Oct - Dec 2008 - United Bank Limited

NEWS VIEWS COMMENTS ANALYSIS 

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF UNITED BANK LIMITED 

Oct – Dec 2008 

UBL & PSO launch 

Pakistan’s first Auto Credit Card

President’s Message 

Editorial Note 

This issue of Dialogue for the last quarter of 2008 

comes at an auspicious time at the start of UBL’s 

Golden Jubilee Year. Although the anniversary 

of the bank’s commencement of business falls on 

the 7th of November 2009, the occasion is being 

used to build a more positive bonding with 

customers by raising the bar and providing them 

better service in these troubled times. 

During 2008, although Pakistan was spared the 

brunt of the economic disaster that struck most 

developed markets, we had our own array of 

indigenous problems to deal with; that emanated 

from unremitting political and economic 

uncertainty during a large part of the year. 

Banking went into a phase of consolidation almost 

by default, as the euphoria of Consumer Banking 

that had prevailed over the last 5 years had to be 

reined in. Overall business activity slowed down 

as inflation and currency devaluation, among 

other issues, took their toll. 

UBL’s Golden Jubilee Year will see a series of 

thematic activities at the bank. Some are outlined 

in our lead article on the subject. A bank-wide 

survey reflects the sentiments of a cross-section 

of our people as they prepare for the occasion. 

The launch of Pakistan’s first auto credit card, 

co-branded as UBL-PSO Auto Credit Card is a 

highlight of the issue. The Retail Bank’s National 

Sales Conference held at the Marriott in Karachi, 

to honour the “high-achievers” of 2008, and set 

targets for the new year is also covered. 

Progress on the on-going branch branding 

campaign with special focus on branding of ABEP 

(Annual Branch Expansion Plan) branches is also 

featured. 

An article on Business Continuity Planning 

underscores the growing importance of the 

discipline at UBL and makes for good reading. 

The spate of activities and initiatives taken by the 

Human Resource Division including induction 

of RBOs and Training & OD activities are also 

covered, along with a Management Trainee’s 

perspective on getting down to business at UBL. 

Contribution from our Middle East office on 

International Division activities reflects the bank’s 

growing presence as well as prominence beyond 

the boundaries of Pakistan. UBL’s participation 

in the UAE National Day celebration at the UAE 

Embassy in Islamabad, also reported, is an 

affirmation of our long-standing ties with the 

Emirates. Read on...! 

Atif R. Bokhari 

President & Chief Executive Officer 

I would like to start off by congratulating everyone at UBL at the 

commencement of our Golden Jubilee Year 2009. 

Fifty years is a major milestone in the life of any organization. But for 

us at UBL it has a special significance. Labeled as the progressive bank 

early in life, UBL has lived up to its reputation by introducing innovative 

products and setting new trends in banking over the years. 

Since our return to private ownership in 2002, we have not only continued 

to revitalize banking in Pakistan but also repositioned ourselves in 

Pakistan and in markets overseas. With 17 branches, subsidiary companies 

and representative offices in 10 countries today, our international business contributes nearly 

20% to our revenues and profits. 

Year 2008 has been a very trying time for most businesses including ours. Globally, we witnessed 

a meltdown of the financial system, with some of the most revered institutions taking hits on an 

unprecedented scale. Fortunately, Pakistan was spared the brunt of the global financial crisis but 

uncertain economic and political conditions within the country took their toll. 

Given such circumstances, the banking industry was fortunate to have held its own in 2008. 

UBL’s third quarter consolidated profit before tax of Rs.14 billion, 23% higher than the same 

period last year, reflected the institution’s inherent strength, but the year end picture is unlikely 

to remain so robust. Yet, we have delivered on several qualitative targets set for the year. 

During the year, we implemented our new Retail Banking model, brought about by the merger 

of Consumer and Commercial banking. Good progress was made in restructuring the branch 

network and rolling out the “Proxima” (BPR) program. 100% of our branches were automated 

and the implementation of a new technology platform started in a phased manner. 

