Secretarial conference: 22nd ASA Congress held in Karachi

The event was attended by delegates from across the Asia-Pacific.

KARACHI: More than 200 delegates, including over 65 foreign delegates, attended the five-day forum hosted by the Distinguished Secretaries Society of Pakistan (DSSP) and the Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals (ASA) in Asia-Pacific from September 13 to 17 in Karachi.

The 22nd ASA Congress, themed 'Standing High in Challenging Times', featured a number of speakers with extensive experience in the field, who talked about managerial evolution and the skills needed to succeed in a fast-paced business environment.

"Secretaries and administrative professionals in the modern corporate world must be groomed to play an outstanding role in a challenging global business network," said DSSP and ASA president Maharukh Bhiladwala. "Therefore, we are committed to staying abreast of the latest developments in technology and corporate methodology."

Meanwhile, congress organising chairperson Cheryl Matthew said that the patronage of highly qualified experts and speakers made the event the most prestigious programme for the training and development of secretaries and administrative professionals in Pakistan. "The congress is designed to honour the secretarial staff and to equip participants for meeting the emerging challenges in modern business operations," she said.

Prominent speakers included former law minister Barrister Shahida Jamil, Shamrock Communications president Menin Rodrigues, Navitus trainer Shireen Naqvi, GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Ltd human resources director Pouruchisty Sidhwa, School of Leadership CEO and director Umair Jaliawala and Institute of Training and Consultancy founder Arshi Ahmed Aziz.

The delegates included participants from countries such as the Philippines, China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh. All the foreign delegates were also taken on a sightseeing tour of Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2014.