Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts unveils major renovation plan for Karachi hotel

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts today announced and unveiled a major renovation and refurbishment plan for the Karachi property which was reflagged as Mövenpick Hotel Karachi on January 1, 2014. The announcement was made at a press conference addressed by Mr. Andreas Matmüller, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts along with Mr. Sikander Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Arabian Sea Enterprises Limited, the owning company, and Mr. Mirza Mansoor Ahmad, General Manager of the hotel. “We are delighted to have entered Pakistan with the Mövenpick Hotel Karachi and understand the legacy of this hotel which goes back to 32 years. The renovation plan will usher a new and exciting phase of the hotel and will add value to the service and product quality while preserving the soul of the property,” said Mr. Matmüller.
“These are exciting times for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts and we look forward to building on our reputation of quality, reliability and care with a personal touch in Pakistan,” he added.

Microsoft Lync: Transforming Business Communication in Pakistan

Microsoft Pakistan held an exclusive event for Pakistani corporate customers in the presence of Worldwide CTO for Lync, Aamer Kaleem at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi. 

Aamer Kaleem travelled all the way from Seattle to engage with Pakistani customers- a growing market which Microsoft is keenly interested in.  The discussion provided a detailed insight on “Microsoft Lync”, a software which provides organizations integrated communication solutions designed to cut costs and improve productivity.  At this occasion Microsoft Country Manager Pakistan, Amir Rao, shared worldwide enterprise communication trends and discussed how customers in Pakistan could benefit from Microsoft Lync. “The way we connect and interact with people, information and organizations is evolving, and those changes have tremendous impact in the workplace,” said Amir Rao, “With Lync, Pakistanis can now reduce communication costs and increase productivity levels within their organizations for a better customer satisfaction experience.” He added.

At the Samsung Forum 2014 for Middle East and North Africa, Samsung Puts the Curve into UHD, the Customized into Your Kitchen and the Best Viewing and Productivity into Your Tablets

Two Curved UHD TVs round off a strong range of UHD TV sets, giving Middle Eastern and North African consumers a cinematic experience. The WW9000 washer blends intuitive user experience and smart laundry capabilities with elegant design. A powerful line-up of mono laser printers, color laser printers and multi-function printers combines NFC and Wi-Fi Direct technologies for effortless printing. The Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO tablets feature a world-class display with enhanced user productivity to set a new rule for the tablet category. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., today demonstrated its leadership in the Middle East and North African (MENA) market by showcasing a range of category-defining products in TVs, home appliances, printing and mobile devices at its MENA Forum in Malaga, Spain.

“Samsung has achieved groundbreaking success in this region,” said Choong Ro Lee, President of Samsung Middle East and North Africa. “Thanks to our deep local consumer insight, engineering excellence, software innovation, and clever design, we have achieved sales growth of 38 percent this past year and maintained our position as the brand of choice in the MENA region.” 

Mobilink becomes the first Telco to Receive WWF’s Green Office Award

Mobilink has become the first Telecom organization to receive the WWF ‘Green Office Award’ in recognition for its environmentally sustainable practices. Mobilink received the Green Office Certification for its Regional Office Lahore premises for a 35% reduction in carbon footprint and 50% in solid waste among other measures taken. 
Omar Manzur, Head of Corporate Communication Mobilink said, “Mobilink’s Corporate Responsibility function ensures that our employees are aware of environment-friendly practices and make efficient use of resources. The Green Office Award recognizes the continuous efforts that the Mobilink Torchbearers, Mobilink Foundation and the Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) departments have put in to establish our first Green Office in Lahore with support from our employees.’’ 

Kiran Fine Jewellery opens a boutique flagship store in Karachi

Coveted jewellery designer and entrepreneur Kiran Aman launched a standalone flagship boutique for her eponymous jewellery brand Kiran Fine Jewellery at Ocean Mall, Clifton, Karachi on 03^rd February 2014. Alongside the brand’s signature textured gold collections and pieces, the new KFJ boutique further showcases the ‘So KFJ’ line, known for its classic signature style with textured and beaten gold in 22-23K gold and the ‘Kino’ line. The name Kino translates into the word cinema in most languages. Indeed the concept of cinema, in its original form, means motion and movement - a character trait reflected in the brand Kino. Taking from growth and metamorphosis Kino will serve as a platform to launch aspiring jewellery designers and artists’ work which will be completely different from a goldsmith’s design.

