IBA Corporate Leaders Advisory Board (ICLAB) meeting
October 14, 2020: The IBA's Career Development Center (CDC) hosted the IBA Corporate Leaders Advisory Board (ICLAB) meeting at the IBA Karachi.
The meeting was attended by representatives from more than 40 organizations including CEOs, Heads of HR, and Talent Acquisition leads. Executive Director IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi chaired the meeting. The prime agenda of this event was to gather feedback on the quality of IBA graduates and its academic programs.
Director Alumni and Corporate Relations IBA Karachi, Ms. Malahat Awan presented the Employer Feedback Survey analysis which was recently conducted by the CDC. More than 70 companies participated in this survey from various sectors including FMCG, IT, Industrial Manufacturing concern, Banking, leading conglomerate, and Telecommunication. The presentation was followed by a discussion moderated by the Executive Director IBA Karachi.
Referring to the overall reputation of other top tier universities in Pakistan, the Executive Director IBA, said, "It is important to know where we lie in the space of things and it's an agenda which comes under discussion quite frequently. The purpose of this forum is help us reformulate our programs and strategy."
The participants were asked about their experience with the recent IBA graduates. Generally, organizations were very positive about the quality of IBA graduates with few areas of concern and gaps. Moreover, future job trends remained the major spotlight of the discussion.
Head of Human Resources and Learning at Bank Alfalah, Ms. Hafsa Abbasy quoted, "The IBA graduates have strong academic background but we as industry experts should mutually contribute in building the relationship building skills across all levels."
Managing Director & CEO of Pakistan State Oil, Syed Muhammad Taha said, "Students should be given stimulated environment to prepare them for real life challenges. Graduates generally have to face a cultural shock when they enter public sector organizations like PSO."
While discussing the importance of bridging the gap between academia and industry, Relationship Manager (Recruitment) at Meezan Bank Limited, Mr. Saad Ahmed stated, "The IBA Job Portal has bridged the gap of recruitment and placement process tremendously."
When talking about future technology, former CEO of Indus Motors Company, Mr. Pervez Ghias quoted,
Unless you don't know about social sciences and humanity, you can't be a leader. The world is going through a paradigm change and future technology should be embraced by educational institutions."
Head of HR at Abu Dawood Pakistan, Ms. Sabika Kiyani said, "We should collaborate on building mentorship programs where industry experts can guide students about current market dynamics and how to thrive in this competitive environment."
The institute acknowledges the suggestions and ideas shared by the participants and it strongly believes that this discussion will assist its leadership team in making valuable improvements to its programs and other academic endeavors.
