8th International Conference on Business Management

Annual Board Meeting of AMDIP 2021

2nd International Conference on Business and Technology Trends (ICBTT) 2021

2^nd International Conference on Business and Technological Trends

(ICBTT-2021)

February 4-5, 2021

The International Conference on Business and Technological Trends (ICBTT) is hosted annually to promote new dynamics in the field of business and technology. The conference brings together industry experts, academicians and research scholars to shed light on the emerging business trends and how technology can be incorporated into them to accelerate the economic impact. RTS (Research Training Solution) conducted the first ICBTT at the American College of Dubai, UAE, in Jan 2020, and collaborating partners were the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), Jinnah University for Women, Karachi and Emerald Publishers.

Being mindful of the ongoing pandemic situation, the format of 2^nd  ICBTT was decided to be hybrid. Accordingly, it was hosted jointly on February 3-4, 2021, by Research Training Solutions (RTS) and the American College of Dubai, UAE, in collaboration with the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP); Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazir Abad; Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology (KASBIT), Karachi; University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore; Pakistan Study Center, University of Sindh; Emerald Publishers; tbc (the brand consultants), Karachi and Michal & Parkins, Dubai.  

The theme of the 2^nd ICBTT was selected, “Technological Diversity and Inclusion in Business Innovation”, to understand the impact of diversity and inclusion on organizational processes. Businesses all around the globe are now incorporating the latest technological trends for influencing processes, improving outcomes and gaining better insights.  

Speakers from the University of Aveiro, Portugal; Canadian University, Dubai; Al Ain University, Dubai; Nottingham Trent University, UK; International Balkan University, Macedonia; Al Dar University, Dubai; Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi; Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur; NED University, Karachi; Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro; University of Loralai, Balochistan; University of Karachi; Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazirabad and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Dubai participated in 2^nd ICBTT.

The two-day conference entailed various exciting sessions such as insightful panel discussions, keynote speeches, research paper presentations, and post-conference workshops. Dr Nawaz Ahmad, Conference Director, initiated the inaugural session and Research fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal, followed by a welcome speech from Prof Dr Hasan Wahbah, President American College Dubai and Guest of honour Prof Dr Amanat Ali Jalbani, Vice-Chancellor Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Benazirabad. Thanks to participating scholars and collaborating institutions, the vote of thanks to participating institutions was delivered by the Conference Convener Prof Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi.

Right after the inaugural, the three keynote speeches were delivered by Prof Helena Nobre, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Dr Raza Ali Khan, NED University, Karachi and Dr Suresh Kumar, Institute of Business Administration Sukkur, respectively.

To understand the importance of technological inclusion, diversity, and their overall impact on the businesses, a panel discussion revolved around two aspects shaping our world, i.e. business and technology. A group of impactful panellists were engaged in a meaningful discussion that explored how businesses are continuously evolving in the light of emerging technologies.

Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi moderated the panel discussion, and the panellists included Dr Muhammad Nawaz Brohi, Vice President, Bath Spa University, UAE; Dr Naeem Zafar, Dean, ALDAR University, UAE; Dr Reyaz Ahmad, Al Ain University, UAE; Dr Nawaz Ahmad, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Dr Shajara Ul Durar, Nottingham Trent University, UK; Dr Syed Fayaz Ahmed, IoBM, Karachi; and Dr Abdul Raziq, University of Loralai, Balochistan.

The ICBTT’s call for papers was launched globally. A total of 103 research papers were received from Pakistan, UAE, India, Nigeria, Australia, Macedonia, Portugal and the United Kingdom. These papers then went through a double-blind peer-review process, out of which 54 papers were selected (acceptance rate 52%) for presentation based on their originality, applicability of ideas and contribution to the respective fields. These papers were selected after the peer review by the experts of respective fields and then were divided according to the themes. Finally, papers were presented in nine parallel sessions chaired by Prof Dr Dilshad Zafar, Jinnah University for Women Karachi; Dr Irfan Khan, Jinnah University for Women Karachi; Dr Adnan Pitafi, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro; Dr Fatima Beena, American College of Dubai; Dr Syed Fayaz Ahmad, IoBM, Karachi; Dr Zahid Channa, SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Dr Salman Bashir, SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Dr Aamir F. Shamsi, SZABIST, Karachi, Pakistan; Dr Maria Dos Santos, ISCTE-Institute University of Lisbon- DINÂMIA´CET, Portugal and Dr Muhammad Tariq, IoBM, Karachi, Pakistan.

