Speakers

Dr Zeelaf Munir is a distinguished business personality in Pakistan’s corporate sector, recognized for her transformational leadership and dynamism to drive sustainable growth of businesses.

In 2025, Dr Zeelaf made history as the first woman to chair the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), the country’s foremost corporate platform representing its largest business groups. In this role, she continues to champion industrial competitiveness, export led growth, and women’s economic inclusion. She was also the first woman to Chair the Pakistan Advertisers Society.

A psychiatrist and physician by education, she specialized in Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, and earned a master’s in health finance and management from Johns Hopkins University.

For over two decades in the United States, Dr Munir built a successful career in medicine and entrepreneurship. She also served as President of the Association of Pakistani Physicians in North America (APPNA), strengthening diaspora engagement in policy advocacy in the US political system.

Upon her return to Pakistan, she transitioned from healthcare to business leadership, applying her management expertise and strategic insight to transform English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM). Since assuming the role of Managing Director and CEO in 2015, she has led EBM’s evolution from a strong national brand into Pakistan’s largest biscuit and confectionery manufacturer and the country’s biggest home-grown FMCG enterprise driven by innovation, operational excellence, and purpose-led growth. The company has also advanced gender diversity, with women now holding 38 percent of leadership roles.

Furthermore, she serves on the boards of the National Management Foundation (LUMS), iCare Foundation, Habib University Foundation, and the Pakistan Advertisers Society. In addition, she represents Sweden in Karachi as the Honorary Consul General, reflecting her lifelong commitment to ethical leadership, education, and fostering Pakistan’s global partnerships.