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About

As Pakistan’s premier business body composed of the largest and most successful businesses in the country, the PBC recognized the need to share and spread the best practices on responsible business conduct. As an outreach initiative to grow the formal sector, the PBC established in 2016 a Center of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB).

By focusing our research on the good practices of businesses in Pakistan, we highlight how practitioner companies can enable conditions which stimulate the economy while providing livelihood opportunities in a manner which is inclusive and uses resources sustainably. CERB’s provides insight and advisory on key elements of responsible business, and provides a platform for companies to network, build capacity and collaborate with peer companies.

Mission

Mission

To engage with businesses and industry leaders and enable the transformation towards the conduct of responsible business in Pakistan.

To leverage private sector growth for inclusive development, poverty reduction and sustainability guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework.

39 Webinars
31 Workshops
17 Events
6 Case studies
12 Reports
10 Roundtables

CERB Team

CERB is led by social policy and development professionals who are passionate about improving the non-financial factors that impact the business landscape of Pakistan.

Nazish Shekha
Senior Research Associate

Nazish Shekha

Nazish Shekha
Senior Research Associate

Nazish Shekha

Nazish has been with CERB since 2017 and currently heads the research helm of CERB. Her role is to ensure CERB has access to evidence-based research related to responsible business on the private sector.

Nazish has an MSc in Poverty Reduction: Policy and Practice (Specialising in Natural Resource Management) from SOAS, University of London and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences from King’s College London. Nazish has previously worked both in the private and development sector, including establishing a Karachi centric skill based volunteering programme and has taught subjects related to environment and sustainable development as adjunct faculty at NED, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and SZABIST.

Email: nazish@pbc.org.pk

Rajaa Bukhari
Programme Manager - Inclusive Development

Rajaa Bukhari

Rajaa Bukhari
Programme Manager - Inclusive Development

Rajaa Bukhari

Rajaa leads CERB’s initiatives for inclusive development, focusing on improving gender parity in the private sector of Pakistan, as well as creating livelihoods through decent workplaces with secure employment, safety protocols, and a diverse workforce.

Prior to CERB, Rajaa was a Project Engineer in the field of Robotics and Wireless Communication; besides working on implementation projects, she also led process improvement and employee development programs. In 2019, she came onboard as a Research Assistant for KULNA, a UAE-based initiative by Zayed University to create a sustainable food cycle suitable for the country’s desert climate. Additionally, she volunteered her time as a Community Organizer in Dubai, collaborating with nonprofits to create free educational and mental health programs for Pakistani community schools. She holds a BSc. In Electrical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah.

Sameen Akhund
Research Associate

Sameen Akhund

Sameen Akhund
Research Associate

Sameen Akhund

Dure Sameen Akhund has joined our Research team as a Research Associate. She has done her MSc in Sustainable Development (specialization in Gender and Social Inequality) from SOAS, University of London and her Bsc (Hons) from LUMS in Social Sciences, giving her a deep understanding of sustainable development ideas, institutions, policies and networks.  As a result of her education and diverse work experience which ranges from the banking sector to education and entrepreneurship, she possesses the necessary critical thinking skills required to help for-profit organizations adopt business strategies and activities that meet the challenging needs stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.

Sameen brings a broader understanding of the environmental, economic and social issues impacting modern businesses and can help assist companies to better manage their risks and opportunities that both market and non-market conditions create. Sameen has previously worked as a Banker, a Gender Consultant and has also taught in the graduate programme at SZABIST University.

Atiya Abbas
Communications Lead

Atiya Abbas

Atiya Abbas
Communications Lead

Atiya Abbas

Atiya Abbas has Masters in Journalism from the University of Missouri that she completed on a Fulbright scholarship. She loves social media and creating content for herself and different organizations. She is a feminist and an occasional writer whose work has been published in Dawn, Newsline, Digital Rights Monitor and Digital 50.50. She is interested in the intersection of gender, technology and climate change. As the communications lead at CERB she loves live tweeting at events and creating new avenues of outreach for the organization.

Safia Hussain
Programme Coordinator

Safia Hussain

Safia Hussain
Programme Coordinator

Safia Hussain

Safia Hussain has joined the team at CERB as a Programme Coordinator for Sustainability and Climate Change. She holds an MA in Politics, Governance and Public Policy from the University of Sheffield, and a BSc. (Hons) in Social Development and Policy from Habib University. Safia has worked on projects related to youth entrepreneurship and education as well as sustainable development. Moreover, she also studied Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley where she focused on the relationship between social work and various government policies, particularly those that relate to gentrification, drug abuse and policing in various societies. Safia is a strong advocate for women’s education and runs an initiative called ‘Hadaf.’ In her free time, Safia enjoys reading with a cup of coffee or catching up with friends.