PNSC gets ‘AA’ Entity Ratings from PACRA with a Stable Outlook

The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA) has granted an Entity Ratings of Long Term ‘AA’ to Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) in February, 2017. This rating has been raised from PNSC’s previous Entity Ratings of Long Term ‘AA-’in 2016.

The Short Term Ratings given to PNSC this year was ‘A1+’, while its 2016 Short Term Ratings was also A1+. PNSC’s Outlook has also remained constant at ‘Stable’. The action advised for PNSC in 2017 is ‘Upgrade’, while last year the advised action was to ‘Maintain’.

As per PACRA’s report, the ratings reflect PNSC’s strong ownership – majority owned by Government of Pakistan and its strategic significance as the country’s flag carrier. On a stand-alone basis, PNSC’s business profile has gained significant strength in recent years and exhibited by continuous improvement in business margins on account of efficient fleet utilization, better pricing strategy and cost management measures taken by the management.

Sen. Mir Hazil Khan Bizenjo, Minister for Ports & Shipping remarked, “It is noteworthy that the PNSC is cruising ahead with distinction having achieved the ‘AA’ ratings at the start of 2017. PNSC being a Public Sector company has displayed resilience by adopting robust measures and stringent controls and as a consequence PNSC’s business profile has gained significant strength in recent years.”

Mr. Arif Elahi, Chairman, PNSC, said, “The PACRA Entity Ratings of Long-Term ‘AA’ upgrading PNSC to having a stable outlook is significant and a milestone in the history of the national carrier. I am delighted to report that a concerted team effort, effective management practices and decisions based on best global practices in a most challenging environment have enabled us to achieve this result; congratulations to the entire staff of PNSC.”

The ratings are dependent on the Corporation’s ability to generate envisaged cash-flows post-expansion. Meanwhile, proactive management of financial profile, while improving coverage’s remains important. Credit rating reflects forward-looking opinion on credit worthiness of underlying entity or instrument; more specifically it covers relative ability to honor financial obligations. The primary factor being captured on the rating scale is relative likelihood of default.

 

Minister Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi to open Energy Forum 2017

The Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, will inaugurate the 9^TH Pakistan Energy Forum 2017 being held on February 23 at 9.30 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel Islamabad. The theme of the conference is “Approaching New Frontiers in Energy Efficiency” and will dilate on critical current trends in the energy sector.

The keynotes will be addressed by Mr. Umer Masood, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Water & Power and eminent economist, Mr. Sakib Sherani, CEO, Macro Economic Sights.

The opening session on Strategic & Regulatory Paradigm for Energy Sufficiency will be chaired by Chairman WAPDA General (Retd) Muzammil Hussain, and will feature Mr. Scott M. Miller, Energy Officer, US Embassy Islamabad; Mr. Arshad Maqsood Malik, Chief (Energy) Planning Commission of Pakistan, and Mr. Muhammad Raziuddin, CEO, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil & Gas Company.

The second session on Integrating Public & Private Investment to Ensure Equitable Energy Mix will be chaired by Mr. Werner E. Liepach, Country Director, Asian Development Bank (Pakistan Resident Mission) and addressed by Mr. Rashid Hussain Kazi, MD, Thar Coal Energy Board, Govt. of Sindh; Sardar Shaukat Aziz Popalzai, President, Balochistan Economic Forum and Mr. Asim Tirmizi, Project Director (Liquefied Gases) Sui Southern Gas Company.

The third session on Technology for Ecology, Optimizing Alternative Energy Sources will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Arshad Ali, NUST School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences and speakers include, Mr. Amjad A. Awan, CEO, Alternate Energy Development Board; Syed Imran Shah, Manager Business Development, Fauji Fertilizer Company, and Mr. Mujtaba Haider Khan, CEO, Reon Energy.

Delegates from the federal and provincial ministries, regulatory bodies, think-tanks, academia, foreign missions and the media will be joining the day-long conference held annually by SHAMROCK Conferences International. For agenda and further details, please visit: www.shamrockconferences.net

EcoStar appoints Fahad Mustafa for awareness campaign of deceptive TV screen-sizes

EcoStar is the leading innovator in LED Televisions and smart TV technologies. This nationwide brand has now engaged the famous TV actor and show-host – Fahad Mustafa for launching an awareness campaign for the deceptive TV screen-sizes being sold in the market. In this new TV advertisement, Fahad Mustafa will make the consumers cautious, by revealing the facts about this malpractice observed in LEDTVs market.

Being a responsible enterprise that believes in transparency – EcoStar is issuing these public-service messages on media, to advise the buyers to actually measure and confirm the LED screen size, before purchasing any Television. For example; some TVs claiming to be 40 inches in size, are actually 1 to 2 inches smaller. This deceptive practice is more common in 40 inch, 43”, 50” and 60 inch LED televisions. So, EcoStar requests the consumers to make sure they are getting the accurate size of LED screen that they have paid for. Due to this initiative, thousands of customers will be able to avoid any deception and ensure that they are purchasing a reliable television.

Followed by this TV ad, EcoStar will also launch a digital-media campaign to make the audience aware of the under-sized LEDs being sold in market.

EcoStar also wants every buyer to be aware of the correct way to measure the LED screens. The customers should take an inch-tape and measure the LED TV screen diagonally; from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the screen. This will give them the accurate size of the screen.

Huawei & Shehryar Munawar Meeting Fans in the Fortress Square Mall

The leading technology brand Huawei, recently gave its loyal Honor 6X fans a chance to meet and greet and take pictures with the young and vibrant Pakistani heart-throb – ShehryarMunawar in the Fortress Mall on 11th February 2017.

This event turned out to be a great experience for the fans, as well as Shehryar who was gracious as always. He signed autographs and took selfies with a lot of people in the Fortress Mall. Being attracted by the huge crowd surrounding Shehryar, almost everyone took out their phones to capture a memorable glimpse of the star.

He’s been making a splash in the country with his latest brand endorsement deals with Huawei and the building hype for his latest projects including a movie ‘Ghaazi’ starring many other A listers that is set to release this year.  But it seems it isn’t only the critics who are raving about SheheryarMunawar.

The Lollywood heavyweight was greeted by a swarm of adoring fans while doing a press meet and greet for Huawei Honor 6X fans. His youthful vibrancy along with the gift of bringing something new-to-the-table every time, blends perfectly with Huawei’s DNA of keeping  users up-to-date with the most innovative smartphone technology in all aspects, from revolutionary design to one-of-a-kind tech features.

Shehryar appeared in the recently released TVC for the Honor 6X where he is highlighting the extraordinary features of the device. With the primary focus on 6X’s camera having wide aperture, 0.3 second focus and low-light crisp photography, the 6X also has a 2.1 GHz octa-core processor, 32GB ROM, 3GB RAM, 3340 mAH battery, finger print sensor and a revolutionary dual-lens camera. It is available for PKR 28,499 in silver, grey, and rose gold at selected retail outlets across the country.

 

 

SEED ventures and SEA International to launch Social Enterprise Academy in Pakistan

A Memorandum of understanding was signed in a ceremony held at British Deputy High Commission, Karachi between SEED Ventures and Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), Scotland, to inaugurate the international social franchise of the Social Enterprise Academy for Pakistan.  Faraz Khan, CEO and founder SEED Ventures and Sam Baumber, Managing Director Social Enterprise Academy Scotland, initiated the signing which was witnessed by Belinda Lewis, British Deputy High Commissioner.

The partnership between Social Enterprise Academy, Scotland and SEED Ventures has marked the beginning of a lasting relationship to support social enterprises and the social economy throughout Pakistan. SEA Pakistan will work towards catering to the local social entrepreneurs and enterprises, building links between the two countries while adopting an inclusive approach towards international network of hub partners.

Through SEA Pakistan, local social entrepreneurs will be trained to facilitate programmes for their peers, bringing their insight and understanding of the challenges and opportunities Pakistan’s social enterprise sector faces.

A two day gathering of social entrepreneurs, members of the corporate community, public sector,   and think tanks was held at a local hotel in Karachi as part of the soft launch and was led by the senior team from Scotland, whereas the opening speech was delivered by the British Deputy High Commissioner Belinda Lewis. The workshop allowed for professionals from diverse backgrounds to share their experiences and discover their ability for furthering learning and development techniques for social impact.

Sam Baumber, Managing Director SEA, Scotland talked about the social entrepreneurship landscape in Pakistan commented, “Pakistan’s social entrepreneurs and their teams are stepping up to tackle huge challenges. SEED Ventures, and others are supporting a generation of people developing enterprising skills and qualities.”

On their partnership with SEED Ventures, Mr. Baumber said,“ We are delighted to partner with SEED Ventures to add Social Enterprise Academy Pakistan into the mix to build the local support ecosystem, with the support of Scottish Government and the British Council.”

