KE BREAKS PUBLIC NORMS AND BIASES WITH THEIR ANNUAL WOMEN’S DAY EVENT
On 7th March 2022, K-Electric organized an annual women’s day event to recognize and award the efforts of women working at KE. The event kicked off with a speech from CEO, Moonis Alvi who addressed the future direction, as well as the current efforts made by the leadership of KE on women empowerment and workplace equality as a whole. The crowd was then introduced to the Chief Peoples Officer (CPO), Rizwan Dalia, followed by the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO), Sadia Dada. The event also consisted of a graduation ceremony where Roshni Bajis were awarded certificates leading up to a powerful performance from Eva B, an upcoming female rapper from Lyari.
The CPO addressed the numerous biases in society and gave a very clear message of breaking away from the biases of our society and removing stereotypes. He then talked about granting more opportunities for women at KE, and about being a company that believes in diversity and inclusion. His speech was then followed by CMCO Sadia Dada, whose truly motivational and uplifting words moved the whole crowd. Her personal examples and stories showed that the right amount of encouragement can go a long way – be it a man or woman, we need to support anyone who is willing to reach new heights in their lives, and break the bias.
One of the main highlights of the KE Women’s Day Event was their Women On Wheels program, enabling women to take to the streets and beat public taboos. A tributary video was played showcasing the Women On Wheels (WOW). Moreover, WOW displayed their splendid biking skills through a rally that was being conducted right there at the venue. Over 100 women have successfully graduated under the program and all present graduates were awarded certificates as a token of appreciation for their courage to take this stand for themselves to be more independent; being a role model for countless other young girls, and source of pride for KE!
Moreover, a big round of applause and a standing ovation was given to KE’s Roshni Bajis, an initiative by KE in which women are encouraged to take up roles of meter reader, technician, electrician, etc. which are stereotypically presumed to be roles of men. They recently won an S&P Global Platts Award, and were also invited to share their inspirational journey at Pakistan Pavilion, Dubai Expo 2020. Roshni Baji programme is co-powered by GuarantCo & launched in collaboration with Concern for Children.
This was followed by a heartwarming speech by the board member of the Salman Sufi Foundation, Afia Salam highlighted their partnership with K-Electric. She felt extremely humbled and honored to be part of Woman on Wheels initiative. She was ecstatic when she mentioned the importance of the WOW program, and that through their partnership with KE, she and her team are looking forward to more such revolutionizing projects.
The event drew a large crowd, with powerful themes of self-love and self-empowerment, with the emphasis on change for the country as a whole, which is still a complicated concept for most to date.
KE went as far as encouraging women to take up jobs that normally are shunned, or have a low application rate for women. Such as in their- engineering sector, manufacturing sector, or simply put manual labor positions. Today, the country’s leading authority on power has women working in every sector of their production process and strives for even more inclusivity for their female employees.
With all these uplifting schemes, it turns out KE is not only supplying power to Karachi’s residents but also supplying change into the hearts of every Pakistani, leading by example, and changing the outdated mindset of society.
Last but not least the upcoming star Eva B, the superstar woman rapper from Lyari who also debuted on Coke Studio made an appearance, wowed the crowd and threw biases right out the window. She also talked about her life journey and the struggles she faced personally while breaking societal norms and stereotypes, at the same time also captivating the crowd with her rap.
