KARACHI: Appointed the first woman to lead a major commercial bank in Pakistan, a historic step in a world where the economy is growing but the glass ceiling holds firm.
Sima Kamil, currently a deputy CEO at the country’s third-largest lender, United Bank Limited (UBL), will take over on June 1, said in a statement his directors said.
“She is of course is the first chief of any commercial bank, and it is a huge step forward in the banking and corporate sectors of Pakistan,” Muneer Kamal, the chairman of Pakistan’s Stock Exchange.
told AFP.
Ms Kamil was described as a “solid professional”. For decades, women in Pakistan have struggled to protect their own rights. No women have led any of the country’s high profile companies.
Mr Kamal cited Shazia Syed as another female activist after Unilever, a Dutch-British company, was made head of Pakistan last year.
“Things are transforming in Pakistan now, the world must know that,” he said.
UBL, headquartered in Karachi, employs 15,000 people and has branches in 15 other countries, including the US, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.