The day started with three keynote speakers; Dr Arabella Bhutto, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan; Syed Azfar Hussain, National Incubation Center, Karachi, Pakistan and Dr Liza Alili Sulejmani, International Balkan University, Macedonia, followed by a couple of workshops.

The first workshop was named “Theory of Constraint: Throughput Accounting”, conducted by Mr Afzal Adamjee (Assistant Professor, Textile Institute of Pakistan). The second workshop was named “Global Research Visibility and Platforms” by Dr Nawaz Ahmad (Research fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal). The rationale behind conducting these workshops was to help increase the understanding of the research basics of the participants and enlighten them about the platforms through which they can enhance their visibility.

The conference was the hallmark of great collaboration between different countries around the world. The industry experts, academia and other experts from Portugal, Dubai, Pakistan and UK put a way forward for exploring new horizons in the business and technological innovation domain. ICBTT aims to increase such scholarly collaborations in the near future and help bring new insights from the experts on a single platform to facilitate participants.

At the end of the conference, the concluding remarks were shared by Prof Dr Hasan Wahbah, President American College Dubai, Prof Dr Amanat Ali Jalbani, VC SBBU-SBA, Pakistan; Prof Dr Tariq Raheem Soomro, Conference Convener and Dean CCSIS, SMIEEE, IoBM, Karachi and Dr Nawaz Ahmad, Conference Director and Research Fellow, University of Aveiro, Portugal. They thanked all participants and guests for gracing the conference with their presence and contributing through meaningful insights. They also thanked the partner institutions Emerald Publishing, Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), KASBIT, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), Pakistan and Pakistan Study Center, University of Sindh, Jamshoro. The 3^rd ICBTT will be held in Turkey in collaboration with Istanbul Gelisim University, Istanbul, Turkey. 

7th International Conference on Business Management (ICOBM) 2020

The 7^th International Conference on Business Management (ICOBM) 2020

December 19-20, 2020

International Conference on Business Management (ICOBM) is the flagship conference of business schools, hosted annually in various regions of Pakistan. A prominent feature of this conference is that a consortium of business schools jointly organizes it, and constantly new members are joining this consortium. The past six conferences of this series held in Lahore, Karachi, Sukkur and Islamabad. UMT hosted the first three ICOBMs in Lahore, Sukkur IBA University hosted 4th ICOBM, 5^th ICOBM was held at Institute of Business Management (IOBM) Karachi, and 6^th ICOBM was hosted by NUST Business School, NUST, Islamabad.

The 7th ICOBM was organized virtually on December 19-20, 2020, by the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP) and University of Management and Technology (UMT) in collaboration with Universities of South Asia on the theme of "Covid-19 Pandemic: Business and Management Challenges and Opportunities". The conference's rationale was to bring industry, academia and government bodies on one platform and explore the problems and opportunities caused by Covid-19 through research and expert talks. Various Pakistani and South Asian Universities collaborated for the 7^th ICOBM. South Asian partners included Nepal Administrative Staff College, Nepal; Post Graduate Institute of Management Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka; and the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Pakistani Universities included the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi; Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur; National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad; FAST School of Management (FSM), Islamabad; and Karakoram International University (KIU), Gilgit.  Industry partners include Express Pac, Aries Global Logistics, Conflu core, CNW Courier Network, OTS and Research Training Solutions (RTS).

This was a two-day conference compromising of three panel discussions, a deans' forum, and sixteen sessions for research paper presentations, two post-conference workshops, besides opening and closing ceremony sessions. The opening ceremony of the conference was graced by Mr Lakshman R Watawala, Past President AMDISA; Mr Talib Syed Karim, President IoBM/Vice President AMDIP; Dr Muhammad Aslam, Rector UMT; Dr Attaullah Shah, Vice Chancellor Karakoram International University (KIU), Gilgit/ President Gilgit Chapter of AMDIP; Dr Naveed Yazdani, Dean HSM-UMT; Mr Marlond Antunez, CEO of CNW Associates Europe & America/Associated Partner of Hofstede Insights Uruguay and Portugal; Mr Tahir Hafeez, Global Logistics and Supply Chain Director, Tetrapack; and Mr Ijaz Yusuf, Conference Chair, UMT. 

