KE board elects Ikram Sehgal as new chairman

KARACHI: K-Electric’s (KE) board of directors has elected Ikram Sehgal as its new chairman , pinning hopes that the decorated former army officer and now a successful businessman, with his constructive leadership, would play a pivotal role in the utility’s turnaround, a statement said on Friday.

Sehgal succeeds Tayyab Tareen who resigned from the role on January 18, 2019.

The KE in its statement said the board of directors was confident that Sehgal, with his proven track record of accomplishments, would bring a wealth of knowledge and valuable experience to the position.

With more than 40 years of business experience, Sehgal is Chairman Pathfinder Group Pakistan, employing several thousand people in 50 towns and cities across Pakistan.

The power utility said it was fully committed to further improve the availability and reliability of power supply to customers across its network and to ensure the growth of economy of Karachi and Pakistan.

While serving in the Pakistan Army, Sehgal was the first Pakistani prisoner of war (POW) in history to escape from an Indian POW camp. He holds a commercial pilot’s license and later started his own business in 1977.

Author of several books including “Escape from oblivion”, published by Oxford University Press in 2012, Sehgal has served on many boards, including Bank Alfalah’s for 16 years.

Foundation Member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a Director EastWest Institute (EWI) USA for last 9 years, he is also Chairman Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) and Vice President Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE).

He organises the renowned Pakistan Breakfast every year at the WEF Annual Meeting at Davos for the last 18 years.

KE’s transformation, from an under-utilized strategic asset before 2009 into a leading energy player today, represents one of the global power industry’s most well-recognized operational turnaround stories and it is well positioned to build on its existing success, backed by competent management and leadership teams.