24th February, 2010, Avari, Lahore (10:00 a.m. – noon)

The first decade of millennium has seen organized retail in Pakistan developed from infancy to an industry. A lot has happened in last ten years: capital has become more approachable, retail real estate has developed and most importantly, the consumers have become much more brand conscious. All these and many other factors have catalyzed the growth of organized retail in Pakistan and we have all seen relatively unrecognized names become chains of a fairly considerable size.

However, we believe that this is just the beginning; next few years will only see organized retail grow further and become much more competitive. Retail businesses will have to continue to innovate to find ways to grow beyond their current size.

We are pleased to bring to you the opportunity to hear from some of the thought leaders in industry about what they believe would it take for the next round of winning retailers to do. This will also be a great opportunity for you to network with owners/c-level officers from other retail businesses and share thoughts on areas of mutual interest.

Following distinguished speakers will share their vision at the conference:

•  Mr. Omar Saeed (Director, Service Sales Corporation)

Leading Service Sales Corporation (SSC) since 2002, promoting creativity and innovation, Mr. Saeed has transformed SSC into the largest footwear retailer in the country. With an approach of fusing high performance with high integrity, Mr. Saeed has led SSC today as the only company in South Asia that has taken the top spot in footwear retailing ahead of Bata, crossing annual sales of Rs.6.5b (US$80m). Mr. Saeed has also founded ‘Servaid Pharmacy', the country's leading chain of pharmacies.

Mr. Saeed has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Brown University where he graduated with magna cum laude honors and has also done an MBA from Harvard Business School, USA.

•  Dr. Jawaid A Ghani (Chairman, Punjab Information Technology Board)

Dr. Ghani serves as the chairman of PITB, a body that promotes IT in Government and the economy in Punjab. Dr Ghani is on leave from LUMS, where he is Professor and ex-Dean of the Suleman Dawood School. He has held faculty positions at the Sloan School of Management, MIT (USA), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Saudi Arabia), and Western Michigan University (USA).

He was a founding Director of Gallup Research Institute (Pakistan), and the founding Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). He has served on the board of governors of several organizations including Haleeb Foods, International Islamic University, Foundation University, Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA), and Technical Up-Gradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDEC).

•  Ms. Seema Aziz (Director, Sefam pvt Limited)

Ms. Seema is a founding director of Sefam private Limited and has led the growth of the company that she founded in 1985 to its current position where the company operates more than 70 retail stores in 5 countries that sell leading brands  like Bareeze, Chinyere, Minnie Minors, Leisure Club & Home Expressions. In addition to her responsibilities at Sefam, Ms. Seema also founded and leads her philanthropist initiative, CARE; an institution that works to bring quality and marketable education to all.