Hence, it is meant to acknowledge creativity, innovation and excellence in the Pakistan Information and Communication Technologies sector.

This year judging panels will be available to judge entries in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad so as to make it convenient for more companies and individuals to apply.

Objectives of the P@SHA ICT Awards:

The objective of the P@SHA ICT Awards is to provide recognition to software and service applications that have been developed in Pakistan . It is meant to acknowledge creativity, innovation and excellence in the Pakistan Information and Communication Technologies sector. This annual Awards program also provides an opportunity and an ideal environment for companies to gain local, regional and international exposure through on-going promotional activities, and through participation at the international Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA).

The top winners of the P@SHA ICT Awards (only product categories) will be nominated for representation at the annual Asia Pacific Awards.

Benefits of the Awards Program:

* Stimulate innovation and creativity
* Provide recognition and a platform for the benchmarking of innovations in the industry
* Create an opportunity for the top winning companies to represent Pakistan at the Asia Pacific awards
* Provide participants with networking opportunities so that strategic business alliances can be formed
* Winners to be brought to the notice of venture capitalists and investors
* Create a larger pool of knowledge workers that is essential for the development of the ICT industry
* Increase the general awareness of the development in the ICT industry

The Nomination forms are available here.

Deadline for entries is August 28, 2010 so please apply NOW.

This could be a young man or woman who is technologically savvy but not necessarily a tech graduate. The applicant needs to be self-motivated and should have a good idea about the trends in the ICT industry locally – and preferably internationally.

P@SHA has a diverse set of member companies in multiple cities across Pakistan. Developing relationships with them and being “of service” to them will be part of the coordinator’s responsibilities. Other key responsibilities include adding on new members and ensuring that the current members’ list and corporate/government sector organizations info is up-to-date.

Experience is NOT essential so the applicant could be a fresh undergraduate or someone with very little experience. However, she/he must be totally “driven” and “action-oriented”. No job too big or too small should be her/his motto.

Send in your CV today to president@pasha.org.pk with a cover letter that is bound to grab my interest. This position is available to those who either live in Karachi or are willing to re-locate.

We received over a 100 nominations - and so many that are absolutely brilliant! A panel is going through them now and will notify by the end of the day those who have to present on Saturday and Sunday in Lahore and Karachi. Entries will be judged on the concept, the innovation, the impact, the delivery of the pitch and the commercial viability of the product or service. Judges have been lined up in both cities.

Whether you are shortlisted to present or not, you still win because we will be contacting you over the next few weeks and will help connect you with an online panel of mentors who can assist you in the areas that you have identified. Do come to the events in Karachi and Lahore and be part of the energy and the excitement.

Registration are still open - links are given below:

P@SHA LaunchPad, Lahore: Dome Room, Royal Palm, 2 p.m. – 6:00 pm, Saturday June 26, 2010 http://bit.ly/9KqXp4

P@SHA LaunchPad, Karachi: Ambassador 1 & 3, Karachi Marriott Hotel, 2 p.m. – 6:00 pm, Sunday June 27, 2010 http://bit.ly/bkeZJ

A good batch of entries have been submitted from both Karachi and Lahore with more coming in as we speak. Shortlisted companies will be informed on the night of the 23rd of June so do check your emails if you have submitted an entry.

For those of you who wish to attend the P@SHA LaunchPad events in Lahore on June 26th and in Karachi on June 27th, 2010, (this includes those who are participating in the events) make sure that you register early. Registration is free but we will be limiting registrations to 150 in each city.

P@SHA LaunchPad, Lahore: Dome Room, Royal Palm, 2 p.m. - 6:00 pm, Saturday June 26, 2010 http://bit.ly/9KqXp4

P@SHA LaunchPad, Karachi: Ambassador 1 & 3, Karachi Marriott Hotel, 2 p.m. - 6:00 pm, Sunday June 27, 2010 http://bit.ly/bkeZJt

Are you

• A new startup?
• Do you have a new product that you want to launch?
• Do you have an idea for a product or service that you want to pitch?

Then here is an opportunity for you.
The P@SHA LaunchPad event will be held in Lahore on Saturday 26th June 2010 and in Karachi on Sunday 27th June 2010.

The vision behind P@SHA LaunchPad is simple - find the best technology ideas and start-ups and bring them in front of the most experienced and influential professionals, entrepreneurs, marketing and financial experts.

The purpose is to create a platform where young people with great ideas, and  early-stage companies with innovative products, have the opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of people who ask relevant questions, make suggestions to help develop the idea or product, assist with market identification, mentoring and possibly investment.

Our sponsors for the P@SHA LaunchPad event are the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), Microsoft Pakistan and Sofizar Constellation. CIO Pakistan is our Online Technology Partner. Without sponsors and partners nothing is possible. So three cheers for these guys:

Experts will be brought in to provide input on Product Development, Business Models, on identifying markets and on SEO/SEM and usability. Nominees will be put in the hot seat where some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business executives will fire questions at them.

There is bound to be one idea or one product that stands out – these will be the P@SHA LaunchPad Stars and will be given a small cash award and highlighted on as many platforms as possible.

