Tech London Advocates (TLA) Pakistan, an initiative to promote greater links between the UK and Pakistan’s tech sectors, was launched on Wednesday 24th April 2019 at the House of Commons in London. The organiser of TLA Pakistan, Naheed Afzal, Co-Founder and CEO Contracts IT Recruitment Consulting Ltd, hopes to bring together a collection of tech leaders, experts and investors to connect, collaborate, inform and share best practice across the London and Pakistan tech ecosystems through trade, tech, culture and growth opportunities.
Facilitated and hosted by Yasmin Qureshi MP, speakers included Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK; Elin Burns, UK Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan; Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates and Parvez Abbasi, Project Director at the National Incubation Center (NIC) Pakistan. Guests also heard a tech panel debate, moderated by Lopa Patel MBE Digital CEO, NED & Trustee, featuring Priya Guha, Venture Partner at Merian Ventures and Member of the Innovate UK Council; Adnan Zaheer, CEO of Seers Group, a UK market leader in cyber security and data protection; Abdul Haseeb Basit, a digital finance specialist and Parvez Abbasi.
High Commissioner Mohammad Nafees Zakaria said:
“The IT industry is among the top 5 net exporters of the country with the highest net exports in the services sector. There is an enormous human and knowledge capital potential with 64% of a 220 million population under the age of 29 and almost 30% in the 15 – 29 age group. Pakistan is ranked 3rd more financially attractive location in the world for offshore services according to AT Kearney’s Global Services Location Index 2017. Several international companies including global enterprises like Bentley®, Ciklum®, IBM®, Mentor Graphics®, S&P Global®, Symantec®, Teradata® and VMWare® have established global services centers, research & development facilities and BPO support services in Pakistan.”
Speaking at the event, UK Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan Elin Burns added:
“Technology businesses are at the heart of the UK economy and are playing an important role in driving growth across the country, from financial services and high-value manufacturing to retail and agriculture. London is ranked the second most connected place globally for tech. With the UK’s expertise and the untapped potential of Pakistan’s burgeoning sector, tech is a potentially high growth area for further collaboration, creating jobs and prosperity for both our countries”.
Naheed Afzal, Founder of TLA Pakistan said:
“We are witnessing a new and emerging Pakistan. One that is young, vibrant and enterprising. This initiative creates a platform for tech businesses and entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate and share positive ideas and opportunities to the benefit of both the UK and Pakistan, countries which share such close links.”
About Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates
Tech London Advocates (TLA) & Global Tech Advocates is an unrivalled collection of tech leaders, experts and investors uniting to form the most influential group in tech. With no government backing, this is the voice of the private sector in London looking to connect the world.
About TLA Pakistan
The TLA Pakistan working group aims to connect, collaborate, inform and share best practice across the London and Pakistan tech ecosystems through trade, tech, culture and growth opportunities. It will also provide a rich gateway to the powerful Global Tech Advocates and members across the world. For further information visit http://www.techlondonadvocates.org.uk/working-groups/pakistan/