Message From The Philippe Crevoisier

Dear Readers

I have the pleasure to address you all through this special edition of Evolve magazine in my country, and the best practices Swiss companies bring into their Pakistani operations.

Beyond the foregoing, it merits to mention that Swiss-Pak bilateral relations date back since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. And both our countries, this year, are celebrating 70 years of long-standing, friendly relations.

As I and my team in Karachi pursue trade and commercial interests between our two countries, I am happy to report that currently 21 Swiss companies are directly present while over 80 Pakistani firms represent Swiss brands on the local market. These companies provide direct employment to more than 15’000 Pakistanis (as per estimate).15 out of the Swiss companies have their main offices in Karachi. To mention; over the past decade, Swiss companies have invested over CHF 1.5 Billion making Switzerland stand among the top ten direct investors in Pakistan.

When it comes to best practices, Swiss companies have a proven track record of being strong proponents of human resource management, environment safety and protection as well as corporate social responsibility. Based on these guiding principles and the vast global experience Switzerland has acquired from them, Swiss businesses have developed consistent qualities of reliability, precision and efficiency; the three perfect ingredients that make “Swissness”; one of the best recipes for success.

I am happy to report that all Swiss companies established in Pakistan are successfully operating and positively contributing to the Pakistani business sector, through promotion and implementation of their world acclaimed Swiss best practices. This working model is delivering superior dividends; creating a ‘win-win’ situation to the benefit of both the countries.

I gladly share that Swiss companies in Pakistan are continuously and significantly investing to deliver Swiss level of quality by blending Swissness with local expertise. Thanks to this combination, certain establishments with highly professional and motivated Pakistani top management are performing exceptionally well as Centers of Excellence for their global and regional businesses.

Switzerland, with its globally renowned dual education system, has also focused on promoting vocational training in Pakistan. Pak-Swiss Training Centre (PSTC) and Pak-Swiss Horological Training Centre - both also based in Karachi - are classic (existing) examples of Swiss cooperation. Swiss model and best practice of technical courses was so well received that the Government of Pakistan decided to incorporate it in the federal domain. Subsequent to which, other PSTCs were established in the other Pakistani provinces.

Wishing you all happy reading and looking forward to your kind continuous cooperation to further promote Swiss-Pak bilateral relations - also as the best practice of mutual collaboration,