We plan to have a Demo Pit where young innovators can showcase their idea and talk to experts, potential investors and professionals in much more detail. The idea is to generate excitement and energy around ICT innovation and motivate more young people into starting their own companies and making them successful.

Last year the panel of experts brought a lot of value to the event and sparked lively discussion and debate. We are hoping that with each additional event, the group will energize further.

Nomination your startup, your product or your service idea at NOW:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFNXRVk1ZVhjenJUMnM1ZTI3dXRCd1E6MQ

The last date for nominations in June 23, 2010.

Download the P@SHA LaunchPad Flyer for all the details.

The Startup Insiders session is back again – this time in Karachi at T2F. P@SHA and TiE Karachi have put together a very impressive panel of young entrepreneurs (some younger than others of course) who are getting together to talk about “Business Models” – what has worked for them, what hasn’t and why.

The panel includes:

Jawwad Ahmed Farid, CEO of Alchemy Technologies and Author of Reboot.

Nauman Sheikh, a FAST graduate and a Consultant with Credit Chex

Adnan Agboatwalla, Co-Founder of PixSense

Adnan Haider, a graduate from Duke, Co-Founder of Lootmar.com and presently working as a Consultant with IBM

Imtiaz Noor, a seasoned marketing & finance specialist who has taken the step to start his own venture Inspire-X.

As most of us know, a business model describes how an organization creates, delivers and captures value. Very often we have all the ingredients that we need to start a venture – the right concept or product idea, a great founding team, enough finances to sustain ourselves for a while and the infrastructure and resources that we need. The product sells, we continue to innovate and create, operations move along smoothly and yet suddenly we discover that we are going downhill,  that our cash flow is not allowing us to move on or to scale. Something is wrong and it is difficult to identify exactly what. Very often it is the business model which we have adopted that is responsible for the collapse of the business.

Our panel will share their experiences and openly talk about the business model that worked for them,  the mistakes they made in the selection of a business model, what they could have done differently and how things can be turned around by tweaking the business model over time and ensuring that it starts delivering value.

By the end of this session you will understand how to design and implement a new business model or to analyze and renovate an old one.

The session is taking place at:

Venue: T2F 2.0 (10-C Sunset Lane 5 DHA Phase 2 Extension Karachi)
Time: 6:00 pm
Date: Wednesday April 14, 2010.

Please be on time. Following the 90 minute session, which will be very interactive, participants will have the opportunity to link up with the panelists and discuss their own business models, find out if they are on track or if they should be doing something differently.

To register for the event which is free, please email secretariat@pasha.org.pk.

The conference will discuss strategies and ideas to ensure a strong talent management process within your organization.

Hear from a panel of CEOs and HR practitioners and experts on the unique challenges facing organizations in 2010-11 and how best to ensure that your biggest resource is creating the strongest impact for your company.

Limited seats are available on first come first served basis.
There are a host of known names who will be speaking at the event including some speakers from the tech sector - Jawwad Ahmed Farid from Alchemy Technologies, Badar Khushnood of Google and Al Karim Hassan from Etilize.
CONFERENCE BOARD:

Javed Jabbar, Global Vice President, IUCN & Former Senator & Federal Minister for Information & Media Development

Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Coordinator General, COMSTECH & Former Federal Minister for Science & Technology & Former Chairman, HEC

Tariq Ikram, President, Textile Institute of Pakistan & Former Minister of State & Chairman, Export Promotion Bureau & Reckitt & Colman Pakistan

Ismail Mapara, Managing Director, 3M Pakistan & Business Head, 3M Middle East, North Africa & Central Europe

Humayun Bashir, Country General Manager, IBM Pakistan

Jawwad Ahmed Farid, CEO, Alchemy Technologies & Author of “Reboot”

Hasan Aziz Bilgrami, President, BankIslami Pakistan Limited & ICMAP

Mazhar Valjee, Managing Director, Areva T&D Pakistan (Formerly Alstom)

*Tauqeer Ahmed, Managing Director, Dupont Pakistan Operations

Badar Khushnood, Country Consultant, Google Inc.

Al-Karim Hassan, Director HR Global Operations, Etilize Inc., USA

Naushad H. Javaid, Director People Excellence, Telenor Pakistan

Muhammad Tahir Mushtaq, EVP Human Resources & Admin., PTCL

Shakeel S. Mapara, Director Human Resources, sanofi-aventis

Khalid Zaman Khan, Director HR, HSBC Middle East Bank Limited

Fariha K. Salahuddin, Director HR, Glaxo Smith Kline Pakistan

Wasif Waseem Ashraf, Director HR, Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited

Dr. Razi Azmat, Head of HR, Habib Bank Limited

Tahir Jawaid, General Manager HR, Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited

Wali Zahid, CEO, SkillCity UAE & C-Level Coach

Akram Durrani, Director Human Resources, Dawood Group

Syed Zulfeqar Ali, Head of HR, GEO TV

Adeel Anwar, President, Lahore HR Forum & Head of NTI, Netsol Technologies

Uzma Bashir Ghous, CEO, UBG Associates

Sohail Zindai, International Speaker, Trainer & Consultant / CLO, Learning Minds

Sidra Iqbal, Communication Strategist & TV Anchor

Jovaria Khizer, Associate & Consultant, Learning Minds

* Tentative

2nd Talent Management Forum-1

FEE & REGISTRATION:

1-5 nominees PKR 5,500 per participant
5+ nominees PKR 5,000 per participant
(includes lunch, refreshment breaks, conference kit and participation certificate)

PKR 4,900/- per participant
(Only for the members of LHRF, P@SHA, ICAP and ICMAP)

Your participation will be confirmed subject to receipt of payment.
All cheques and drafts to be made in favor of “NUTSHELL FORUM”. Refunds not allowed, however substitute may attend.
Organizers reserve the right to alter the program.

For registration, please contact:

Shahid Aziz Farooqi (0300-2704036) or
Zulfiqar A. Rahim (0333-3027242)

Email: nutshellevents@yahoo.com, nutshellforum@yahoo.com
URL: www.nutshellforum.com

This talk, which will be facilitated by Badar Khushnood, Pakistan Consultant for Google, will help Pakistani technology companies to harness the power of the internet for promoting their products and services to potential local & global customers most economically. This course will also explore various tools and applications that are available online, for marketers.

All P@SHA members, startups and freelancers are invited to register for this event by Tuesday January 12 before 1 p.m. Since there are limited seats you will be receiving a confirmation from the P@SHA Secretariat if you have been registered for the workshop.

The registration fee for this event is a nominal Rs. 300. Please bring the cash/cheque with you to the event. A limit of 3 people per company has been set to ensure that there is broader participation.

Register now to avoid disappointment. Click on the link given below for the details regarding the workshop:

PASHA-Google Workshop series 2010

Similar workshops are scheduled for Lahore and Islamabad in February 2010. Dates to be announced soon.

The report provides an analysis of current and projected IT services and outsourcing markets across the Asia Pacific.

According to the Asia-Oceania Vision 20-20, the Asia Pacific region is set to become the largest regional economy in the world by 2020, rising from 35 to 43 percent of global GDP and increasing their share of world exports from 27 to 35 percent.

It is interesting to note that the report also states that ICT will be critical to this rise to dominance in the world economy. Combined, Asia Pacific economies have the opportunity to deliver 75 percent of the world’s information technology demands over the next decade.

“The key to accelerating the realisation of the growth opportunities available to individual economies and the national ICT industries in the region will be proactive collaboration,” said outgoing ASOCIO President Ashank Desai, while addressing attendees at the ASOCIO ICT Summit, adding that “ASOCIO can play a major role by enabling member economies to aggressively collaborate to achieve their 2020 vision,”

“The traditional areas of collaboration – such as trade in hardware and software – are the tip of the iceberg,” said Kumar Parakala, Head of IT Advisory at KPMG India and Chairman of the Australian Computer Society National Board.

“The real long term benefits will come from collaboration between regional technology players in a way that is not yet well developed in the marketplace – in areas such as knowledge sharing to strategic acquisitions,” he said.

This will require a new development approach and innovative thinking, facilitated by extensive and constructive use of ICT, with each economy adopting specialised roles to draw on collective opportunities that will far exceed those available in isolation. Pakistan (represented by P@SHA) is one of the 23 economies who are members of ASOCIO.

Collaboration can play a key role, helping countries in the region build on collective strengths and overcome shortcomings, to grow faster than they would expect to grow in isolation.

The Vision 2020 report identifies the specific challenges that each of the member economies must address in order to realise the benefits on offer.

We didn’t have to go far to implement the idea. Dr. Umar Saif and Adil Saleem, two members of the SeenReport team, were visiting Karachi so I asked them what it would take to add a P@SHA community channel to SeenReport. This is something I had discussed over dinner in Lahore with Sharjeel Ahmed Qureshi, Yaser Awan and Adil some months earlier and they had volunteered to set it up for P@SHA whenever we decided it was time. Of course the idea didn’t really take root until Yusuf brought it up during our first 2010 planning meeting. He even had a tagline for it “iP@SHA – Do you?”

We have just launched the Community Channel and although so far it only contains a bunch of videos that I have put up, I am hoping that as more people find out about the space, they will start using it. If young startups or freelancers want to put up their startup videos for feedback, this would be an ideal spot for them to do so. If you hear of something innovative that someone is doing in the ICT space, take a video or a photo and put it up. If you have an idea you want to share that needs collaborative input, put it up with a request. If you have a demo of your product that you want to share, post it. Let us make this a collaborative space, a space where we build a community that actually lives up to the “all for one and one for all” concept.

Go and check out iP@SHA now, register and start submitting news, announcements, pictures and videos.

How do you submit an item to iP@SHA?
Email/MMS pictures and videos with description to:
ipasha@seenreport.com
or
ipasha.cityname@seenreport.com

Thank you Umar, Sharjeel, Adil and Yaser for helping us make this happen. You are absolutely wonderful!