The Deans Forum was held on the theme "The Challenges and Consequences of Transformation to Virtual Teaching Methods" and was Moderated by Ms Memoona Zareen, Secretary AMDIP.  Deans of Pakistani Business School participated in the Deans Forum, including Dr Syed Irfan Hyder, Rector/Acting Dean IoBM, Dr Naveed Yazdani, Dean HSM-UMT, Dr Sadia Nadeem Dean FSM, Dr Niaz A. Bhutto, Hod Management Sciences, Sukkur IBA University, Dr Iftikhar.ul.Amin, Deputy Director, IMSciences, Peshawar, Dr Ali Sajid, Director Lahore School of Management, Ms Shima Haider, Director QEC Indus University and Dr Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, Professor of Management, Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA. The Deans Forum reflected upon the challenges of business schools in times of pandemics with a futuristic perspective, and the need for institutional collaboration was highlighted through brainstorming.

To bridge the inter-university and university-industry gap, the three-panel discussions were designed on the following themes:

• Covid-19 Pandemic and Business Challenges: Discussion with CEOs
• Role of International Governing Organizations and Government Institutions during Covid19 Pandemic
• Quality Education during Covid-19 Pandemic

Various national and international speakers from industry, academia, and governing bodies participated in the panel discussions.

Speakers of the 1^st Panel Discussion "Covid-19 Pandemic and Business Challenges: Discussion with CEOs" were Mr Syed Zawar Haider, Supply Chain Transformation Lead, Pepsi Co., Mr Muhammad Hussain, CEO and MD, Express Pack, Mr Faisal Ahsan, CEO, Xarasoft, Mr Alamgir Chaudhry, CEO, National Productivity Organization, Mr Ahsan Umer, CEO Infinite connections, Mr Imran, Quality Head K&Ns Food and Ms Madeeha Mubeen, Senior Supply Chain Analyst Pepsi Co.

The 2^nd Panel Discussed the "Role of International Governing Organizations and Government Institutions during Covid19 Pandemic". The speakers were Mr Abdus Salam, Supply Chain Manager, Pakistan Railways, Mr Imran Chaudhry, Technical Advisor, USAID Project, Dr Muhammad Tariq, Country Director, USAID and Mr Ijaz Yusuf, and Mr Irtiqa Zaidi, Former Project Director TTFU/NTTFC, Ministry of Commerce.

The 3^rd Panel discussed "Quality Education during Covid-19 Pandemic" with Industry experts and representatives from South Asian Universities. The discussants included Mr Zubair Awan, BIETS Center of Excellence Global, Mr Usama Abdus Samad, Conflucore Inc. USA, Dr Ishaq Bhatti, Norway, Dr Samantha Rathnayak, University of Sri Jayewardenpura, Sri Lanka, Dr Trilochan Pokharel, Nepal Administrative Staff College, Nepal and Dr Umer Azeem, HOD Management, UMT.

ICOBM call for papers was circulated globally, and in response, more than 140 papers were received from various countries of the world. All the papers went through the peer review process, and 92 papers were selected for presentation based on the rigour, relevance and contribution. Finally, thematic distribution was made on these papers and 80 papers were presented in 16 parallel sessions. These sessions were chaired by experts of respective fields. Paper presenters belonged to 17 countries of the world, including Egypt, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Turkey, the USA, and Zimbabwe.

Post Conference Workshops (PCW) were conducted to help young faculty members and research scholars and enhance their research and publication understanding. 1^st PCW was held on the topic "Global Research Visibility and Platforms" and was conducted by Dr Nawaz Ahmad, Assistant Professor and Research Consultant, IoBM Karachi (156 Publications and 1000+ Citations). The 2^nd PCW addressed the "Structural Equational Modeling Using AMOS", and the speaker was Dr Haris Aslam, Associate Professor, UMT.

The conference extended the collaborations of Pakistani academia, and more business schools joined the consortium. Also, the international universities from Nepal and Sri Lanka partnered in the ICOBM. It is expected that in the future, the consortium of ICOBM will expand to other South Asian countries. Together, we will be able to support the regionalization of Industry and Academia. These partnerships will also bring the south Asian countries closer, and the academic and business associations will increase in the region.

The 7^th ICOBM was closed with the closing remarks of Ms Memoona Zareen, Secretary AMDIP. In her speech, she reflected upon the history of ICOBM and recalled the contributions of Dr Hasan Soahib Murad(L), Patron of ICOBM, who initiated this series of conferences. She praised Mr Ibrahim Hasan Murad for reviving ICOBM and opening the doors for further collaborations. She thanked Dr Naveed Yazdani Dean HSM, UMT, Mr Ijaz Yusuf, Conference Chair, Mr Ali Asghar, Conference Manager and the whole UMT team for their efforts to organize this wonderful two-day event. She also thanked all the national and international partner institutions, speakers, presenters and participants for their support and contributions. Particularly the guests of honor Mr Talib Syed Karim, Dr Attaullah Shah and Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala and Dr Muhammad Aslam for their participation and invaluable insight. The conference concluded with the announcement of the 8^th ICOBM to be held in 2021.

