7th All-Pakistan Secretary Generals’ Conference 2015

By Huzaifa Shabbir Hussain and Emad Sohail

“I am always proud to be a part of the Secretary Generals Conferences that have created tremendous impact in the working and improving the efficiency of the participating Chambers and Associations in Pakistan. In every conference we learn new and innovative ideas and exchange experiences with each other that provide us the opportunity to implement best practices in our respective organizations. In fact, these conferences through the rich experience and guidance of mentors like “Hammad Siddique” act as “Change Agent” that develop “out of the box thinking” to think creatively for efficient working.” – Majid Shabbir, Secretary General, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry

 “The role of trade associations, chambers of commerce, large corporations and the business groups in the economic development had become an important area of research.” – Shahid Khalil Secretary General Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry

“I feel very lucky that I got an opportunity to become part of this group, this event provides us guidance as an institution that help us in resolving all matters regarding our business association.” – Khurshid Anwar, The Vehari Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

The 7^th Annual Secretary Generals conference was held on April 13-14 this year and was attended by 22 participants who gathered in Lahore from various parts on the country. The two-day event is considered a flagship event because of its strategic importance in creating a network and platform of private sector leaders who learn from each other and discuss new ideas and visions for the future.

This year, the session commenced with a panel discussion led by Huzaifa Shabbir Hussain, CIPE Pakistan Assistant Program Manager. Hussain shared the lesson learnt during a diagnostic assessment of four small chambers, which included Chakwal, Kohat, Mardan, and the Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry – Multan (WCCI-M). He shared his experience of traveling to these chambers in the small cities of Punjab and KPK provinces with the participants of the conference.

During the panel discussion, Secretary General of Chakwal, Kohat and WCCI-M shared that their perception and understanding of intuitions have expanded greatly after the training sessions led by Hussain. They stated that they have begun thinking of their chambers as a commercial organization.

The panel discussion concluded with the following points:

• Every activity conducted by business associations must be linked to some objective and also be evaluated for impact. Business associations should create a budget as it will help forecast revenue.
• There should not be any free services because free has no value.
• Seminars, symposiums, or exhibitions help chambers and associations with membership development and revenue generation.
• Technology helps to better recognize your work.
• Business associations should help and guide each other. Whatever help is extended from one chamber to another, one should recreate it before sending it forward.
• Effective budget monitoring is essential for assessing financial risks.
• Budgeting helps you price your services.
• R&D should only be demand driven and a paid service.
• Business associations should develop an Annual Activity Plan. This should be developed in the beginning of each year and presented to Executive Committee as the basis for a budget.

The second session was titled “Promulgation of Trade Organizations Act and Rules 2013” and was conducted by Majid Shabbir, Secretary General of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Shabbir started his session by sharing his experiences on how CIPE has helped in transforming and shaping him as a trainer. He has worked with CIPE as a training specialist and has conducted and led various chamber capacity building programs. Shabbir explained the key elements of the Trade Organization Act & Rules 2013 with respect to Membership, Executive Committee, Small Traders and Small Businesses, Election and Rotation of President’s office, Renewal of License and Compliance issues.

Shabbir stressed the importance of the following points to the participants:

1. It is important to build their knowledge about Trade Organizations Act & Rules, Memorandum and Articles of Associations to effectively run their organizations as per prevailing laws.
2. It is critical review their internal systems to render efficient services to members.
3. Chambers should disseminate information to members quickly by categorizing it as per members’ needs – for example: ask them which information they need.
4. It is important not to forget that their members need their support for smooth sailing and expansion of their businesses. Advocate for their concerns with the government in order to resolve their policy-level issues.

During the second day of the program, Mohammad Muzammil Hussain, Secretary General of Towel Manufacturers Association (TMA) highlighted how associations can generate funds and deal with their issues effectively. This was the first time that the Association requested CIPE to conduct a separate session on best practicies of working in sectorial associations.

During the final session, CIPE Country Director Moin M. Fudda and CIPE Deputy Country Director Hammad Siddiqui shared information about CIPE’s work with chambers and association and spoke about CIPE’s nine year journey in Pakistan. CIPE has seen many transformations and developments in different chambers and association of Pakistan. Notable impacts are the inclusion of young leadership in chamber business, participation of women chambers, and improvements made in service structure, managing proper accounts, and documentation.

To address various challenges in institutions that still exists, CIPE will continue to work with these chambers and association and will remain connected through a structured evaluation process conducted by CIPE after three months of the program. The feedback received will help CIPE Pakistan map the future direction of its program.

Huzaifa Shabbir Hussain is Assistant Program Manager for CIPE Paksitan. Emad Sohail is Senior Program Officer for CIPE Pakistan.