Sima Kamil, has joined the State Bank of Pakistan as Deputy Governor. Previously, Kamil led HBL in various positions. She was associated with the microfinance industry as a director of the First MicroFinance Bank. Having experience at international financial institutions, including American Express, a financial services company and Standard Chartered Bank, Kamil was the first woman to head UBL as its President and CEO.

Shazad G Dada has taken over Sima Kamil’s position as the President and CEO at UBL. Dada has, in the past, worked as Chairman at Pakistan Mercantile Exchange Ltd., as MD and Chief Country Officer and Head-Global Banking at Deutsche Bank AG, as CEO and MD at Barclays Bank Pakistan, as Chairman at Pakistan Banks’ Association, Vice President & Council Member at The Institute of Bankers Pakistan and Director-Governors Board at The British Overseas School.

Rehan Shaikh has been appointed CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan. With over 35 years in banking, he can operate effectively in multi-cultural environments and build and motivate teams to achieve business goals. He has extensive senior management and diverse banking experience in Pakistan and internationally, having worked with leading institutions such as American Express and Dubai Islamic Bank.

Aijaz Aslam is all set to appear in the serial ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ on ARY Digital.

He was last seen in 2019 in ‘Cheekh’. He is already appearing in teasers of ‘Log Kya Kahenge’.

Aijaz Aslam will play ‘Haseeb’ who can go to any lengths to fulfil his family’s wishes. When a crisis comes, he is in a fix.

Faysal Quraishi is also in the serial, besides Kinza Razzak, Saheefa Jabbar, Sakina Samo, Afshan Qureshi and Humera Zaheer.

Another tranche of 100 ventilators was presented by USAID to NDMA at the TCS Warehouse in Tarnol in Islamabad.

The handing over of 100 ventilators is in continuation of the ventilators that have already been provided by USAID to NDMA.

The ceremony was attended by top dignitaries and was a further milestone in the valuable assistance that has been extended by the U.S. Government to Pakistan in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

US Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Paul W. Jones, Director General NDMA, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal and others addressed the participants on the occasion.

The US Ambassador reiterated his country’s commitment to assist Pakistan in its brave fight against Covid-19 and said the US Government would do more as and when possible.

Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal, the Director General of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said he was immensely grateful to the U.S. Government for providing additional ventilators to the NDMA as these would prove invaluable in the efforts that the NDMA was making to control the pandemic in the country.

Complete required SOPs were maintained on the occasion.

TCS is Pakistan’s largest courier, logistics and e-commerce provider, offering services to the corporate sector, SMEs and household customers. With a widespread network of 850+ outlets in over 380 cities, 525 satellite-tracked vehicles, a dedicated Boeing-737, a proficient team of more than 4,000 couriers and the fastest digital printing facility in the country, TCS leads the Pakistani courier and logistics industry in terms of both service and reliability.

The ICI Light Soda Ash plant in Khewra is being expanded by 125,000 tonnes per annum (TPA). This will expand the ICI Pakistan Soda Ash Plant to 550,000 TPA. The expansion is yet another development towards the Company’s growth aspirations in line with its brand promise of Cultivating Growth. At its meeting held on August 20, 2020, the ICI Board announced the financial results for the year ended June 30, 2020.

On a consolidated basis, the net turnover for the year under review was PKR 55,256 million. The COVID-19 pandemic was the primary factor for the decrease.

Despite lower revenues and economic challenges, the consolidated operating profit for the year was PKR 5,520 million.

The Board has approved a final cash dividend for the financial year ended June 30, 2020, of 50% i.e. PKR 5/- per share of PKR 10/- each. This is in addition to the 110% Interim Cash Dividend (i.e. PKR 11/- per share) already paid, as recommended by the Board of Directors.

During the year under review, the Company made considerable progress on several strategic projects that will help it to deliver improved performance. ICI Chief Executive Mr. Asif Jooma said: “COVID-19 presented a major challenge for domestic and global markets, with far-reaching consequences. Despite economic pressures the Company has been able to deliver results maintaining the growth momentum of its businesses. The Company is confident that it will be able to capitalise on future opportunities. In keeping with this, the Board of Director’s decision to enhance the capacity of the Soda Ash plant reinforces the Company’s commitment to growth for all its stakeholders.”