Syeda Amera Launches Couture and Diffusion Collection

One of the finest Fashion designers of Pakistan Syeda Amera launched her tantalizing collection in Park Towers, Karachi. The collection comprised of Formal, Diffusion and Luxury prêt Designs.Fashion designer Syeda Amera has captured different attention for creating western inspired modern prêt and couture for women that appeal to young girls and women of all age groups.

Leading lifestyle brand ‘So Kamal’announce their brand new collection for Spring/Summer 2014“Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan”

 Following the success of their designer lawn collections in 2012 and 2013, coveted lifestyle and textile brand So Kamal introduce a brand new collection for Spring/Summer 2014 in collaboration with fashion designer Zara Shahjahan: Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan 2014. The collection is set to launch nationwide at over 5 So Kamal Flagship Stores in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan from 11^th March 2014 and onwards.

Kamal Limited is one of the premier textiles exporters of Pakistan, who within a short span of just 2 years have further endeavoured to define textile retail specifically in Pakistan, introduced their popular designer lawn collections in 2012 and 2013along with establishing over 5 stand-alone lifestyle retail stores by the name of So Kamal, in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Multan and Faisalabad. With their state-of-the-art vertical operation, this season Kamal Limited in collaboration with Zara Shahjahan will be introducing a collection inspired by Sub Continental, specifically Indian, patterns and motifs.

Huawei new brand ambassador Mahira Khan & Emad Irfani

Huawei, A leading ICT company, has taken another leap forward in bringing innovative Smartphone to Pakistani Market. This time Huawei launch another Android device G700 Mobile set with amazing features and affordable price. After starting its mobile phones business in Pakistan nearly two years ago, Huawei has now decided to go local with its TV commercials.

To promote its amazing G700 Mobile handset, Huawei hired the services of Well Renown TV actress Mahira Khan, She is best known for her roles in TV serial Humsafar and 2011′s highest grossing Pakistani movie “Bol”. The TVC Shot in Thailand, Where Mahira Khan and Actor Emad Irfani – as a male star – will appear in Ascend G700 Dual SIM smartphone commercial.On this occasion Huawei Marketing Head Fraz M. Khan shared his views “   Huawei is committed to meet its customers demand and finding best solution to their needs. We are determined to give tough competition to our rivals. The first step was to introduce Smartphone targeted at different market segments and now the focus is on advertising them”.

K-Electric holds the Pride of Karachi Awards at Mohatta Palace

K-Electric (KE), formerly known as KESC, on the completion of their 100 year existence conducted the ‘KE Pride of Karachi Awards’ at the historical Mohatta Palace on Sunday, where the honorable Governor Sind Dr. Ishratul Ibad was present as the Chief Guest. 

KE has been an integral part of Karachi for over 100 years serving more than 20 million consumers and employing over 11,000 residents of Karachi. Having completed this milestone, KE is even more committed to working towards the betterment of this glorious city.

Being so deeply engrained in the fabric of Karachi, KE decided to conduct an award ceremony to commemorate the rich history of this city by paying tribute to individuals from all walks of life. These individuals since the inception of Pakistan have made a significant impact on this country, this city, its people and its socio-economic landscape.

Etihad Airways Wins Best Emerging Airline Award in Pakistan

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has been named the best emerging airline in 2013 at the fourth Global CEOs Excellence Awards ceremony held in Karachi, Pakistan. The award was presented to Amer Khan, Etihad Airways' Area General Manager for Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, at the awards ceremony held as part of the Global Business Leadership Summit.
The win acknowledges Etihad Airways’ commitment to delivering exceptional quality service and catering to travellers to and from Pakistan.
Amer Khan said: “This award is a testament of our strong position in the Pakistani market as the airline of choice for guests travelling to and from Pakistan and further a field to destinations across our global network.
“With Etihad Airways our guests enjoy an unmatched traveling experience offering them five-star hospitality, competitive travel rates, and connections to more parts of the world through our home and hub, Abu Dhabi.“

Buksh Energy to venture into LED lighting solutions

Buksh Energy Pvt. Limited has taken its first step to obtain the LED lights distributorship the new outlook as a solution of energy crisis. Buksh Energy is the first energy servicing private entity to do so. After having converted a vast range of bank branches and ATM networks to Solar energy solutions, Buksh Energy now aims to provide low cost LED lighting and help conserve energy sources in Pakistan. As the Energy crisis builds, Buksh Energy’s objectives for 2014 remain not to increase energy solutions but rather the need for optimum energy solutions. The Chairman of Buksh Group (the parent company of Buksh Energy Pvt. Ltd.) Mr. Asim Buksh said; “If renewable energy generation options are not adopted, the power shortage will become more acute – to 19000 MW by 2020, solar power generation is the cheapest source of energy,” he said. The company believes that efficiency is the key for which reason the company conducts thorough energy audits to ensure the elimination of any non-compliance of any form. Throughout the energy scenario in Pakistan, other companies are also following suit in terms of energy audits conducted industry wide. Prior to LED lights Buksh Energy Pvt. Ltd. has been offering Smart Grid solutions to its various publics.

