Karachi : Media Matters Pvt. Ltd., an affiliate of Grayling and one of the leading PR agencies in Pakistan, celebrated International Women’s Day with a webinar attended by a host of prominent female figures from the country’s corporate sector. The session was moderated by Najma Pirzada – Managing Editor at Global Village Space. The speakers included Farah Yasmine Shakir – Director Organizational Development, Telenor Pakistan, Kulsum Rashid – Head of Finance, Hutchison Ports, Umber Tanya Ansari – GM – Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Engro Corporation, Subul Naqvi – Head of Corporate Communications, Telenor Microfinance Bank/Easypaisa and Farah Sayeed – Chief Marketing Officer, TPL Corp.

The webinar shed light on the rapidly diversifying role that women play today. Expressing their views on the challenges that women face in the corporate sector, the participants emphasized that females today have to be assertive and stand for what they believe in. Women still remain a minority which is due to various reasons but the barriers that exist to their progress can be eliminated through passion and hardwork. In every corporate environment, there are deliverables and as long as these are achieved effectively, it becomes irrelevant as to which gender achieved them. It is also important not to stereotype women with certain roles because this limits their growth as intellectuals and professionals.

Another important point raised by the participants was regarding the biological difference and challenge that women face as part of the corporate culture. As they approach the mid to late 30s, women take a hiatus due to marriage or pregnancies but fail to return to their respective jobs effectively. This is why we witness the relation of women with the corporate sector dipping after the 30s. This is an issue that needs to be highlighted and tackled both on a personal as well as professional level.

At the execution of a successful webinar, Executive Director, Media Matters Pvt. Ltd. Natasha Durrani said while sharing her thoughts; “The idea behind bringing together a panel of women who hold senior roles in prestigious organizations was to build an effective platform from where aspiring female professionals can gather insights, motivation and much needed knowledge about pursuing their dreams. We wanted to show what women can and have achieved especially in the corporate culture today. At the same time, our aim was to allow and empower future professionals to gather what they need towards fulfillment of their future goals.”

Media Matters Pvt. Ltd. is part of a distinct group of organizations that have women at the helm personifying the notion that with the right balance of expertise and hardwork, the future of Pakistan in terms of gender development looks promising.