The Corporate Banking Group managed to grow selectively and at the same time rationalize its 

asset portfolio in line with the bank’s overall industry concentration strategy. Year 2008 witnessed 

growth primarily in the power and fertilizer sectors. Our leading market position in the Cash 

Management area was maintained, servicing the sector with new, more innovative and 

technologically supportive solutions for both collections and payments. 

The Investment Banking Group had a very successful year in 2008 with transactions worth 

PKR.189 billion closed, while increasing share of non-book based earnings. Real growth was 

witnessed in the areas of debt capital markets and syndication transactions including syndicated 

deals, privately placed and listed TFC's, sukuks and cross-border transactions. In addition, IBG 

also established a Middle-East Desk in 2008 to facilitate the bank’s geographical diversification 

in the region in years to come. 

The year 2009 however will bring daunting new challenges. We would therefore have to remain 

fully focused on our targets, manage expectations, continue to raise our work standards, grow 

deposits, maintain a strong vigil on non-performing loans, control all wasteful expenditure, 

improve asset quality – in short, do whatever it takes to achieve an exemplary performance 

despite the difficult circumstances. 

I am confident, that we will overcome most obstacles, and prove to the world that the 

traditions of success established at UBL, shall be upheld in our Golden Jubilee Year. 

The Dialogue Editorial Team 

Contents 

02 October - December 2008

Cover Story 

On December 26, 2008 a memo went out 

from the office of the President & CEO Mr. 

Atif R. Bokhari, announcing UBL’s Golden 

Jubilee Celebration and felicitating the 

employees and staff of the bank. As the 

memo clearly spelled out, November 7, 2009 

would precisely mark the fiftieth anniversary 

of the opening of UBL’s first branch. 

However, it was considered prudent to 

declare the whole of 2009 as UBL’s Golden 

Jubilee Year. At a time when the overall 

business and economic environment is 

fraught with pessimism the announcement 

came like a much needed breath of fresh air. 

As most customers and other people one 

meets outside the bank too readily accept, 

UBL has had a very unique and eventful 

journey over the last nearly fifty years. From 

its earliest days it was seen as a bank that 

was more upbeat, forward looking and also 

quite happy to “go against the grain” of 

traditional banking in the country. The 

catalogue of UBL’s firsts is not only 

impressive – it is almost legendary. It is 

therefore hardly a matter of surprise that 

the bank has been epitomized as “the 

progressive bank”. 

If one were to look back and analyze the last 

fifty years of the bank’s life, one could easily 

see three distinct phases. Between 1959 and 

1973, which constitutes the first phase, the 

bank rose to become the second largest 

private bank in the country with a number 

of overseas branches as well. During the 

second phase that lasted nearly 28 years, 

the bank was nationalized along with other 

banks in the country. However, there was 

still a certain amount of friendliness and 

care that customers experienced at UBL. 

In the third phase starting from 2002, UBL 

was privatized by the Government of 

Pakistan in an open auction. A consortium 

of investors – the Abu Dhabi Group of UAE 

and the UK-based Bestway Group acquired 

majority ownership and management control 

of the bank. A new management team was 

inducted and given the mandate to 

significantly restructure the Bank and set 

the direction for its new positioning in the 

minds of customers and other stakeholders. 

Since privatization the Bank has grown from 

strength to strength. Management has placed 

special emphasis on investing in people, 

processes and technology and leveraging it 

to achieve even higher standards of service 

excellence and stronger customer 

orientation. That is why UBL today has a 

special place amongst Pakistan’s largest 

private banks and an expanding regional 

and global presence. The Bank has also 

earned the enviable reputation of being an 

innovator and a trend-setter within the 

banking and services sector. 

A series of celebratory events are planned 

for the Golden Jubilee Year 2009. Some 

would be directed at UBL customers and 

other external stakeholders, while others 

especially focused on the Bank’s employees. 

Custom-designed, competitive 

events will generate healthy 

competition, a stronger sense 

of belonging and an 

augmented spirit of service 

among the employees and 

staff. This will ultimately 

benefit customers who would 

enjoy better service in a more 

conducive environment. 