Business School Faculty Development - Focus Group

2nd International Virtual Research Conference on Contemporary Business Trends and Technology

2^nd International Virtual Research Conference on Contemporary Business Trends and Technology

October 21-22, 2020

The 2^nd International Virtual Research Conference on Contemporary Business Trends and Technology (CBTT) was hosted by Jinnah University for Women (JUW) Karachi and American College of Dubai in collaboration with the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), Emerald Publishing and Mesal Consulting. In the context of business and management education and practices, the two-day conference focused on the situation caused by Covid-19, the contemporary needs analysis in the pandemic situation, and the role that innovative technologies can play in addressing these concerns through academic research. The conference aimed at promoting the research culture in Pakistan. The mode of execution of the conference was virtual using the Zoom platform, and services were provided by Jinnah Women University.

On October 21, Dr Dilshad Zafar, Dean Faculty of Business Administration, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, opened the conference with her welcome address. The keynote speeches were delivered by two esteemed speakers. Dr Leonie Hallo, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide, Australia and a Co-Director of the Complex Systems Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (CSIEL), delivered the first keynote speech on the title “Emotion and Intuition in leadership: Can women make a difference?”. The second keynote speech was titled “Analyzing Usage of Mobile Shopping Apps as Sustainable Marketing Channel-Post COVID-19” and given by Dr Yasir Ali Soomro, Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing, King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) Saudi Arabia.

As a response to the call for papers, research articles were received by universities across Pakistan. International papers were received from Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All the articles were peer-reviewed by experts of respective fields, and keeping in view the time and technology constraints 30 papers were selected for presentation at the conference. These papers were presented in eight parallel sessions, and in each session, the chair provided feedback to authors and facilitated healthy discussion on the papers.

Research Sessions were chaired by Dr Anji Ben Hamed, Assistant Professor and Director MBA Program Ahlia University, Bahrain, Mr Yousuf Ibnul Hasan Islamic Finance Consultant, Program Consultant & Director Islamic Economics, Finance and Banking at London School for Business Entrepreneurship, UK, Dr Muhammad Ali, Assistant Professor, Editor, Pakistan Business Review, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Dr Riaz Ahmed Mangi Professor Shah Abdul Latif University, Sindh, Dr Faryal Salman, Associate Professor DOW University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Dr Muhammad Jawad, Head of Department, Lahore Business School, University of Lahore, Lahore, Dr Saghir Pervez Ghauri Associate Professor Jinnah University for Women, and Dr Syed Imran Zaman Assistant Professor Jinnah University for Women, Karachi,

In a dedicated session, a representative of emerald publishing highlighted the different services Emerald offered for research scholars, teachers and students. Participants appreciated the partnership and facilitation of Emerald Publishing.

Three post Conference Workshops (PCW) were organized for research scholars to enhance their research and publication understanding. Dr Rab Nawaz Lodhi Associate Professor University of Central Punjab, Pakistan, conducted the workshop on Case Study Research, Dr. Zubair Ali Shahid Research Consultant MESAL Consulting, Pakistan and Associate Professor Muhammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU), Islamabad, discussed “Why does Chain Need Belt and Road Initiative? Importance and Complexity”, and Mr. Syed Muhammad Fahim, Assistant Professor Department of Marketing Institute of Business Management-CBM conducted a workshop on “Data Analysis in PLS-SEM via Smart PLS”.

The conference provided a platform for multi-disciplinary discussion and debates on the diverse suitable ways for all organizations to sustain and compete in the national and international markets.

4th International Islamic Banking and Finance Conference (ICIBF-2020)

The 4th International Conference on Islamic Banking and Finance

November 4-5, 2020

The international conference on Islamic banking and finance (ICIBF) is a leading conference that addresses the challenges, breakthroughs and new models in accordance with the Shariah Principles, thereby making the organizations socially beneficial. Given the Covid-19 situation, the two-day conference was organized to highlight ambiguities caused by the pandemic and how it will impact Islamic banking and finance.  The conference also highlighted the gap in policies devised to curb the losses caused by the pandemic and how academia can contribute to reverse the impact with insightful research. The conference theme was "Post Pandemic Challenges to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Pakistan and the way forward for Islamic Financial Institutions".

