Archives: Session Speakers

Mr. Samar Hayat is the Chief Executive Officer of Tapal Tea (Pvt.) Ltd. and is leading Pakistan’s largest Tea company to consecutive years of extraordinary growth despite Pakistan’s tough macro environment. Prior to joining Tapal, Mr. Samar spent 20 years with Procter & Gamble based in Saudi, Switzerland & Dubai leading giant global brands such as Pampers, Gillette, Head & Shoulders & Pantene for Middle East, Africa, India, Pakistan region.

Faizan is an experienced entrepreneur and founder with two successful businesses in growing sectors – digital media and consumer lifestyle. Faizan has a demonstrated history of working across functions and industries and is skilled in Analysis, Management, Leadership, Team Building, Collaboration, Finance and Marketing.

Prior to being a founder, Faizan spent time in investment banking with Lehman Brothers / BarCap in the Industrials Group. He also gained operations and marketing experience early in his career with General Motors. Faizan has an undergrad degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA in Finance from Cornell University.

He is also a global entrepreneur with experience in digital marketing, digital marketplaces, health & lifestyle publishing, finance and audit, manufacturing, marketing and business development. Strategized and financially supported by a variety of industries from healthcare and beauty to technology, beverage, real estate and finance. An Emerging Global Leader recognized by the US State Department, and Effie award winner for their full service digital marketing agency.

Sudhir Sitapati is the Managing Director and CEO of Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL). GCPL is one of India’s largest consumer goods multinationals with a presence in over 85 countries, and serving 1.2 billion consumers. Sudhir is responsible for guiding the purpose and ambition of the company; to bring the goodness of health and beauty to consumers in emerging markets.

Prior to this, Sudhir worked at Unilever for 22 years where he led teams across several categories and functions in India, Europe, South East Asia, and Africa. His last job was as an Executive Director – Foods and Refreshments at Hindustan Unilever

He is current Co-chair of the CII FMCG Committee and a past Co-chair of the CII National Committee of Food Processing. Sudhir was awarded the ‘Young Alumni Achiever’ by his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in 2017. He is also the author of the best-selling book ‘The CEO Factory: Management lessons from Hindustan Unilever’.

Sudhir has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Sc. in Math with Economics Honors from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Sudhir is married to Ketki and spends his free time trying to get his children, Sahaana and Kabir, interested in his own hobbies — tennis, Hindustani music, farming and scrabble. So far to not much avail.

In a versatile career of over 20 years, Aziz has led large scale FMCG organizations, built business models for iconic brands, established a successful start-up company and produced a blockbuster animated feature film.

His experiences are spread over 3 continents (Asia, Africa, North America), 5 countries (USA, Singapore, Kenya, Dubai and Pakistan) and two world class FMCG companies (P&G and Colgate Palmolive) where Aziz worked at positions of increasing responsibility across General Management, Marketing and Sales functions.

In between, while on sabbatical, he founded a start-up animation company and co-produced Pakistan’s highest grossing animated feature film ‘The Donkey King’. Subsequently, the animation studio has turned into a sustainable business venture with dedicated, professional management at its helm as he serves in a non-executive capacity on the BoD, allowing him the freedom to do what he is most passionate about – building brands and organizations in FMCG industry

Ahsan Sheikh is a media industry expert and CEO of Kinetic Pakistan. Under his leadership, Kinetic has spearheaded numerous industry-first innovations including introduction of Digital Out of Home and Programmatic DOOH in Pakistan. Renowned for his thought leadership, Ahsan’s various articles have contributed significantly in redefining OOH’s role in overall media strategy while advocating for technology integration in media and smart city development. He is a LUMS and College of Wooster alumnus and a Phi Beta Kappa Society member.

As the President of the LUMS SDSB Alumni Association, Ahsan also remains deeply connected with academia.

He began Synergy in 1999 after working for numerous agencies and brands for several years. Today, his humble beginnings with Synergy have spread into the largest IMC of Pakistan comprising of 7 leading agencies. Synergy Advertising is the local partner of the DENTSU network in Pakistan.

Ahmed is known for his bold thinking and initiatives to unite the industry:

• In 2003 launched Synergyzer, A Marketing Advertising Media and PR Industry magazine by an agency
• In 2006 launched Brandsynario.com, Pakistan’s first marketing and news portal
• In 2024 published Executive Doodles, Pakistan’s first in-depth book on Advertising and Marketing
• In 2024, received the first-ever RED Dragon, Dragon Master Pakistan award

Apart from his time spent on the Creativity and Advertising Management process, he is known for his keen interest in sports and philanthropy. He runs a medical aid trust in memory of his father, LKMWT.

Shahzain Munir is a visionary leader driving multiple strategic Business Units at EBM. With a rich legacy as the third generation of the EBM Family, Shahzain embodies a profound commitment to pioneering business development, growth, and expansion initiatives.

Graduating from George Washington University, Shahzain brings over 13 years of invaluable expertise across core business functions, specializing in brand building and development. His leadership extends across critical domains including marketing, media, New Product Development (NPD), Research & Development (R&D), finance, operations, supply chain, and strategic planning.

With unwavering dedication, Shahzain continues to lead transformative initiatives that define EBM’s robust growth trajectory. His steadfast leadership and forward-thinking approach ensure that EBM remains at the forefront of the industry, poised for sustained success in the years ahead. Shahzain continues to lead various transformative initiatives at EBM and propel the EBM agenda forward.

You may already know him through his out-of-the-box ideas and direction. The creative force behind Kenwood, Amreli Steels, Kingtox, the Knorr billa and many more beautifully crafted ads, Zaheeruddin, a writer and director, has been redefining Pakistani advertising for the last 20 years.

The creative figurehead of iDcreations, Dareechey Films, and Arey Wah, His portfolio is evidence of captivating concepts, masterful storytelling and enamoring execution. Through his work, he aims to bring about a shift in the creative level of advertising in Pakistan, focusing on crafting narratives based on small but significant insights that are grounded in society. Beyond advertising his first feature film “Chikkar” recently released that lifts the veil from major social issues that go unnoticed.

Asima Haq is Director (Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care) at Unilever Pakistan and part of it’s management committee. A multiple award-winning brand builder and marketeer, she has over 22 years of experience in building purposeful brands and creating future fit businesses, with experience leading diverse teams across multiple markets.

A passionate advocate of women’s empowerment, driving inclusion both at work and through the reach of her brands, Asima has an MBA from IBA. She has previously served as a juror for the Effies Pakistan and was recognized by DIVA as one of Pakistan’s 30 most powerful businesswomen.

Hasan understands the emerging markets and has a background in developing the digital ecosystem including both product and growth. His current flagship product is Tamasha, the largest OTT platform in Pakistan.

Prior to this, Hasan was leading the digital marketing team at HBL, tasked to inculcate a culture of data-driven decision making and enhancing the digital profile of the bank. At Telenor, he has been instrumental in establishing the digital business for the Emerging Asia Cluster. Hasan has also been in consulting working for Ernst & Young and International Data Corporation in the Middle East.

He has done his MSc in International Business from CERAM Business School in France, an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from LUMS and a number of executive courses from LBS, INSEAD, LSE and IMD. Hasan is a water sports enthusiast and has been part of various swimming, waterpolo and sailing teams as an amateur.