can handle thisfunction in a more efficient and costef fect ive manner than themanufacturing company could doon its own. A lot of very bigmanufacturers outsource thelogistics function. In my work withsome of the top logistics companiesin the world, the major focus wason integrating the supply chain ofsome big companies by taking overtheir warehousing, transportationand even order managementfunctions. We took orders from theircustomers and moved goods from


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the warehouse to their doorsteps.It works very well in a collaborativeway where you agree to certain keyperformance indicators and certainways of working, and you deliveragainst them, and are paid againstthem.”

Andre says that he got to his presentp o s i t i o n i n s u p p l y c h a i nmanagement due to his practicalknowledge acquired while workingin managerial capacities for HP,AT&T, GE, DHL, to name a few. In1996 he did a Master’s degree inLogistics, Procurement & SupplyChain Management. This was hisfirst trip to Pakistan after two years,his previous visits being in 2007 and2008. His last visit was to Islamabad,and one week after he returned toDubai there was the bomb blast atthe Marriot Hotel, following whichhis CEO forbade the seniormanagement from travelling toPakistan.

“I like the people of Pakistan, andthe culture, and I see theopportunities. All the time that I’vebeen here I have had some reallygood times and learnt so muchalong with making many goodfriends. It’s a shame that people areafraid to come here because ofwhat’s been happening”, say Andrewho is married with two sons anda daughter, with his family living inAntwerp, Belgium. He can fluentlyspeak five languages, and is verypassionate about photography,specially nature photography whichrequires a lot of patience. Andre hasbeen in the Middle East for six years,first in Dubai, then in Saudi Arabia,and then back in Dubai. He likesPakistani food, having grown upwith Indonesian food which can bequite spicy, but he doesn’t like itspicy to the extent that one cantt a s t e t h e f o o d a n y m o r e .Understandable!

In nearly all my workshops, the percentage of females isusually low, except for the secretarial workshops wherethe men are a minority. Why are women stereotyped forcertain roles, as secretaries, teachers, and nurses whilethe male species overshadow the corporate world? InSaudi Arabia, women find it very hard to choose a careeror an academic degree as they know they would face alot of resistance in the pursuit of a reasonable job. TheFirst Lady of Qatar, Sheikha Mouza has emancipated thecommon woman by promoting her independence in theprofessional world, despite social pressures from theconservatism of the Arab culture. A few countries likeJapan and Korea concede to their culture and have valid excuses forhaving a low women workforce. If that is not discrimination then whatis?

I have often asked some senior managers of diverse personalities, theirreasons for not hiring women, and I have received all kinds of strangeanswers:

“Women do not take criticism well, and I am scared that she might startcrying. How will I handle that?”“Maternity leave can be such a nuisance, especially at the close of theyear”“Family issues are her priority as against the targets given to her”“Women are not risk takers. I can’t have safe players in my team”“Single women take up a job to pass the time until they can get married;I want committed individuals”Etc etc

What organizations do not realize is that it is a direct reflection on theirimage if they have a reasonably high women workforce in their company;Such organizations in today’s world are considered progressive, positive,unbiased, creative and flexible. It is a better reflection than all the fancywords in their Vision and Mission statements.

10 Common Reasons to hire women1. Women are comparatively more emotionally intelligent2. Excellent team players, due to their above average

interpersonal skills3. They work for a much lesser salary4. Ego is not a big issue with them5. Women solve problems while men just get frustrated and

curse when things don't go their way6. Their workplace is much neater and organized7. Women are less threatening. Men, who feel threatened, feel

the need to be threatening.8. Women can readily admit that they were wrong9. Their presence keeps a certain decorum in the office.10. Excellent at conflict management – peace keepers

“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a womanin it” Marilyn Monroe

Zaufyshan Haseeb

Managing Partner

What is it that aWoman Can’t Do?


Not quite a household name yet,but it is definitely getting there. Thelarge, distinctive, yellow ambulancesplying the streets of Karachi portraythe public face of The AmanFoundation, a very professional,social enterprise backed by somev e r y s e r i o u s m o n e y a n dmanagement expertise that avowto make strategic changes in areaskey to social development –healthcare, nutrition, education andskills.