The 4^th ICIBF was organized in a hybrid mode on November 4-5, 2020, by the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, in collaboration with the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan (AMDIP), LA Trobe University, Australia, Centre for Islamic Finance-COMSATS University, Islamabad Lahore Campus, Al Baraka Bank, Pakistan, Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd., International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF, Malaysia), Al Meezan Investment Management Ltd., Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), Bahrain, IRTI-IsDB Jeddah, IIMA-UK, NBP Funds Management Pakistan and Higher Education Commission Pakistan.

The day one of the conference started with the welcome address by Mr Talib S. Karim, President IoBM and Vice President AMDIP; followed by Mr Bashir Janmohammad, Chancellor IoBM, Mr Syed Amir Ali, President & CEO Bank Islami Pakistan, Mr Ahmed Shuja Kidwai, President & CEO Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Ltd., and Chief Guest Dr Ishrat Hussain, PM's Adviser on Institutional Reforms and Austerity.

More than 20 International Speakers from the USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Kosovo, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia & India participated in the conference to share their research & expertise. Around 50 national speakers (most of them were Presidents, CEOs, Business heads, Shariah Advisors of Islamic Financial Institutions) were also part of this assemblage.

The keynote addresses were delivered by Mr Syed Irfan Ali, Managing Director of Deposit Protection Corporation, State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Amjad Saqib, Chairman & Founder Akhuwat Foundation, Lahore; Mr Sajjad Anwer, Chief Investment Officer, NBP Fund Management Ltd; Dr Dawood Ashraf, Senior Economist, Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) Jeddah-KSA and Prof. Dr Kabeer Hasan, Department of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans, USA.

The panel discussion followed that comprised of Industry heads and professionals sharing their insights regarding the scope of Islamic Banking and Finance in Pakistan and the impact that Covid-19 has created. The panellists included Mr Sajjad Anwer, Chief Investment Officer, NBP Fund Management Ltd; Mr Syed Irfan Ali, Managing Director of Deposit Protection Corporation, SBP; Dr Amjad Saqib, Chairman & founder Akhuwat Foundation, Lahore; Mr Sitwat Rizvi, Secretary  Shariah Board, Dubai Islamic Bank Ltd. Pakistan; Mr Muhammad Faisal Shaikh, Head Islamic Banking Faysal Bank Ltd. After the insightful panel discussion, the paper presentations brought together academicians. They provided them with an opportunity to present, discuss, and share their suggestions regarding Islamic Banking during the Covid-19.

The post-lunch break session consisted of addresses by Prof. Dato' Dr Azmi Omar, President INCEIF Int. University of Islamic Finance-Malaysia; Prof. Dr Abdulbari Mashal, Managing Partner, Raqaba Shariah Audit & Islamic Financial Advisory-USA; Mr Muhammad Ayoub, Director Research and Training, Riphah Centre of Islamic Business (RCIB), Riphah International University, Islamabad; Dr Asad Zaman, Member Economic Advisory Committee of Prime Minister of Pakistan & Member of Monetary Policy Committee of State Bank of Pakistan. It was moderated by Dr Shagufta Ghauri, IoBM, Karachi.

The sub-theme of the conference was "Impact of Covid-19 outbreak on Pakistani Economy in General and on MSMEs in particular – The role of Islamic Financial Institutions", which was addressed by Mr Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, Senior Executive Vice President, PDSC, Meezan Bank Ltd; Dr Muhammad Zubair Ashraf Usmani – Chairman Shariah Board UBL Ameen & HBL Islamic; Mr Muhammad Zubair, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Huda CIBE, Lahore.

The panel discussion that followed was moderated by Conference Convener Dr Imam Uddin, Associate Professor-Accounting & Finance, IoBM. The panellists were Mr Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, Senior Executive Vice President, PDSC, Meezan Bank Ltd; Dr Zeeshan Ahmed, Rector & Dean Karachi School of Business & Leadership (KSBL); Dr Irum Saba Assistant Professor CEIF-IBA, Karachi; Mufti Muhammad Najeeb Khan, Chairman Shariah Board, Sindh Bank Ltd; Mr Kashif Nisar, Head Shariah Compliance Bank Islami Pakistan; Mufti Ehsan Waqar Ahmed- Chairman Sharia'h Board-AIBGNBP and Mr Muhammad Zubair, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Huda CIBE, Lahore.