Several other events are 

planned including customer 

networking events that will 

become more pronounced as 

we approach other milestones 

such as the date of 

incorporation or the day we 

opened the doors of our first 

branch for customers. Apart 

from the three cluster 

headquarters in Pakistan and 

the Head Office, our offices in 

Dubai, UAE and other 

locations will also use the 

opportunity for networking 

and earning greater goodwill 

for the Bank beyond our 

national boundaries. 

It is hoped that UBL’s Golden 

Jubilee Celebrations, though 

modest and mindful of the difficult economic 

environment in the country and indeed the 

world, will keep the spirits of our employees 

high. We are confident that every UBL 

employee will play their part in making the 

Golden Jubilee year an outstanding one for 

the Bank as a fitting tribute to the generations 

of men and women who have labored over 

five decades to make UBL worthy of respect 

and adulation. 

To close, it would be apt to quote from the 

memo that was sent out by the President & 

CEO: “Let us therefore pray to the Almighty 

to take our beloved institution to greater 

heights and grant each and every one 

of us progress and prosperity through 

its glory”. 

October - December 2008 

03

Cover Story 

Proud to be UBL! 

A survey for the Golden Jubilee 

As we were finalizing the contents of this 

issue of Dialogue, which was planned to go 

into print in January 2009, we thought it 

would be quite opportune when the first issue 

of Dialogue hits the road, in our Golden 

Jubilee Year, to include a story based on how 

UBL employees feel about their association 

with UBL spanning over months, years and 

in some cases decades. 

We sent out an email containing three simple 

questions to all employees, on the heels of the 

President & CEO, Mr. Atif Bokhari’s memo 

of December 26, 2008, announcing 2009 as 

our Golden Jubilee Year. The response we 

received within the allotted two week was 

marvelous. The questions were: 

1. What has been your most interesting 

experience while in the service of UBL? 

2. What is the one single achievement in 

your career that you are proud of? 

3. How, in your opinion, do UBL 

customers look at UBL compared to 

other banks? 

“During my three and half years of service” 

says Israr Hussain based in Shinkiari in the 

Northern Areas, “[In addition to] learning 

Retail banking... I also learned a new language 

that is ‘Sheena’ which is local language spoken 

in Gilgit... it is because of UBL.” 

Working with a large institution like UBL has 

changed the lives of many individuals 

irrespective of their backgrounds, education 

and cultural leanings. Some have narrated 

their experience in terms of their professional 

growth whilst others in terms of their personal 

embellishment. A unique sense of pride 

prevails among the employees of this bank 

and at the same time there is an expressed 

desire to make UBL a still better bank. 

Among the employees who have been with 

the bank during its grim days of 

nationalization the experience of returning to 

private ownership has been most gratifying. 

Khwaja Rehanuddin of HR who has been 

in the bank for 29 years sums his most 

interesting experience in one word: 

“Privatization”. Another experienced 

campaigner Junaid ur Rahman working 

at the Corporate Centre, Abdali Road, Multan 

calls it: “Revival of UBL after privatization”. 

Sardar Hussain Khattak, DM at the Area 

Office in Timergara near Peshawar expresses 

similar sentiments when he says: 

“...privatization has taken the bank to [it’s] 

climax.” 

But a most interesting personal 

anecdote came in the form of a 

“true story” from Muhammad 

Ashraf Shahid, DM Bank 

Square, Faisalabad who has been 

with the bank for a quarter of a 

century. His story: “When I 

joined UBL there used to be 

metal token system. The number 

of ‘staff’ also used to be surplus 

and rotation policy was hardly 

implemented. There was a 

person [handling tokens] for 15 

consecutive years in the...branch. 

One day an executive visited the 

branch and was stunned to 

[learn] that the man was working 

on the same [job] for 15 

consecutive years. The executive 

asked him how is the experience 

of [sitting] on the same seat for 

such a long time. The ‘staff’ replied: ‘It is very 

good sir. If a token falls on the table or floor 

I can tell its number from the sound it 

generates’.” 

