By Rafiq Vayani
KARACHI: Umar Ahsan Khan, CEO and Managing Director Dawlance (Private) Limited, has been elected President of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI). The result was announced at the Chamber’s Extra-Ordinary General Meeting on Tuesday.
Ahmed Zahid Zaheer, Country Chairman and GM Chevron Lubricants Pakistan (Private) Limited, was elected Senior Vice President, and Dr. Syed Amir Ali, President and CEO Meezan Bank Limited, was elected Vice President. Umar Ahsan Khan succeeds Yousaf Hussain, who led the Chamber during 2024-26.
Outgoing President Yousaf Hussain welcomed the progress on economic stability but said it was not enough on its own. He said the gains now had to be turned into growth, backed by stronger investment, exports, productivity and job creation.
Umar Ahsan Khan said the Chamber’s advocacy would remain grounded in evidence. “Our advocacy must remain constructive, credible and evidence-based. We should not simply highlight what needs to change. Wherever possible, we should bring practical solutions to the table and work with the government and other stakeholders to make them happen,” he said.
He noted that foreign direct investment fell 34 per cent to USD 1.65 billion last financial year. “Macroeconomic stabilisation may get a country onto an investor’s shortlist, but it is the broader investment environment that ultimately determines whether capital is committed,” he said.
Over the coming term, the new Managing Committee will deepen engagement with government, regulators and international institutions. It will also strengthen OICCI’s data-driven research and continue its platforms on climate, diversity and inclusion, technology and AI.
Managing Committee 2026-28
• Umar Ahsan Khan, President – Dawlance (Private) Limited
• Ahmed Zahid Zaheer, Senior Vice President – Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (Private) Limited
• Dr. Syed Amir Ali, Vice President – Meezan Bank Limited
• Ahsan Zafar Syed – Engro Corporation Limited
• Amin Mohammad Khowaja – J.P. Morgan Pakistan (Private) Limited
• Erum Shakir Rahim – GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Limited
• Khurram Shahzad Khan – Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited
• Sami A
Wahid – Coca-Cola Export Corporation (THE)
• Syed Anis Ahmed – Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited
• Syed Kashan Hasan – FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited