The Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance (PICG) held its Directors’ Summit 2026 under the theme “The Showcase: Your Leadership, Your Impact,” bringing together more than 350 directors, business leaders, regulators, and senior executives to discuss how stronger governance can build resilient institutions. PICG Chairman Muhammad Ashraf Bawany said good governance was increasingly about building trust and creating sustainable value rather than simply meeting compliance requirements, adding that better leadership and stronger boards could help build a more prosperous and resilient Pakistan. PICG CEO Shafaq Fauzil Azim also addressed the gathering, and the summit paid tribute to the late Dr Shamshad Akhtar for her contributions to Pakistan’s economic development and public institutions. Chief Guest Muhammad Ali Tabba, Chairman of YBG, told attendees that governance is not the price of doing business but the foundation on which business is done, and stressed that history remembers institutions trusted enough to be handed the future rather than those that simply moved fastest.
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) CEO Farrukh H. Sabzwari spoke on transparency, accountability, market integrity, investor confidence, and greater board diversity and inclusion, while former Minister for Investment Muhammad Azfar Ahsan emphasized policy predictability and the need for boards to anticipate economic and regulatory shifts. A panel on agile boards examined how companies can manage geopolitical, supply chain, economic, and climate risks through scenario planning and resilient capital allocation, while a separate Family Legacy panel looked at succession and governance challenges specific to family owned businesses, weighing legacy against reinvention and family ownership against professional management.
Technology emerged as a major theme at the summit, with a panel on Boards Governing Innovation and Technology stressing that boards must strengthen their oversight of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation while ensuring that technology investments support long term value creation. A fireside conversation featuring Narayanan Vaidyanathan of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Zulfikar Causer of BDO explored questions of artificial intelligence governance, accountability, and emerging risks, with both speakers emphasizing that boards need to actively oversee both the opportunities and the risks that come with adopting the technology. Kabeer Naqvi of Abhi Microfinance Bank spoke about governance as an enabler of digital banking innovation and financial inclusion, while Zaffar A. Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP), stressed governance, leadership, and institutional capacity as the foundation for the non profit sector.
Dr Syed Amir Ali, CEO of Meezan Bank Limited, discussed the integration of sustainability, governance, and innovation into Islamic finance strategies, rounding out a day that touched on banking, philanthropy, and family enterprise alike. In his closing keynote, Hussain Dawood, Chairman of Engro Holdings Limited, emphasized visionary leadership, responsible decision making, trust, and resilience as the foundations of lasting institutional value. The summit concluded with the PICG Recognition Awards, with organizers reaffirming a mandate for boards across Pakistan to anticipate disruption, challenge assumptions, and act decisively as they build stronger and more sustainable organizations going forward.
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