Emphasis on Soft SkillsA brainchild of Arif Naqvi (AbraajCapital) and his wife Fayeeza, TheAman Foundation has $100 millionbacking its play, and a veryambitious game-plan of which theambulance service is just a curtainraiser. “We are in the process ofsetting up a vocational traininginstitute that in its early phase plansto offer five trades,” reveals AhsanJamil, the young and very dynamicCEO of The Aman Foundation. Thegrand plan here, he emphasizes, isto build a boarding and lodgingpurpose built facility for 5000students, who would endure sixmonths of soft-skills training inaddition to rigorous instruction incourses designed by various foreignvocational training accreditinginstitutes. “The big emphasis on

soft skills,” says Ahsan, “is due toemployer feed-back from the MiddleEast that identifies this as an areaof weakness.” Ahsan believes thatthis would give graduates openaccess to GCE markets, thusproviding them the opportunity notonly to change their own lives butalso facilitate inflow of foreignexchange into Pakistan. Accordingto Ahsan each of their programssystemically must be sustainableand scalable, that would look tochange things at a fundamental levelin areas of health, education, andnutrition.

Technical CityHalf a million 18 to 24 years old whohave failed to complete primary orsecondary school, are either underor unemployed, says Ahsan. Thegame-plan is to absorb suchstudents into regional markets viaa vocational training program thatwould not only earn them theopportunity to transform their livesbut also become agents of changefor their communities. According toAhsan the Foundation anticipates5000 students to graduate from TheAman Institute of VocationalTraining (AIVT) each year. “But weplan to enroll 500 to start with”, heasserts.

To standardize its technical side theInstitute has signed up with City andGuilds representatives in South Asiacalled Skills International — City andGuilds is a UK based vocationaltraining organization, recognizedglobally. According to Ahsan beingtrained at an institute that comesup to international standards wouldprovide students of the AIVT accessto jobs regionally, thus enablingthem to earn five to six times more.“Countries like Saudi Arabia andMalaysia still have economic activityat a reasonable pitch, and to gainfrom it we must impart employableskills,” he adds.

Situated in Korangi at a rented siteof 110,000 square feet, the AIVT liesin close proximity to the College ofBusiness Management. “This is atemporary facility,” says Ahsan, whoreveals plans to construct a technicalcity at a permanent location. “Swiss-German models are some of thebest,” he states, “hence we are incontinuous dialogue with GTZ, TheGerman Technical DevelopmentAgency, for their engagement.”

Aman FoundationMajor League Good

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Ahsan Jameel, CEO


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Paradigm ShiftTypically ambulances in Pakistanare mere transport vehiclesemployed to transfer patients to ahealthcare facility. However,according to Ahsan the EmergencyMedical Service of The AmanFoundation has introduced a formatchange. “Half of the 100 ambulancesof The Aman Foundation that patrolthe streets of Karachi have doctorson them,” he reveals, adding that alarge number of male nurses havealso been hired to function asEmergency Medical Techniciansaboard these ambulances .

The yellow air-conditioned ToyotaHiace ambulances that are afrequent sight on Karachi streetscome equipped with automaticelectrical defibrillators to handleheart attack patients, and pulseoximeters, nebulizers, and oxygen.“In a year and a half we have hiredand trained almost a thousandpeople,” says Ahsan.

Tele-healthStatistics reveal that almost 40percent deaths are avoidableprovided basic health informationis accessible in a timely fashion. TheAman Foundation’s Tele-healthproject, which is due to be launchedsoon, aims to address this byundertaking three million medicalinterventions each year. Accordingto Ahsan, by leveraging the cell-phone revolution medical help isjust a phone call away. “This is allthat needs to be done to access ahealth advisor,” he says, disclosingthat if the case is slightly morecomplicated a doctor is brought intothe loop as well.

