Dr. Zeelaf Munir Elected As The New Chairperson Of The Pakistan Business Council

Karachi, February 10, 2025: The Board of Directors of the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) in its meeting of February 7th, 2025, elected Dr. Zeelaf Munir as its new chairperson for a tenure of 18 months. Dr. Zeelaf previously served as the Vice Chairperson of PBC. She succeeds Shabbir Diwan, the CEO of Gatron (Industries) Limited. The board also elected Mr. Ziad Bashir, the CEO of Gul Ahmed Textiles as the vice chairman.

The directors elected to the Board of Directors of the Pakistan Business Council to serve for three years were Mr. Abdul Samad Dawood, Mr. Azam Faruque, Mr. Danish A Lakhani, Mr. Mohamedali R Habib, Mr. Mohammad Ali Tabba, Mr. Muhammad Arif Habib, Mr. Rizwan Diwan, Ms. Saira Awan Malik, Mr. Samir Chinoy, Mr. Syed Hyder Ali, Mr. Taimur Dawood, Mr. Yousaf Hussain, Mr. Ziad Bashir and Dr. Zeelaf Munir. The new Board thanked the outgoing board, chaired by Mr. Shabbir Diwan, noting his able leadership and accomplishments in a challenging economic environment.

Dr. Zeelaf, who currently serves as the Managing Director & CEO of English Biscuit Manufacturers (Pvt.) Ltd (EBM), takes over the position with a commitment to driving economic growth, advocating policy reforms, and strengthening Pakistan’s business ecosystem. As the CEO of EBM, Pakistan’s leading FMCG company, Dr. Zeelaf has played a significant role in promoting local industry and innovation and championing industry-wide initiatives. She also served as the chairperson of the Pakistan Advertisers Society, reinforcing her leadership in the corporate marketing and advertising sector.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Zeelaf Munir stated, “It is an honor to lead the Pakistan Business Council at such a crucial time for the economy. PBC has always been at the forefront of advocating policies that drive sustainable business growth, enhance exports, and strengthen Pakistan’s industrial and manufacturing capabilities. I look forward to working alongside industry leaders to further these goals and contribute to a stronger economic future for Pakistan.”

The Pakistan Business Council is a pan-sectoral business advocacy body composed of over a hundred leading private sector companies, including national and multinationals. Its research and advocacy efforts focus on job creation, export growth, reducing import reliance, providing level playing field for domestic industry and formalizing the economy.