A young lad Faizan Khalid, Assistant 

Manager – CQA with 7 months service 

described how he was unnerved by a sudden 

burst of gunfire outside a branch he was 

visiting for a regular quality-check. The firing 

erupted on account of a “...police encounter 

just outside the branch. One of the dacoits 

was killed just outside our UBL branch.” 

Experience of a dramatic kind! 

Talking about their most treasured 

achievements at UBL, people have focused 

mainly on their professional success. 

Muhammad Nawaz Awan, BM Imamia 

Colony Branch at Sheikhupura, who has been 

with the bank for 20 years, says: “My father 

was Security Guard in UBL and... retired from 

Imamia Colony branch in 1999. Now I have 

taken charge as Branch Manager... I am very 

proud of my success.” 

A proud Zaffar Ali Khan, BM Tehkal Payan 

Branch, Peshawar, who has spent 5 years with 

UBL claims: “I gave LSF the highest growth 

rate in the country as TL-LSF Peshawar 

Region in my 2 months tenure. Highest sales 

of Wiz Card from a Hajj Booth [is] yet another 

medal on my chest. So I believe I am a proud 

member of [the] UBL Family.” 

As regards how our customers feel about the 

bank, most responses suggest that they are 

generally quite happy with UBL, because of 

its personalized service, variety of products 

and extensive branch network. However, some 

people have candidly shared the need to 

improve our service levels in their branches. 

Muhammad Aakash Bin Nasir in HR at 

the RHQ in Faisalabad, who has been with 

the bank for nearly 3 years attributes the 

bank’s positive image to “...new and unique 

Consumer & Commercial Products UBL is 

introducing...[at] regular intervals and 

providing Financial Services according to its 

vision ‘where you come first’.” 

Muhammad Saleem, Regional CIU, Lahore 

who has been at the bank for only 3 years 

says: “...I think, UBL has a very good image 

in customers’ eyes. 200,000 plus Credit Cards 

customers and 90,000 plus Cashline 

Customers means [that] UBL has good market 

share as compared to other banks. It shows 

UBL’s goodwill and value in the eyes of 

customers.” 

Fazal-e-Hassan of the Civic Center branch, 

Islamabad who has been in the bank’s service 

for about 4 years unabashedly credits his 

colleagues by stating: “UBL is providing the 

best customer service, [and] products are also 

up to the mark. Employees are very vigilant 

and co-operative.” 

Syed Muhammad Wahaj, Customer 

Services Manager at Clifton, Karachi who is 

relatively new and has been with the bank for 

only 5 months is moved by the ‘Proxima’ aka 

‘business process re-engineering experience’ 

and states: “At present, UBL customers are 

also excited by the transformation phase 

through which the organization is [passing] 

and they believe that these changes show the 

commitment of the top management... to 

make this institution, one of the best financial 

institutions in the... global market.” 

Zaheer Ahmed, ACO, based in Okara in the 

Sahiwal Region who has still not completed 

a year with the bank speaks like a sage in 

describing UBL as: “...a wise and strong old 

tree which can withstand all adverse 

conditions and anything put under its shade 

will be 100% safe.” 

Being proud of an organization that one serves 

with dedication is but a natural thing, but the 

real sense of pride comes from the realization 

that success in any organization comes as 

much as a consequence of high-quality, 

farsighted leadership as it does through the 

commitment of its employees and the time, 

energy and devotion they bring to it. The 

recurrent theme of wanting to see UBL 

become an even better bank, expressed by 

many respondents, was reflective of a widely 

prevalent belief that if there was a bank in the 

country capable of achieving its vision of 

becoming a world class bank, it had to be 

UBL. 


Human Resource 

Training & OD - A Key HR Priority 

During the last quarter of 2008, the Training & OD Division offered a broad range of learning solutions to various business units 

with a predominant focus on the Retail Banking Group. Some of the major programs offered were: 

Credit Risk Management Training (October 2008) 

A four-day high intensity training on Credit Risk Management 

was conducted by Dr. Salman Shah in Karachi in October 2008. 