The last mile link of the Tele-healthproject comprises of communityhealth workers going house tohouse as per an itinerary. “Fiftyseven percent of Karachi comprises

of ‘katchiabadis’ or slums”, assertsAhsan. “We intend recruitingwomen from these localities to trainthem in reproductive health,nutrition, family planning, mentalhealth and general hygiene, so thatwomen in rural localities would haveaccess to healthcare facilities aswell.”

Future plansThe plan at The Aman Foundationis to build a health ecosystemcomprising of the EmergencyMedical Service, Tele-health,Community Health WorkersProgramme, and a chain of 20bedded Mother and Child Hospitalsall over Karachi. “At AmanFoundation we want to earn theright to speak through good work,”says Ahsan. “We want to learn fromothers experiences, and we want toshare our own.” This he believeswill help develop an approach thatwould generate a culture ofcollaboration and transparency.

Major Hurdles and Way ForwardAccording to Ahsan the lack ofabsorptive capacity and an ever-increasing trust deficit are majorhurdles in the development ofPakistan’s social sector.

“Our education and health budgets,which are already sub-optimal,usually lapse due to under-utilization,” he says. The AmanFoundation, he explains, is tryingto rectify this in its own small wayby incorporating in its campaignsthe best available advice globally,and by building a competent and

knowledgeable team to execute itsplans locally. “We have tried tofoster a healthy mix of practicalityand idealism, with an unflinchingbelief that we shall help turn thingsaround for the better,” he stoicallystates.

Leading from the HeartAhsan Jami l jo ined AmanFoundation a month before it gotformally incorporated. Prior to thatAhsan had very successfully run hisfamily business quoted on theKarachi Stock Exchange. Hisbrothers and sisters have had a biginfluence in directing his thinkingtowards doing something for hisown countrymen. After college inthe US he got a job on Wall Street,and within a month he wanted tocome back to Pakistan. “I figured ifI started earning Wall Streetpaychecks it would be much harderfor me to come back! My passionwas to return to Pakistan, and thatwas the year that Benazir came backin 1986.” Ahsan has never regrettedletting his heart dictate his choicesin life, and as he looks back at allthat has transpired, one can sensethat he is at peace with himself.

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It’s a theme I keep harping on over and over, andnot just with regard to career development: takeresponsibility for your life and then see howthings happen for you. But since this publicationhas much to do with the subject, let’s just stickwith career progression.

Career progression starts with knowing exactlywhat you want to do or where you want to go.Then comes the part about making it happen.Sadly, most conversations on this subject startwith the employee asking his Line Manager (orHR person): “What do you have in mind for me?”This is akin to going to a travel agent and askinghim “Where should I go on my vacation?” Soundsridiculous, right?

I learned a very important lesson from Buddhistphilosophy many years ago that changed my life:“If anything good or bad happens for you – it’syour credit or fault.” No more, no less. With thatrealization came the responsibility for all of myoutcomes. But since my outcomes were a resultof my actions, I had to make sure that I shapedor created the experiences accordingly. It’s a bitdifficult to understand and accept at thebeginning, especially since we are used to havingpeople tell us what to do, eat or think at everystage in life.

For some people, the choice is clear at a veryyoung age. They know they want to be a doctoror engineer when they grow up. But what arepeople like me to do? Besides wanting to be apilot, policeman and automobile engineer, I alsowanted to be an actor and a singer when I grewup. Life meanders strangely when you let it.Incidentally, the profession I’m in didn’t evenexist when I started so there you have it. Whatdoes it say about people like me?

Considering that nothing will be the same in fiveyears time, the lesson that emerges seems to be:know what you want to do and where you wantto go but be flexible to the changing world andthe wonderful opportunities it continuously offers.Take responsibility for learning to adapt, changeand grow. All progress is change, but all changeis not progress, so learn the difference.

The CEOs of most companies got to where theyare by going beyond their initial learning ordiscipline and doing a variety of roles. Theylearned from their mistakes and moved on. Theytook time to learn the many, many attributesrequired of a ‘leader’, and to share those learningswith others. In other words, they tookresponsibility at every level of the game, andcame out on top.

