ACCA women members from Lahore attended a learning session at the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women yesterday where they heard from the Chairperson FauziaViqar. At the occasion, Ms. Viqar stated that since PCSW was established in 2014, various endeavours have been taken to support women’s economic empowerment, includinginter aliaskills development opportunities and residence for survivors of violence, and a vibrant 24/7 helpline to address women’s legal and other queries. PCSW’s Leadership Initiative recruitsdynamic women Executives from the private sector, and recommends them for placement on Boards of public entities in Punjab, to improve diversity of thought and innovation in the public sector. Establishment of an Economic Incubator and Employment Facilitation Hub are also in the pipeline.

Also speaking at the event was Haroon Jan Regional Head of Member Affairs “even though over 50% of our total global membership are women, in Pakistan we do lag far far behind. Professional finance roles are a perfect career choice for women in the 21^stcentury due to the technological advances and flexibility in work. More and more employers need to invest in human capital as well as social and relationship capital to ensure they have the right gender equity. I hope this collaboration with PCSW means that our members, both men and women can play a constructive role for empowering women in Punjab.”

According to ACCA’s report Building a Better Business Through Finance Diversity “Asbusinesses become more global, teams comprising individuals with a widerange of experiences are better placed to support thebusiness. They give the organisation a much broaderinsight across markets, and help minimise the risk thatuniform perspectives and entrenched views will hamperinnovation. Diversity of thinking and skills allowscompanies to get more out of their workforce.”