Faraz Khan, SEED Ventures Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder said : “A growing network of social enterprises will have a far greater impact in a country like Pakistan where each one of the socio-economic, environmental, and educational challenges can be converted into an entrepreneurial opportunity and has the capacity to empower entire communities.” He added further: “This partnership will further strengthen our endeavours of inculcating social entrepreneurship as an important change agent in Pakistan.”

Perfect Gift for Him and Her this Valentine’s Day

With the Valentine’s Day almost upon us, most of us are frantically searching for the perfect present for the loved ones in our life. Huawei has solved that problem but providing the perfect gift for him and her; The Huawei Mate 9 and Honor 8. These are both are beautifully crafted powerful devices which are perfect for treating that special someone in your life. Huawei is offering a free ‘Honor color band A1’ on the purchase of Honor 8 or Mate 9 as a special Valentine’s Day offer for 13^th and 14^th February.

Mate 9 is the feature-rich device designed to fulfill the needs of the prolific man. Its sleek and slim unibody with a sandblast finish and amazing 5.9 inch display makes it the perfect accessory.  The Honor 8 on the other hand has a smaller display but is the ideal device for socially-active ladies who love taking selfies because of its amazing dual lens camera.

Huawei considered both cultural needs and consumer-trends, while designing the functional elements of the Honor 8 and Mate 9. Both the devices boasts amazing camera features respectively, enhanced battery life and a sleek design, clearly reflecting Huawei’s innovation, reliability, performance and consumer-focus. Through these powerful devices, Huawei has managed to capture what the younger millennial audience is looking for; phones promising revolutionary user-experience along with the liberty to stream, share and scroll swiftly and with style.

The Marketing Manager of Huawei Mr Salman Javed stated that; “We expect to exceed our sales targets, with this recently launched great devices – The Huawei Honor 8 and Mate 9. This confirms our belief in working with our users to understand their needs and preferences, before creating new revolutionary technologies, which offer the perfect blend of beauty and performance to ensure the happiness of many diverse segments of users”. Both devices are available with the V Day Deal on all Huawei brand shops, so hurry up and spread the love with Huawei.

Huawei ranked among the ‘Most Valuable Global Brands’ by ‘Brand Finance’

Huawei has been ranked 40^th  on the ‘Most Valuable Brands’ list within the Global 500 ranking of 2017, released by the prestigious ‘Brand Finance’ platform. Being a research-based forum – ‘Brand Finance’ specializes in Brand Valuation and the valuation of Intangible Assets. It evaluates the performance of world-leading brands and measures their potential.

In 2016, Huawei was ranked 47^th in the same ranking report, whereas this year its performance has risen by 7 ranks to take the 40^th spot in the list. Last year, Huawei’s Brand-Value was estimated at 19,743 Million US Dollars and in 2017 Huawei’s Brand Value has risen to US $ 25,230 Million. In 2016, Huawei’s Brand Ranking was ‘AA’, which has now risen ‘AAA-‘.

This reflects a tremendous improvement in Huawei’s Brand performance, as this global leader in technologies has continued to innovate and create fascinating devices and pioneering solutions, that can meet the fast-evolving needs of the modern-day consumers of telecommunications and digital connectivity.

‘Brand Finance’ calculates ‘Brand Value’ by determining the value a company would be willing to pay to license its brand, as if it did not own it. This approach involves estimating the future revenue attributable to a brand and calculating a royalty-rate that would be charged for the use of the brand. Multiple attributes such as; emotional connection, financial performance and sustainability, etc are taken in to account. The brand performance is benchmarked against competitor brands, while several kinds of financial analyses are also conducted.

With its stellar performance Huawei has managed to secure the 40^th spot in this prestigious list and with its aggressive growth plans in 2017, It looks well on its way to achieving its 2017 target of becoming the biggest mobile phone supplier in the world in terms of units produced.

 

‘Enviro’ Electronics offers Free-trip to ‘PSL Cricket in Dubai’ & big prizes.

The second edition of the ‘Pakistan Super League’ (PSL) cricket tournament will begin from 9^th of February 2017. The exciting tournament is gaining tremendous popularity, as some of the greatest stars of international cricket can be  seen in action during the thrilling matches to be held in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu-Dhabi.

Enviro Electronics has now launched an exclusive offer for its customers. Every consumer who buys any Enviro product, before 20^th of February in Pakistan, will be included in a lucky draw, with fantastic opportunities to win numerous exciting prizes and high-valued electronic products. The winner of this lucky draw will get a ‘Free-Trip’ with a return-ticket to Dubai, to participate in the ‘Pakistan Super League’ (PSL) cricket tournament.

