LADIES & GENTLEMAN.

Allow me to start the proceedings of the evening with the recitation of the holy Quran.

Before I introduce our honourable Chief Guest for the evening, I take this opportunity to thank him for taking out his valuable time for PALPA Annual Dinner & Awards Ceremony.

Mr. Zaffar A. Khan took over charge of the National Airline on 9th April, 2007 as the 28th Chairman. He is a corporate veteran with over 38 years of multi-faceted experience of Business Management.

Soon after completing his mechanical engineering from Peshawar University in 1967. Mr. Khan took one year training program in Engineering Disciplines in Japan. Upon returning to Pakistan in 1969 he embarked upon a rewarding career, starting with ESSO Pakistan Fertilizer Company (later known as Exxon Chemical). In 1973, he was transferred overseas and for the next 10 years served Exxon chemical in Hong Kong, USA, and Singapore. He returned to Pakistan in late 1982 and was appointed Vice President Marketing and Director on the Board of Exxon Chemical Pakistan Ltd. In the years that followed, he rotated through all the divisions of the company namely, Marketing, Manufacturing, Finance and Corporate Services. In 1991 Exxon divested its equity in the company and he played a role in the first employee-led buyout in the corporate history of Pakistan which resulted in Engro Chemical Pakistan ltd. In 1997 he was appointed president and CEO of the company and he held that position until attaining the mandatory retirement age of 58 years in January 2004.

During the course of his 35 years career with Esso/Exxon/Engro, he has attended numerous training programmes in various disciplines of management, leadership and governance. Aside from in-house training programs, he undertook an advance management program at the University of Hawaii and selected short courses at Insead and the Harvard business school.

Mr. Khan has served, and is serving, on a number of private and public sector boards, some of which he has also chaired. These, aside from Engro Chemical, are Engro Asahi, Engro VOPAK, united bank, Sui Southern Gas Company, (Ufone), Ptcl, Pakistan Steel, Unilever Pakistan, Karachi Stock Exchange, National Commodity Exchange, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance, acumen fund and the State Bank of Pakistan.

He was elected to serve as the president of the overseas Chamber of Commerce and industry and has also served on numerous advisory committees of the Government of Pakistan notably the economic advisory board, pay and pension committee and the committee that developed the national environment quality standards. He has been associated with the Pakistan centre for philanthropy and currently chairs a fund raising committee of the Agha Khan University.

In recognition of his outstanding services, Mr. Zaffar A. Khan has been conferred with the Civil Award of Sitar-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

With this impressive personal profile of the Chief Guest all of us in PIA should hope for the better times in the National Airline. I now call upon president PALPA to give his address.

KARACHI:
4th September 2007