About Us

About CERB

CERB is a multi-sector business coalition assisting Pakistani enterprises in pursuing sustainable value creation, with the aim of stimulating the economy by fostering growth in the formal sector.

As the country’s premier, research-backed advocacy platform, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) recognizes the importance of imparting best practices of responsible business conduct to promote growth in the formal sector. Hence, in 2017, the PBC established its first outreach initiative, the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB), composed of a team specialized in sustainable production and consumption, climate action, social inclusion, and economic development. Our research captures good business practices to help stimulate the economy by providing opportunities for inclusive livelihood and guidance on sustainably using our limited resources.

At CERB, we firmly believe that conscious companies look beyond their operational bounds for more inclusive and sustainable systems that will transform business culture. Our aim is to support businesses in this journey by implementing transparent processes that measure their performance in gender-equitable workplaces, environmental stewardship, decent work, and ethical conduct both in their upstream and downstream value chains. These six strategic goals, encapsulated in our targeted programmes and offerings, act as pillars guiding us through our engagement cycle.

Engagement Cycle

Our 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.

Programmes and Offerings

CERB provides insight and advisory on key elements of responsible business, and acts as a platform for companies to network, build capacity and collaborate with peer companies. Our current programmes and offerings include:

SDG Leadership Programme

SDG Leadership Programme

Showcasing the management approach and actions to contribute to UN Agenda 2030 through private sector engagement on the SDGs.

Gender Diversity Awards

Annual process of visiting the public disclosure mandate of local companies on their contribution to gender-equal workplaces.

ESG Roadmap

ESG Roadmap

Our support programme for companies to meet their ESG targets for investor-readiness and export market access.

Our Team

Nazish Shekha
Head of Initiative

Nazish Shekha

Nazish Shekha
Head of Initiative

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

Sameen Akhund
Senior Manager Sustainability

Dur-e-Sameen Akhund

Sameen Akhund
Senior Manager Sustainability

Dur-e-Sameen Akhund

Dur-e-Sameen Akhund is Senior Manager Sustainability at the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) under the Pakistan Business Council, where she leads the organisation’s sustainability, RBC, and gender inclusion agenda for Pakistan’s private sector.

Since joining CERB in 2021, she has designed and delivered RBC due diligence frameworks, gap assessments, and action plans for SMEs and corporates across sectors, with active project engagements including the GAIN Nutritious Fruit Bars Project, the Danish Industries Whey2Value Project, and the ITC GRASP initiative on Sindh’s Competitive Strategy. Her advisory work aligns companies with the UN Guiding Principles, OECD Guidelines, and the EU CSDDD through structured stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue.

Alongside her RBC practice, Dur-e-Sameen has trained over 4,000 professionals on gender equity, sensitisation, and bias reduction, promoted the Women’s Empowerment Principles across the private sector, and contributed to the IFC-PBC Gender Disclosure Awards. She has co-led technical advocacy on family-friendly workplace policies with UN Women, UNICEF, and IFC, and represents CERB in the State Bank of Pakistan’s Banking on Equality working committees on women’s financial inclusion.

She holds an MSc in Sustainable Development from SOAS, University of London, and a BSc (Hons) in Social Sciences from LUMS.

Khizra Jamil Khan
Sustainability Communications Associate

Khizra Jamil Khan

Khizra Jamil Khan
Sustainability Communications Associate

Khizra Jamil Khan

Khizra Jamil Khan has been working at the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) as a Sustainability Communications Associate. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Anthropology and Sociology from LUMS. Her work focuses on research, writing, and strategy across projects related to gender, sustainability, and responsible business.

At LUMS, Khizra explored how individuals engage with institutions and public systems, with a particular interest in care work, gender, and social trust. Her senior project examined the everyday experiences of family planning fieldworkers in Lahore, focusing on emotional labor, distrust in state healthcare, and how gendered care work sustains public health systems. This academic grounding continues to shape her approach to communication—centering clarity, inclusion, and meaningful engagement.

Outside of work, Khizra enjoys reading existential literature, watching documentaries, and taking her chai very seriously.