“Take responsibility for learning toadapt, change and grow. All progressis change, but all change is notprogress, so learn the difference”Leon Menezes onPersonal Responsibility


Jordi Vilanova of Mercan Capital isan immigration consultant advisingon the technicalities and pitfallsassociated to a relocation from otherparts of the world to the NorthAmerican continent. Jordi was inPakistan recently and addressed agroup of businessmen at an eventmanaged by Octara. Later he talkedto octara.com about his work, andhow it contributes to developinghuman resources and capital stockin the émigré’s home country, asopposed to the popular perceptionthat immigration counselors areparty to brain-drain and the flight ofcapital.

“Many of the people who immigrateto Canada get trained and then quitea few of them go back to their homecountries with enhanced skill setsthat make a positive impact uponthe local economy,” says Jordi. “Fors o m e c o u n t r i e s o v e r s e a sremittances are the prime source ofscarce foreign exchange, and areused by the home countries toimprove the quality of life of the restof the population with investmentsin health and education. Throughimmigration they are also able tomaintain their unemployment ratesat low levels. The host country,suffering a shortage of skilledmanpower, enjoys the excellents e r v i c e s o f t h e o v e r s e a sprofessionals. So from a HR pointof view it’s a win-win situation.”

The migrant communities alsoprovide an invaluable platform tolobby in the host country the causesand points of view of the homecountry, says Jordi. “They also help

build bridges to the First World thatcan then enable the transfer oftechnology and capital into thehome country. Columbia and Peruin South America have beenexporting manpower for manyyears. Last year Columbia becamea net importer of manpower.”

An Economist by training andoriginally from Barcelona in Spain,Jordi went to Canada in 1984, andmet his wife there. He worked ininvestment banking, and it was thisbackground that attracted him tothe founder of Mercan Capital whoasked him to sign up in 2008.Mercan Capital has been in businessfor 20 years, and has successfullyprocessed over 30,000 applicantsfor Canada and the USA. It ownoffices in China, India, Bangladeshand the Philippines, and operates inother parts of the world throughpartners. It operates a 24/7 hotlinefor clients who might face problemsupon arrival in Canada.

“The Investor Program for Canadarequires management experienceplus $1.6 million in assets, and anon-refundable $180,000/- to getpermanent residency in Canada. Forthe USA the amount is $500,000/- ininvestments in a company underthe ED-5 program. Mercan Capitalis presently offering investment intwo Marriott hotels coming up inMississippi. The processing time forCanadian investors is 9 months to

a year, and for the US it is between3 to 6 months. For the SkilledWorkers Program Canada has a listof 29 occupations, and allows only20,000 applications per year. Thereis no limit on numbers for theinvestors.”

Jordi has himself gone through whathe describes as the grandexperience of migrating to Canadafrom Spain with two teenage kidsand one pre-teen. “Adapting hasbeen a very good experience.Canada is a cosmopolitan countryand there is no overwhelmingculture. Since I was brought up veryclose to the Pyrenees in Spain, thecold climate of Canada has not beena problem. I feel quite at home,although I miss the soccer, and myBarcelona team!” Spain’s winningthe World Cup has instilled everySpaniard with a new sense of pride.Jordi is a Marathon runner and alsotrains for the Triathlon. He says thatrunning has helped with the jet lagwhen traveling.

This was Jordi’s first trip to Pakistan,and he admits to feeling a certainapprehension visiting the ‘mostdangerous place in the world’ untilhe got here. “Pakistan’s perceptionoverseas is a whole lot worse thanthe reality on the ground. I knowthere is a big opportunity herebecause not many people ventureto Pakistan.”

J o r d i w i t h T e a m O c t a r a

Jordi Vilanova

Develop service and partnership based stakeholder relationships

Course Facilitator

Saira AkbarCEO and Chief Consultant,

Global Management Consultants, Dubai

Worked with Emirates Airlines for 7 yearsin sales and marketing training division.

•Saira’s 12 years of diversified

experience includes training & counselingof individuals from leading multinationals.