Thirty-seven senior managers from Credit Policy & Risk, Corporate 

Banking, Investment Banking, Commercial Assets and Audit 

underwent this comprehensive day-long training. At the closing 

session, the President & CEO Mr. Atif Bokhari distributed 

certificates amongst the participants. A similar training session 

was held at Lahore in the third quarter of 2008. 

Banking Operations Training (November 2008) 

This two-week training was designed and implemented especially 

for the new inductees across Pakistan within the GCCA Group. 

Areas pertinent to Branch Banking Operations, Trade, Advances 

and Loans were incorporated in the training along with functional 

aspects of compliance that were delivered by both an in-house 

trainer and experts from the outside. This training provided a 

platform for 20 Compliance Officers to gain insight into branch 

banking as well as affording them the opportunity to interact with 

senior team members of their Group. This was especially useful 

in that it helped them gain insights into how to perform the 

compliance function with respect to various banking operations. 

Credit Risk Management Training 

Regulatory Trainings: Anti-Money Laundering & 

KYC Series 

This important regulatory training series continued well into the 

last quarter of the year 2008. Reaching out to regions where such 

training sessions had never been organized before, more than 200 

employees from various parts of Pakistan benefited from these 

training sessions. 

Basic Banking Skills Training 

Customer Services Group Trainings 

During the last quarter, Training & OD’s focus remained on 

extending strategic support to the Customer Services Group at the 

Retail Bank in a dynamic business environment, following the 

extensive organizational restructuring under the ‘Proxima’ program. 

Multi-modular training sessions targeted towards the front line 

staff offered them the support that was needed during the ‘process 

change implementation’ in branches in every regional network. 

This program resulted in the training of over 1300 employees from 

all regions, including participants from major cities, during Qtr 4, 

2008. The types of training included: 

Regional Universal Teller Training Program: 

A 4-day program focused on preparing the existing tellers for ‘one 

window operation and customer service’ in addition to polishing 

their work knowledge under the modified system. 

CBO Refresher Training 


05


Regional Chief Teller Training Program: 

One full-day training designed for senior tellers to 

take on their roles as Chief Tellers was arranged. 

In-depth awareness created through discussions and 

presentations covered areas such as branch 

management, ATM operations as well as handling of 

foreign currency accounts. 

Systems Training: 

This training was conducted for the support of new 

business initiatives and launch of new web based 

systems applications for cheque books as well as WIZ 

Prepaid VISA Debit Cards. 

Apart from the above, training efforts were also aimed 

at conducting multiple runs of 15-day Basic Banking 

Trainings as well as the month long CBO Refresher 

Programs. 

A total of 345 training programs were offered by Training and Organizational 

Development benefiting 2,384 employees through various learning 

interventions. 

S. No. 

Executive Summary Jan '08 to Dec '08 

Description 

No. of 

No. of 

Programs Participants 

1 In-house Technical 111 8470 

2 External Technical 142 463 

3 In-house Soft Skills 28 1046 

4 External Soft 38 136 

5 International 25 39 

6 Management Trainee 1 37 

Total 345 10191 

Banking Operations Training for GCCAG 

MT Program 

now on the anvil 

2009 

Tapping fresh talent and providing trained resources to different departments 

and divisions of the bank has always been one of the main aims of UBL’s Human 

Resource Division. After the successful induction of MT Batch VIII, work has 

begun on the MT Program for 2009. 

The first phase of the program involves identifying quality human resources from 

top business schools of Pakistan. UBL HR Teams will, as they have done in the 

past, visit these schools to brief the students on the diverse opportunities that 

the bank offers to the educated youth, especially those who wish to make a career 

in the banking and financial services sector. 

Batch IX that will be taken on board in 2009 will see an induction process that 

has been made more stimulating and effective and shall enable MTs to be better 

prepared to take on important assignments in an increasingly challenging business 

environment. 

