CERP Executive Education conducted a session with Lahore’s eminent entrepreneurs under its premier Leading Thinking Firms programme, for the Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) Lahore Chapter, at the EO Majlis in Lahore on 21st February, 2020. The dynamic one-day session featured engaging talks, hands-on data exercises, and interactive case study and group activities.
The Leading Thinking Firms course was led by Mr. Maroof A Syed, President and CEO CERP, Dr. Tahir Andrabi, Co-founder and Board Member CERP, Mr. Adeel Shafqat, Senior Programme Manager CERP, Ms. Maha Rehman, Manager Analytics at CERP and hosted by Ms. Amna Aqil, Manager Executive Education. The course has been designed exclusively for CEOs to acquaint them with data-led decision-making to counter organisational challenges iteratively and build learning organisations.
The session was initiated by Dr. Tahir Andrabi talking about the value of active learning and adaptability in instituting and managing change and questioned, “Is data enough to make sense of data? – Need to have theory as an organisational framework.”, as he stressed on the need to combine data with theory. This was followed by the ‘House of Cards’ group challenge gaining impassioned participation from all present. The activity was designed to foster iterative design thinking as teams collectively worked towards the most effective strategies.
Mr. Maroof A. Syed presented on the value of data and innovation, debunking common misconceptions about the application of data in the real world and laid out a blueprint for success for a learning organisation. He highlighted the potential for data-led growth with 13 trillion dollars of investment coming in within the next decade, and the need to develop innovative strategies to put organisations on the map. Mr. Adeel Shafqat’s talk focused on cultural change management, leadership, capacity building and communication strategies, and the need to develop a theory of change. The last activity led by Ms. Maha Rehman oriented participants towards becoming more reflective consumers of data.
The session was attended by 25 of the leading CEO’s from Lahore’s entrepreneurial landscape, as well as notable academics and practitioners. The session offered a platform to network and exchange ideas, as well as reflect on individual challenges and collective learning at its close.