This was accompanied by an online webinar which started with the introductory addresses of Dr Mansor H. Ibrahim, Deputy President Academic & Dean INCEIF, Malaysia; Dr Muhammad Meki, Senior Fellow of Islamic Finance, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University. The theme of this session was "Roadmap to providing financial assistance and other subsidies through Government & non-banking Financial Institutions for MSMEs", and the panellists were Prof. Dr Mehboob Ul Hassan, Professor Center for Islamic Finance, King Saud University – Riyadh, KSA; Dr Azam Ali, Joint Director Policy Division Islamic Banking Department, State Bank of Pakistan; Mr Farhan-ul-Haq Usmani, Head of Shariah Audit & Advisory, Meezan Bank and Mr Syed Asif Azeem, Regional Head-South Corporate & Institutional Liability Unit Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan.

Day 2 of the conference was initiated with an introductory address by Mr Almir Colan, Director Australian Centre for Islamic Finance (AUSCIF) and CEO at Olive Investments, Australia; Dr Shariq Nisar, Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research, University of Mumbai. India and Dr Vehbi Zeqiri, CEO-START' - Islamic Microfinance Institution, Kosovo.

The panel discussion on the theme of "Use of Social Instruments of Islamic Finance by Government & Financial Institutions to help MSMEs in post-Covid-19" was chaired by Dr Imran Qureshi, Director Connecting Aisa – Malaysia. The panellists who were part of the discussion included Mr Almir Colan, Director Australian Centre for Islamic Finance (AUSCIF) and CEO at Olive Investments, Australia; Dr KarimUllah, Head Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance, IM Sciences, Peshawar; Dr Mufti Ejaz Ahmed Samadani, Member Shariah Board, HBL Islamic and UBL Ameen; Mr Raheel Bhagar Head Shariah Compliance, Soneri Bank Ltd.; Dr Vehbi Zeqiri, CEO-START - Islamic Microfinance Institution, Kosovo and Dr Shariq Nisar, Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research, University of Mumbai. India.

The panel discussion was followed by the Research Paper Presentations chaired by Dr Mehboob Ul Hassan, Professor Center for Islamic Finance, King Saud University – Riyadh, KSA and Mr Israr Ahmed, Director QEC, KASBIT.

The second half of the conference entailed an online webinar session addressed by Dr Aly Khorshid, Dean of Management and Economic London University – UK; Dr Hanudin Amin, Associate Professor, Labuan Faculty of International Finance, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia and Dr Muhammad Ashfaq, Program Director Digital Business, IUBH University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

The last panel discussion was chaired by Dr Syed Irfan Hyder – Rector IoBM. The panellists included Dr Aly Khorshid, Dean of Management and Economic London University – UK; Dr Hanudin Amin, Associate Professor, Labuan International Campus, Malaysia; Dr Abdulazeem Abozaid, Associate Prof, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Qatar; Dr Asad Zaman, Member Economic Advisory Committee of Prime Minister of Pakistan & Member of Monetary Policy Committee of State Bank of Pakistan; Mufti Irshad Ahmed Aijaz, Chairman Bank Islami Pakistan; Dr M Ishaq Bhatti, La Trobe Business School (LBS), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and Mr Irfan Ahmed, Head of Sharia Compliance, Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd.

The paper presentations alongside were being chaired by Dr Muhammad Kashif, HoD Management Sciences, SZABIST. The online webinar session was also conducted on the theme of "Management approach to subsidizing profits to serve a marginalized population of the country in post-COVID-19" right after the presentations.

The conference was concluded with the keynote addresses by Mr Azhar Aslam, Head of Islamic Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Pakistan; Mr Bilal Rasul, Executive Director, Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP); Syed Rizwan Hussain, CEO Takaful Pakistan and Dr Mehboob Ul Hassan, Professor Center for Islamic Finance, King Saud University – Riyadh, KSA. A vote of thanks was delivered by Ms Tazeen Arsalan, HoD Accounting & Finance Department & Chief Organizer.

The Post-conference workshop with an aim to equip the research scholars with the essential understanding of research papers writing strategies was delivered by Prof. Dr Shujat Mubarak, Associate Dean CBM, IoBM Karachi, on "How to Write and Publish for Impact Factor". Overall the two-days conference consisted of five-panel discussions, 40 research papers presentations and one post-conference workshop. 

Annual Board Meeting 2020