WATEEN TELECOM PROVIDING MANAGED VSAT HUB-SPOKE services to state bank of paksitan

Wateen, leading ICT service provider in networking technology, solutions and services, proudly announces that it has been awarded a three year Managed Services contract by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to provide VSAT Hub & Spoke operations, field maintenance and technical support to connect its Head office and 14 regional and branch offices. 

Being the central bank of Pakistan with countrywide operations, State Bank of Pakistan felt the need to centralize its applications to reach all its branches. Wateen’s VSAT Bandwidth on PAKSAT Satellite will connect 15 State Bank sites. This will reduce the costs on distributed backend operations of State Bank of Pakistan by bringing them to the front end with the centralization of core backend applications.

During this three year project, starting this month, Wateen Telecom will maintain PAKSAT satellite Bandwidth and will provide 24-hour (SLA) services to State Bank of Pakistan.

"Treasures of Islamic Art" Gallery attracts art-lovers in Karachi

"Treasures of Islamic Art" Gallery attracts art-lovers in Karachi. “Treasures of Islamic Art Gallery” was recently launched by Ruheena Malik in (Please add the name of the place here, instead of saying Clifton), Karachi. A colorful inauguration ceremony was held on Friday, 17th January 2014, where Formal Federal Minister and Ex-Ambassador to USA – Ms. Sherry Rahman was the chief guest. 
Ruheena Malik is a seasoned artist, blessed by Allah with an abundant talent of Calligraphy. She is an impassioned soul, to whom art comes from within. Her self-acquired calligraphic skills came about as a result of divine intervention.
Ms. Malik has been honored with a “Pride of Performance Award”, presented by the President of Pakistan on “Pakistan Day”- 23rd of March 2009, in appreciation of her outstanding services in the field of Art and calligraphy.

UBL Principal Protected Fund I(UPPF I) gives 63% return

UBL Fund Managers, Pakistan’s leading Asset Management Company, announces a return of 63% on UBL Principal Protected Fund – I for its investors as it approached two year maturity.  Following the success of its preceding funds, UBL Funds is launching its fifth Principal Protected fund, namely the UBL Principal Protected Fund-III (UPPF- III) for individual and institutional clients. The fund will be open for subscription for a limited period only.
UBL Fund Managers have the privilege of being the first Asset Management Company in Pakistan to introduce the Principal Protected Funds based upon the CPPI methodology of dynamic asset allocation with 100% equity exposure.
The first Principal Protected Fund (UPPF-I), was launched in February 2012 and will mature on February 3, 2014.. The absolute return on this fund as of Jan 2014 is 63%.Since then UBL Funds has launched 2 conventional and 2 Islamic funds under the same umbrella.
Chief Executive of UBL Fund Managers, Mir Muhammad Ali CFA, said “UBL Funds Managers constantly endeavors to be in the forefront by introducing new and unique products & plans for customers as per their investment requirements and need of the times.

Nokia in Partnership with Telenor Pakistan Introduces the Clearly Beautiful Nokia Asha 500, 502 and 503

Nokia Pakistan announced that the new Nokia Asha 500, 502 and 503 are available for purchase in Pakistan with 6 months free Telenor Talkshawk Internet. The new phones extend the boundaries of affordable smartphone experience with their innovative Fastlane home screen, attractive new design and a deeper integration with social networks. The new Asha series is a technological marvel coupled with the outstanding manufacturing quality of Nokia and an extended battery life.

Commenting on the new Nokia Asha range, Arif Shafique, country general manager, Nokia Pakistan said: “With the expansion of the Nokia Asha family, we bring three exciting smartphones for our consumers to suit their budget needs. The new Asha series has a stunning new design, a plethora of social networking apps and enhanced imaging quality. This way, millions of consumers across different price points will get access to smartphone technology”.