The Federal Cabinet has recently approved the appointment of new directors to the board of Ignite Company. The Cabinet has released an overview of the situation. Igniter’s New Directors after Cabinet Approval
In accordance with the Research and Development Fund Rules, 2006, and the Articles of Association, Ignite Company’s Board consists of thirteen Directors. Among these accomplished individuals are the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), two Directors who serve as CEOs of Ignite, and five Directors who occupy ex-officio positions within the federal government. In addition, the four Directors all have a stake in the telecommunications sector in some way.
The three-year terms of six Board of Directors members expired in July 2022, calling for the appointment of new members. The Secretary of the Ministry of IT & Telecom chairs the Selection Committee that was formed for this purpose. The committee met on January 24, 2023, to conduct a thorough review of all applicant materials and to propose a final slate of nominations. Members of the Board, Independent Directors, Non-Executive Directors, and Corporate Management Executives for a three-year term were considered for these positions.
To ensure that the nominations were in accordance with the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act 2023, the Board Nominations Committee conducted an in-depth review. The committee also proposed a slate of individuals for the government to consider for filling the position of Independent Director.
Formerly known as the National ICT R&D Fund Co., Ignite-National Technology Fund Company is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support ICT R&D.
Representatives from the telecommunications industry included Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan; Dr. Shahid Farooq Alvi, CEO of Brain Telecom; Adnan Asdar Ali, CEO of Multinet; Rabia Noor Enam, Director (ORIC) at Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology; and Professors Dr. Bilal Ahmed Alvi of the University of Salford in Salford, United Kingdom, and Nazeer Hussain University.
