Financing Your Future Venture

How a new or existing venture raises money is critically important to the long term success of the company. To help with this process, this workshop by William Aulet provided a framework for understanding fundraising processes. William used illustrative case studies to show attendees how this framework could be applied to real world situations.
The workshop leveraged William Aulet's significant expertise in this area to help attendees become more effective and efficient at developing and executing long term financing strategies.
Attendees learned material such as:

1. When, where, and how to find the money to grow your business.
2. What investors are looking for in a management team and a financial plan.
3. How to make sure your venture succeeds after you get funding.

Around 30 CFOs and CEO benefited from this workshop. According to the Feedbacks received, the workshop was really worth attending and helped the participants learn a lot.

MIT CEO Summit

This highly interactive workshop which was led by Ken Morse and William Aulet offered an opportunity of unique value.
Ken Morse, Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship is a high performance leader in innovation, entrepreneurship and competitiveness for over 30 years. William Aulet, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and Entrepreneur in Residence at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center is also recognized as a highly successful business leader with over 25 years of experience in high tech business operations and financing. In the past year Ken and William taught over 150 CEOs and senior executives in Karachi and Islamabad. They have been frequent visitors and speakers in the Middle East for the last eight years. William and Ken have run leadership workshops for the Abdullatif Alissa Group’s management team and for Mobilink Communications’ senior management team.
During this workshop, Ken and William will addressed the following topics: GLOBALIZATION, SELLING TO WESTERN MARKETS, CHANGE MANAGEMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LEADERSHIP, SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY & INNOVATION. Strong and practical strategies and techniques were presented in an easily understandable way. You could easily walk right out of the workshop and use the tools immediately.
Around 50 CEOs benefited from the CEO Summit and in the workshop “Financing your future Venture”, there were around 30 CFOs and CEOs mixed who took the participation.

60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Global Investment Profession

CFA Day was a worldwide celebration being held during the week of June 11, 2007 whereby CFA CFA Institute and its member societies recognized the founding of the investment profession with a variety of events. CFA Association of Pakistan arranged a number of events in connection to the CFA Day.
The activities being arranged in connection to the CFA day were

1. Press supplement (June 11, 2007)
2. A Panel Discussion on ‘Future of the investment Management Profession’ (June 12, 2007)
3. Evening Reception and Musical Program (June 16, 2007)

Two of these three events, Panel Discussion and the Evening Reception and Musical Program was managed by Octara Private Limited.
Around 250 people attended the Panel Discussion on June 12 and it was a very high profile event.
To view the pictures of the event, please click here:
In the Musical Program, there were around 400 people and with the performance of Strings and loose talk of Moin Akhtar and Anwer Maqsood. People really enjoyed there and the gentry was just awesome as all participation was by invitation only.

The Euromoney Pakistan Investment & Finance Conference: Growth and Opportunities

Octara had the privilege to be from amongst one of the organizers of the Euromoney conference. Around 500 participants were present to get benefit from this high profile conference.
Pakistan has one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. Prudent macroeconomic policies, business-friendly reforms and the country’s strategic positioning between the economic powerhouses of East Asia and the Gulf have helped cement an optimism over the country’s economic future that would have been impossible just five years ago. But geopolitical uncertainties have tended to obscure the real extent of the opportunities on offer in Pakistan.
Few countries have experienced as much real growth as Pakistan has in the last few years as the government’s reform programme has successfully and fundamentally transformed the economic landscape.
But geopolitical uncertainties have tended to obscure this story.
 
On 21-22 February 2007 at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel, Euromoney and the Government of Pakistan brought policymakers, investors, financiers and key overseas players together in a high level conference designed to highlight attractions and examine the challenges of doing business in Pakistan. H.E. Shaukat Aziz the Prime Minister of Pakistan set the tone for this high-profile gathering with an opening address. 
The Speakers included:

With GDP growing at 7%, and macroeconomic fundamentals heading confidently in the right direction, Pakistan is one of the region’s success stories and offers some of the best investment opportunities in the world
Topics to be covered in the conference include:

• Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan
• Dr Salman Shah, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue
• Shengman Zhang, Vice Chairman, Global Banking and Chief Operating Officer, Corporate & Investment Banking Asia Pacific, Citigroup  
• Jermyn Brooks, Head, Global Private Sector Programme, Transparency International, and Former Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Marcus Fedder, Chairman, Pakistan Infrastructure Fund and Chairman, International Infrastructure Financing
• Umar Ahmad Ghuman, Minister of State For Privatisation & Investment and Chairman, Board of Investment
• Zahid Hamid, Minister for Privatisation & Investment
• Vince Harris, Managing Director for Asia, International Power Company
• Adnan Hassan, Senior Advisor, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, World Bank
• Raza Jafar, Managing Director, Emirates Investment Group
• Tore Johnsen, CEO and President, Telenor Pakistan
• Badar Kazmi, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank
• Farrukh H. Khan, Chief Executive Officer, BMA Capital
• Moshin Khan, Director, Middle East and Central Asia, IMF
• Mohammad Aftab Manzoor, President, MCB Bank
• Adil Marghub, Principal Investment Officer, Infrastructure Department, International Finance Corporation
• Ehsan A. Malik, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Unilever Pakistan
• Arif Masood Naqvi, Chief Executive Officer, Abraaj Capital and Chairman, BMA Capital
• Francis Rozario, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Financial Holdings (Temasek)
• Mohammad Sohail, Head of Research, Equity and Broking, JS Global Capita
  
  With GDP growing at 7%, and macroeconomic fundamentals heading confidently in the right direction, Pakistan is one of the region’s success stories and offers some of the best investment opportunities in the world

• The macroeconomic framework and investment outlook
•  Doing business in Pakistan
•  Pakistan’s capital market
•  Pakistan’s banking sector
•  Infrastructure, manufacturing and services
•  Privatization in Pakistan

CDC ACG 10 Meeting

On the Occasion of the 10th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Central Depositories Group (ACG), Octara Private Limited managed a high profile event that was hosted by the Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited (CDCPL). It was an exhaustive but exhilarating three-day event held in Karachi that included a conference as well as other social activities in which 60 delegates from 13 Asia Pacific countries attended it. The delegates included from countries like China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Korea & Indonesia.

The inaugural dinner held at Marriot Hotel – Karachi was attended by Mr. Shamshad Akhtar, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Mr. Jehangir Siddiqi and Mohammad Baheer Jan Mohammad and many more corporate executives and leaders of the industry.

The next day at Marriot Hotel, Karachi, the main session of the conference was addressed by the Chairman of the National Commission on Government Reforms, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, chairman Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Razi-ur-Rahman Khan; chairman of CDC Mohammad Basheer Jan Mohammad and the CEO of CDC, Hanif Jakhura.

Road Show on Investment in the Pakistani Capital Market

UAE - September 20, 2006. The Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited hosted Road Shows at the two UAE destinations to promote investment in the Pakistani Capital Market. The events were an extension of the series of Road Shows initiated by CDC in spring 2004, when major cities of Pakistan were touched, prior to taking the events International.

These road shows aim at introducing the opportunities in Pakistani Capital Market to the U.A.E. investors and enhance the magnitude of overseas investment in the Pakistani Stock Market. The sponsors of these road shows included some of the most prominent investment companies of the country including AKD Investment Management Limited, JS Capital Markets Limited, and Atlas Asset Management Limited, while Khaleej Times and GEO Television were the Media Partners. Other partners of the events included Air Blue, Pakistan Business Council of the UAE, and TCS Express Worldwide. The event management for both the road shows were successfully handled by M/s. Octara Pvt. Limited.

IPEC 2006 Conference - Karachi

International Property Exhibition and Conference hosted by Events Unlimited (an affiliate of the Jang Group) was held at the Expo Center Karachi from the 7th to 9th of July 2006. The event featured a showcase of government, Pakistani and international real estate development, sale, construction, architect and marketing firms from across Pakistan, UAE and UK.