Turkish actor Cengiz Coşkun aka Turgut Alp has requested Shahid Khan Afridi in a TV show to teach him cricket. Cengiz Coşkun plays the role of a close friend and fighter of Ertugrul in the serial ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’. He said in the show that was run on ARY News that he would visit Pakistan.

The actor thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for recommending to the people of Pakistan to watch Ertuğrul dubbed in Urdu. Turgut said when his team started working on the serial, many people were of the view that they would never finish the project but it went on to become a massive hit.

OPPO is here with the new OPPO F15, priced at PKR 39,999 (previously available at PKR 44,999).

The OPPO F15 has excellent ergonomics, a lightning-fast processor, a 48MP ultrawide angle Macro Quad, two hours of talk time in a five-minute charge or 50% in 30 minutes, VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 and a 4000mAh3.

Pakistani-American actor Riz Ahmed will appear with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer for Amazon’s next ‘Invasion’. The project is a sci-fi thriller and is written by Michael Pearce who also directs it. The co-writer is Joe Barton.
While Amazon Studios have acquired the rights for the thriller, it will be a joint venture of RAW and Film 4 which will be co-producing the thriller.

Based on the life of a marine soldier played by Riz and his two sons, ‘Invasion’ is the story of the trio running away from non-human forces. Octavia plays the supporting role as a facilitator for the family.

Etihad Airways has launched innovative new protective wear for first and business class passengers. As part of its new health and hygiene programme, Etihad Wellness Premium passengers will receive the facemask for their journey.

The soft reusable snood mask has MicrobeBARRIER™ fabric, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment which is laboratory-tested and proven to reduce the presence of germs in fabrics. The snoods are washable and reusable, making them environmental-friendly.

Travellers can choose to wear the snood around their necks like a scarf. Made of lightweight, breathable and stretchy jersey fabric, the snood is comfortable and ideal for travel because it can easily be slipped on and off.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has appointed Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri as its new spokesman. Zahid will replace Aisha Farooqui. He is a career foreign service officer who is currently serving as Director General (South Asia and SAARC).

Chaudhri has served at key Pakistan missions, including Washington DC and London. He has also been Director General (Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Secretary, National Security at the National Security Division and Director General, President’s Secretariat.

Chaudhri holds a Masters degree in International Law from the University of London and another Masters in Business Administration. He is also an alumnus of the National Defence University, Washington DC.

Wins Effie

Jubilee Life Insurance has been awarded the Effie Award in the Insurance category at this year’s virtually held awards ceremony. This is the first time an insurance company has won the award. Jubilee Life has been recognized for its ‘Hum Insurance Nibhatay Hain’ campaign.

The campaign revolves around health, education and savings. The award is a testament to Jubilee Life’s unrelenting commitment to creatively communicating and building a genuine relationship.

Rabya Kulsoom and Zain Afzal are in Lemon Max’s new web serial ‘Lockdown ke Side Effects’ which is a strikingly relatable and light-hearted take on the lockdown and social distancing situation.

The series follows the story of a modern-day household in the current situation, with Rabya Kulsoom and Zain Afzal starring as a couple balancing work and personal life. Directed by Nasir Khan, the jovial everyday happenings in the web serial have been portrayed with a tongue in cheek script aimed to reinforce and normalize men helping out in household chores and dividing responsibilities.

‘Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida’, the serial running on HUM TV is collecting all sorts of reviews. After its much-discussed story, the styling of one of the leading actresses in the serial, Mansha Pasha, is making waves.

Mansha started receiving loads of queries on social media about her style and outfits in the serial. In her Instagram story, Mansha revealed that she designed her looks herself, taking inspiration from fashion icons like Blake Lively and Timothée Chalamet.

Asim Jofa has been appointed as an advisor for PPE quality control by the Sindh Health Ministry. The decision came when Asim provided free PPEs to health workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Pakistan.

Asim Jofa will now be working with the Sindh minister of health, Dr Azra Pechuho. In March, Asim was one of the first designers to come forward and voluntarily offer assistance in the production of PPEs which were in short supply at the time.

Actress and model Syra Yousuf is the new face of Palmolive Naturals. She appears in the brand’s new TVC, unveiling a new liquid hand wash range that is both tough on germs and soft on hands.

The campaign underscores the importance of staying safe and healthy by washing hands without compromising the skin.