Enviro is a leading manufacturer of a diverse range of home appliances, consumer-electronics and power-solutions. Through this vibrant campaign, the company aims to achieve a stronger brand-image and gain more popularity. While the electronics industry continues to grow rapidly, Enviro is venturing into many new product categories to expand its market-share.

Get a chance to meet Shehryar Munawar with the new Honor 6X!

The leading telecom technology enterprise Huawei is now giving a special opportunity to its Honor users to meet and greet the young and vibrant Pakistani heart-throb – ShehryarMunawarin the Fortress Mall by 11^th February 2017.

Known for treating its customers consistently, Huawei is yet again providing its fans a thrilling opportunity to meet its brand ambassador – ShehryarMunawar. Huawei Honor users will get a chance to personally meet ShehryarMunawar, take selfies and spend memorable fan moments in the Fortress Mall.

The famous young actor, model and film producer;SheheryarMunawarSiddiqui recently came on board with Huawei for its Honor 6X campaign that promises to deliver a revolutionary camera experience to its users. Sheheryar attained celebrity status for his acting performance in the Hum TV Drama serial “MerayDardKo Jo Suzan Miley”. Initially, Sheheryar appeared in showbiz as a model and later he ventured into acting and production. Today, he enjoys outstanding popularity in the Pakistani media, especially among the younger segment of the audience. His other notable performances were seen in roles such as; TanhaiyanNayeSilsilay, KahiUnKahi, ZindagiGulzarHai and Aasmanon Pay Likha.

His youthful vibrancy along with the gift of bringing something new-to-the-table every time, blends perfectly with Huawei’s DNA of keeping  users up-to-date with the most innovative smartphone technology in all aspects, from revolutionary design to one-of-a-kind tech features.

Huawei is committed to deliver exceptional services to the rapidly expanding segment of smartphone users in Pakistan, who seek powerful global connectivity and info-tainment, round-the-clock, on-the-go. To stay updated on many more exciting opportunities, follow Huawei’s Facebook and Instagram page.

 

Blackout with Mate 9 – Check out the executive new version!

The global technology leader – Huawei has now launched an exquisitely designed ‘Black’ version of its flagship device – the Mate 9 in Pakistan. The discerning consumers in search of an ultra-powerful device with a sexy sleek design which reflects their personalities will truly be overwhelmed by its inspirational appearance. The Mate-9 Black reflects a dazzling first impression that lasts, as its timeless design portrays a lot about its users taste and class.

The Matte Black version’s design looks amazing in any light. The glare-effect is a result of countless nano-ink “lenses” on its 5.9 inch screen, giving a light-beam effect to highlights the beautiful aesthetics. The Mate 9 Matte Black is a perfect blend of beauty and brains delivering unmatched performance. Mate 9 is the first device in Pakistan to deliver Artificial-intelligence. Enriched with a special ‘Machine Learning Algorithm’, it understands the users behavior with patterns and preferences, whereby increasing the speed and responsiveness with the passage of time.

The revolutionary camera on the Mate 9 has been created by ‘Leica’ – the world’s most sophisticated camera producer. It is powered by a battery that lasts up to two days, on-the-go.  It is also enriched with a super-fast-charge technology, allowing users to multi-task for the whole day after only 20 minutes of charging.

Huawei’s 25 years’ of experience of creating sophisticated products is evidently reflected in the creation of this technological masterpiece.The soft sandblasted texture and the dazzling Matte Black color, further accentuate its classy design. It is constructed using 50 unique processes, including one hour of CNC milling, which results in a high-precision uni-body metal frame.

Huawei has deeply focused on maintaining symmetry with beautiful curves, to make the Mate 9 feel great in the hand and appeal to the natural senses. Besides promising swift multi-tasking and powerful performance on-the-go, with the most powerful Kirin processor, the device is also enriched with a larger 5.9” full HD display. The screen delivers a great visual experience, while the user is watching movies in HD, reading a book, or simply surfing the digital world for info-tainment.

Apart from razor sharp features in speed, camera and charging, modern users want an accessory that enhances their profile and the highly executive matte black version of Mate 9 delivers exactly that. The Huawei Mate 9 Matte black delivers a dazzling first impression that lasts with its timeless and classic design built to speak volumes about the holder.

The pr-bookings for this device have been extremely well received and only limited numbers are left. Consumers can get their hands on the Mate 9 Matte Black version at all Huawei brand outlets or on www.daraz.pk