The Exhibition was coupled with a three-day conference, which featured industry leaders, real estate developers and builders, government functionaries, real estate marketing firms, architects, and investment financiers from Pakistan, UAE, UK and India. The IPEC Conference was managed by Octara, and our services included managing and coordination with speakers, event and floor management, program conducting, and other arrangements. Further details www.ipeconline.biz

International Symposium “Telecommunications for Disaster Relief” - Islamabad

Hosted jointly by the Asia Pacific Telecommunity and the Ministry of Information Technology, government of Pakistan, this event was attended by over 35 international delegates from Japan and across the South Asian Region including destinations like India, Philippines, Hong Kong, Palau, Micronesia, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and many others. A three day in depth discussion on disaster relief activities and the role of telecommunications was discussed through presentations, panel discussions, keynotes and analysis from the various delegates, Pakistan Government Functionaries, top ranking Army Officials, and service providers.

Octara managed the whole event in terms of conducting the stage proceedings, coordination and hospitality for all visitors. Further details:

http://www.aptsec.org/meetings/2006/TDR/default.htm

10th Management Convention 2006 - Karachi

Hosted by the Management Association of Pakistan, with the theme of “Leadership, Innovation, Entrepreneurship”, this convention was Pakistan’s biggest corporate event featuring statesmen, corporate heads, international experts, business strategists, and sponsors from across Pakistan, UAE, USA, Singapore, India, and the Middle East. Prominent speakers included Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy prime Minister of Malaysia; Ms. Lalita D. Gupte, Joint Managing Director, ICICI Bank Limited India; Dr. Terry Reilly, Director Innovations, KPMG Singapore; Dr. Walter Kuemmerle, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Harvard Business School USA; Hilmy Cader Global, MTI Consulting Worldwide; Dr. Mahboob Mahmood, CEO Knowledge Platform; Mohammedmian Soomro, Chairman, Senate of Pakistan; Ms. Nicole Piasecki, Executive Vice President, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; and many others. The prominent sponsors of the event included Boeing, CNN, Time Magazine, Oman Economic Review, English Biscuits, Warid Telecom, Pakistan State Oil, Pakistan International Airlines, and many others.

Octara was handed this project with a six-month time line to conceive, fulfill and deliver Pakistan’s biggest corporate event and the 10th Management Convention was the realization of this dream. A grueling time was spent in selection and identification of speakers from across the world, contacts and coordination with speakers and sponsors, closing deals, making arrangements, fulfilling travel and accommodation requirements and all other activities to make this event a memorable success. Further details www.mapconvention.com

2nd and 3rd Excellence Award Ceremonies of the CFAAP - Karachi

The Chartered Financial Analysts Society of Pakistan is a respected international body of finance and investment professionals qualified by the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute of USA. The Association honors its top institutional and members in terms of research, investment deals, and projects achieved during a year. Octara has managed its 2nd and 3rd award ceremonies which included keynotes from special guests from the USA and Singapore and were attended by the banking and finance community at large from across Pakistan. The 2nd Ceremony hosted the Governor of the State bank of Pakistan as the chief Guest while the 3rd was honored with the presence of the President of CFA Institute Asia Pacific.

ITU World Telecom Day – Lahore

The world telecom day event in 2005 hosted by the Minister of IT and Telecom and organized by Warid Telecom was managed by Octara and attended by the telecommunications industry and government officials in force. The event and media management was undertaken by Octara and the event is acclaimed the best World Telecom Day events of Pakistan on the official level compared to those held in Karachi and Islamabad.

1st Telecommunications Investment Conference – Karachi

The Telecommunications boom was discussed and investment ventures analyzed at he first international Telecommunications Investment Conference hosted by the CFA Association of Pakistan and managed by Octara in 2005. The event featured top investment and corporate stakeholders of the Pakistani telecommunications scene and was attended by bankers, telecom operators, vendors and suppliers, government officials, and capitalists.

Octara managed the entire event including marketing, registrations, event management, coordination, media management, etc and the event was a resounding success.

Makkah Hilton Award Ceremony – Karachi

The Makkah, Saudi Arabia, establishment of the international Hilton Hotels chain held an award ceremony for its agents and tour operators from across Pakistan at Karachi. The event attended by corporate heads, travel and tour operators, Hajj and Umrah Agents and hotel clients was organized by Octara at a world-class ceremony.