•Besides being a CIM diploma holder,

Saira is also certified in InscapeDiSC profiling, 6 seconds emotional

intelligence, Persona Globalorganizational assessments.

Tel: +92-21-34534261, +92-21-34536315, +92-21-34520093, Fax: 021-34520708,E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] | www.octara.com

For Details & Registration:

March 2011, Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Karachi9:15 am to 5:00 pm

Key Benefits:• Understand context of stakeholders at work and the impact on

business results• Identify typical pitfalls in building successful and long lasting

stakeholder relationships• Be able to carry Self evaluation / RQ and convert RQ into a business tool• Use DiSC® to develop a scientific understanding of business relationships• Learn the 4 communication styles and develop strategies to negotiate and

gain from key stakeholders at work• Learn to make ‘listening’ your key strategy to build trust and strengthen

relationships

Note:Please register at your earliest to allow yousufficient time for completion of pre-course work.

Pre-Course Highlights:The program offers the following pre-course assessments of the participants:

• Inscape DISC® Profile• Inscape Personal Listening Profile®

These will help them develop a great understanding ofthe course material and its application beforehand.

Creating Dashboard Reports using Microsoft ExcelKarachi and Lahore

Nooruddin Surani

Public Training Calendar January 2011

Tel: +92-21-34534261, +92-21-34536315, +92-21-34520093, Fax: 021-34520708,E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] | www.octara.com

For Details & Registration:

Leading ChangeKarachi and LahoreSaadi Insha

The CHAMPION SalesmanKarachi and Lahore

Hassan Bin Rizwan

The Power of Positive AttitudeKarachi and LahoreBaseer Sami

Winning DecisionsKarachi and Lahore

Sualeha Bhatti

Logistics & Inventory ManagementKarachi and LahoreDr. Dermot Carey

*Octara reserves the right to change courses, dates, content or method of presentation.

RamizAllawala

Trainer January February March April May June

Leading Change

The CHAMPIONSalesman

The Power ofPositive Attitude

WinningDecisions

Logistics& Inventory

Management

Creating DashboardReports using

Microsoft Excel

EffectiveBusiness

Communications

EffectiveDelegation

Skills

‘Staying in theHelicopter®’ andlead effectively

MeasuringHR Initiatives

SocialNetworking for

Business

Time & StressManagement

Improving SalesPerformance through

Effective SalesLeadership

MarketingExcellence Series:

Developing a PowerCommunications Strategy

Strategic BusinessRelationships

InspirationalSpeaking

BalanceScorecard

PowerfulPresentation Skill

The ExcellentManager

(POP)™(Certified de Bono Workshop)

Equine Leadership

EmergencyResponse

Sales Success Seminar

Motivational Leadership

Problem Solving& Decision

Making

The CHAMPIONSupervisor

CustomerRelationshipManagement

MarketingExcellence Series:

Building Brand Equity

SupplierRelationshipManagement

AdvancedSelling

AdvancedNegotiation

Skills

The Art of Dealingwith People

Total RewardsStrategy

Enterprise RiskManagement

ISO 31000

SaadiInsha

HassanBin Rizwan

BaseerSami

SualehaBhatti

KarenAllawala

TauseefQadri

OmerAbedin

RogerHarrop

WilliamRothwell

SairaAkber

JohnByrne

Dr. DermotCarey

SandraReeves

JerryBrown

LucyCornell

JimTruscott

NooruddinSurani

AlanPower

LawrenceLartey

BobUrichuck

RahimShirazi

‘Staying in theHelicopter®’ and buildsuccessful strategies

NegotiatingContracts

MasteringBusiness Continuity

Practices

Measuring &Monitoring Customer

Satisfaction

Mind Maps at WorkThe Customer is

King Series

1 Day Workshop 2 Days Workshop *Octara reserves the right to change courses, dates, content or method of presentation.

Public Training Calendar January-June 2011 ( Karachi & Lahore )

Helping you Succeed - TCS Courier · Omer Abedin, Alan Powers, Jeremy Parson, Andre Verdier, and...

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