By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: The Executive Development Institute (EDI) of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), Lahore conducted the 2nd series of the first-ever in Pakistan “3-Day—Directors’ Training Program (DTP) for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)” on Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th August, 2025.
The DTP—SOEs training initiative, approved by the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), complies with the guidelines set forth by the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance & Operations) Act-2023. This act requires all Directors of
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to participate in a Directors’ Training Program (DTP) designed to enhance their expertise in SOE Corporate Governance & Legal Framework, Directors’ Duties & Functions and Financial Stewardship.
Around 50 Participants attended from across the nation, comprising civil servants/officers from federal & provincial governments, as well as executives from both state-owned enterprises and private sectors. Participants hailed from Pakistan Airport Authority(PAA), National Highway Authority (NHA), GHQ-Pakistan Army, Strategic & Planning Division, Transport & Masstransport Department, College, Higher & Technical Education (CH&TE) Deparment, Pakistan Stone Development, Maritime Technologies Complex, Punjab Municipal Development Fund (PMDF), Price Control & Commodities Management (PCCM), Punjab Cattle Market Management Development Company (PCMMDC), Punjab Health Initiative Management
Company (PHIMC), NICL Islamabad, SNGPL, NFC, EOBI, IESCO, NESCOM, SUPARCO, RWMC, Qaswa Industries (Pvt.) Ltd., Roshan Packages (Pvt.) Ltd. and NSPP Lahore.
Dr. Muhammad Jamil Afaqi, Rector, National School of Public Policy (NSPP), in the inaugural session of the Directors’ Training Program (DTP) for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) welcomed the all Participants at EDI, NSPP. He highlighted the aim to improve corporate governance in Pakistan as NSPP provides a state-of-the-art campus and conducts short courses through its Executive Development Institute (EDI), fostering collaboration among various sectors. He appreciated SECP’s support and thought this initiative would set a standard for corporate governance training as well as encouraged participants to promote transparency and accountability in their organizations.
Dr. Naveed Elahi, Dean EDI, introduced the DTP-SOEs program, designed to enhance the Board Members and Senior Executives’ leadership & governance skills. The 3-day program covers topics like ‘corporate governance, regulatory compliance and performance monitoring’ with experts leading sessions on ‘board composition, financial governance and risk management. The program emphasizes transparency, accountability and sustainable performance, providing practical insights through interactive lectures, case studies and board simulations.
Mr. Kamran Ahmad, Director EDI, comprehensively presented the performance and goals of Executive Development Institute (EDI) in detail. He emphasized that the planning process of EDI involves careful selection of experts from the practitioners, academics and training sector ensuring a 3600 view of the issues. He also gave an overview of the successful courses that were previously held at EDI, highlighting the diverse representation of participants from all over the country.
The eminent Guest Speakers included Mr. Muhammad Anwer Sheikh, Retd. Additional Federal Secretary-Finance Division, Mr. Abdul Rehman Warraich, Commissioner, SECP, Dr. Shujat Ali, Retd. Federal Secretary, Mr Tariq Bajwa, Ex-SAPM on Finance & Former Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Arshad Hasan, Associate Professor/CFO, Lahore School of Economics, Mr. Mairaj A. Ariff, Retd. Director General, NIPA Quetta, Dr. Shahid Qureshi, Rector, GIFT University & Prof. at IBA, Dr. Kashif Zafar, HoD, Computer Science, FAST NUCES, Mr. Iftikhar Taj, FCA, CEO Governance Consulting & Former President ICAP, Mr. Imtiaz Mahmood, Company Secretary, SNGPL, Mr. Kashif Noor, Military Accountant General and Mr. Salman Amin, Member, Competition Commission of Pakistan.
The topics covered were Principles of Corporate Governance, SOE Reforms & Legal Framework, Role of Government for SOEs, Board Composition & Structure, Financial & Risk Governance, Director’s Duties, Roles & Liabilities, Developing a Business Plan, Directors’ Selection & Performance Review, Public Service Obligations (PSOs) & Competitive Neutrality, Cyber Security Risks & Counter Measures, Code of Conduct & Conflict of Interest, Reporting and Disclosure of SOEs, Controls (External Audit, Internal Control & Audit Committee) and Board Simulations/Case-Study.
Participants exhibited a strong interest and participated in all question-answer sessions. The participants expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the high-quality execution of the DTP-SOEs Program by EDI, NSPP. After the last session, Rector NSPP along with Dean EDI, distributed certificates amongst the participants.
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