The Federal Cabinet has given its approval for the appointment of Directors to the board of Ignite Company through the distribution of a summary.
The Federal Cabinet has given its approval for the appointment of Directors to the board of Ignite Company through the distribution of a summary.
Information and communication technology research and development are the primary areas of focus for Ignite-National Technology Fund Company, formerly known as the National ICT R&D Fund Company.
According to the Research and Development Fund Rules, 2006 and the Company’s Articles of Association, the Board of Ignite Company is made up of thirteen directors. Among them, two are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ignite and the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), five Directors are ex-officio office holders in the federal government, and four are nominees of various telecom industry stakeholders.
Six of the Board’s Directors had their three-year terms expire in July 2022, which prompted the process of new nominations. To evaluate the candidates and make recommendations for the six open positions, a selection committee was established.
On January 24, 2023, the committee—which was presided over by the secretary of the ministry of information technology and telecommunications—met and recommended a list of candidates to be appointed for three-year terms as board members, independent directors, non-executive directors, and corporate management executives.
The recommended nominees include prominent individuals from both the public and private sectors. Notable appointments are Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan, representing Cellular Mobile Operators; Dr. Shahid Farooq Alvi, CEO of Brain Telecom, representing Data Service Providers; Adnan Asdar Ali, CEO of Multinet, representing Fixed Line Operators; Rabia Noor Enam, Director (ORIC) Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology, and Professor Dr. Bilal Ahmed Alvi, University of Salford, Salford, UK, and Nazeer Hussain University, representing the Scientific and Academic Community.
The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act 2023 was also reviewed and found to be in compliance with by the Board Nominations Committee. The committee also suggested a list of candidates for the federal government’s selection of one Independent Director.
The Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication and the Prime Minister both gave their consent for the summary to be brought before the Cabinet.
The appointments to the board of the Ignite Company are anticipated to support its R&D efforts in the field of information and communication technology, encouraging innovation and expansion in Pakistan’s tech industry.