ACCA Pakistan Takes Its Corporate Conference to Multan and Faisalabad Bringing the National Business Conversation to Pakistan’s Second Cities
Islamabad, October 02 – Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Pakistan has conducted Faisalabad and Multan editions of its Corporate Conference 2026, bringing senior policymakers, business leaders, academics and finance professionals together in two of Pakistan’s most important regional economic hubs. The conferences were held under the theme “Redefining Value in a Changed World.”The series takes the national business dialogue beyond the largest metropolitan centres and into the cities that anchor Pakistan’s textiles, agriculture, manufacturing and exports. Both evenings opened with a shared inaugural session on how Pakistan can build competitiveness in a rapidly shifting global economy, and each featured a regional address on how Punjab can help deliver the country’s trillion-dollar economic ambition.In Faisalabad, Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, addressed the audience as Guest of Honour. He said: “Faisalabad has always been the engine of Pakistan’s industrial and export strength. The government’s priority is to create the conditions in which businesses here can compete globally, and that means investing in skills, sustainability and innovation.
” The city’s conversation centred on ESG and sustainability reporting as a lever for scaling exports. The panel, moderated by Nighat Nasreen of TMUC, included Sohaib Qaiser of Dr Frigz International, Raja Amjad Ali of Masood Textile Mills and Junaid Subhani of Parker Russel Chartered Accountants. It considered why credible sustainability reporting is becoming a condition of access to global buyers and capital for Pakistan’s export-oriented manufacturers. Abdullah Qadri FCCA of Sitara Labels reflected on the city’s journey from local roots to regional impact.In Multan, a panel on capital, climate risk and capacity, moderated by Muhammad Usman FCCA of ASCA Global Consulting, brought together Peer Junaid Bodla of Bodla Group, Abdullah Amir Fazal of Fazal Group and Filza Mumtaz of Shahz & Multan Matters to examine how regional businesses can finance growth while managing climate exposure. Jawad Khawaja, Founder and CEO of Beyond East and Passion Foods, shared how a business built on local roots can reach regional markets.Speaking at the events, Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan, said: “Pakistan’s next chapter of growth will not be written in one or two cities. It will be written in Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and every centre where businesses are building, exporting and employing. Value today is defined by resilience, transparency and the ability to adapt, and finance professionals are at the heart of that. Bringing the Corporate Conference to these cities is our commitment to making sure regional business leaders are part of the national conversation and are equipped for what comes next.”Both cities also examined how Pakistan can prepare its workforce for the AI opportunity. In Multan, Dr Muhammad Zubair Iqbal, Vice Chancellor of BZU, delivered a keynote on future skills for regional competitiveness, followed by a panel moderated by Dr Arslan Javed of the Center of Innovation and Experiential Learning, with Zarlish Farooq Shiekh of Sharkstack, Dr Asif Yaseen of BZU and Waqar Tayyub of AdEra Labs. In Faisalabad, Nauman Sarwar, President of Faisalabad I.T. Companies Organisation, spoke on turning industrial strength into global advantage, before a panel moderated by Aimen Shahid of NICF, with Adnan Aslam of Digi Khata, Usman Ahsan of PIPFA and Nauman Sarwar of FITCO. They concluded AI can accelerate growth, but governance will keep it on track.The speakers, drawn from government, chambers of commerce, industry, academia, the accountancy profession and the start-up community, reflected the breadth of voices shaping Pakistan’s regional economies. The series now moves to Peshawar, where ACCA Pakistan will bring the same conversation to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s business community.