Recruitment 

24/7/365 at 

‘Careers @ 

UBL’ 

UBL’s recruitment portal Careers @ UBL 

provides prospective candidates with an easy 

way to apply against vacancies that exist 

anywhere in the bank. Since October 2008 a 

number of candidates who had applied were 

short-listed for different positions based on the 

requirement of various business areas. The 

portal remains accessible on a 24/7/365 basis 

and is a great way for people looking for jobs to 

send in their CVs. 



2nd Batch of RBOs Report for Duty 

The 2nd batch of Retail Banking Officers (RBOs) joined the bank 

in December 2008 after successfully completing UBL’s standard 

hiring process formalities. These new RBOs have been posted across 

the Retail Banking network, covering 21 regions across Pakistan. 

The RBOs have been assigned positions in Sales as well as Customer 

Services, ensuring that the two divisions of the Retail Bank benefit 

from the program’s key objective of upgrading the quality of people 

across the network. These RBOs will receive training on and off 

the job under a clearly defined training program. 

Following on the heels of the first batch of RBOs, the second batch 

of high quality RBOs will further strengthen UBL and help the 

bank reinforce its positive image particularly in terms of offering 

better banking services to its customers. 

Internal Job 

Postings 

Improve 

Efficiency in 

Recruitment! 

The internal job postings exercise has 

proven to be a major success ever since it 

was initiated at the bank, back in 

September 2007. Its aim has been to 

identify talent within the bank for any 

placement opportunity that may arise as 

a consequence of a new position being 

created or a vacancy resulting from the 

departure of an employee. 

These placements have resulted in making 

quality resource available to businesses 

and supporting functions, whilst opening 

up new avenues for career advancement 

for existing employees. Identifying 

resources internally also helps the Bank 

overcome the dearth of trained people at 

a challenging time in the market, and 

speeds up the induction of personnel in 

positions that cannot be left vacant for any 

extended period of time. 

Over 50 internal postings were made 

during 2008. In the last quarter of 2008, 

13 internal jobs were posted in areas such 

as Retail Bank, BDSI, IT & Compliance 

that received an overwhelming response, 

and helped the achievement of greater 

efficiencies in the recruitment function at 

UBL HR. 

A Management Trainee’s experience at UBL 

By: M. Omer Rehman (Management Trainee Batch 2008, UBL Cards) 

I still remember my first day at UBL, 28th July 

2008, as vividly as if it were yesterday. As I 

entered the hall at Avari Towers, Karachi, I was 

surrounded by thirty seven young professionals, 

like me, from many different universities – rival 

universities. Some of them knew each other 

before joining UBL, but for the most of us, 

including myself, there were thirty seven 

strangers in the hall. 

Throughout the day we were guided by people 

from HR as they told us about the Management 

Trainee (MT) program: what was expected of 

us, the challenges that lay ahead and what we 

should expect. This Orientation Day concluded 

with a group picture of all MTs as we sized each 

other up for a fierce placement battle due in a 

month. HR managers laid down the rules very 

clearly – we had to prove our value, our potential, 

our people skills and most of all, we had to seize 

the opportunity for placement in our preferred 

department, no matter how or when it came. 

As our training started, or should I say as the 

bombardment of information homed in on our 

pressure sensitive minds, I knew it was going 

to be a long 30-day month. Being an MBA from 

IBA with bi-major in MIS and Marketing (yes, 

Marketing!), the sessions of Fincon, Treasury, 

Risk etc. tested my patience with alien languages 

where acronyms seemed more difficult than the 

actual subject content. I remember asking the 

stupidest of questions during these sessions, 

but I had to, because I had no idea what was 

going on and also because I knew that we would 


be quizzed on the same topic the very next day. 

The following weeks flew by with more 

presenters and yet more presentations. We 

progressed quickly, with rapid fire pace at times, 

on understanding the workings of different 

departments as well as on the general working 

of the banking sector. 

During our training we also visited the State 

Bank of Pakistan to understand how our 

‘Regulator’ works and to see where the hallowed 

‘Prudential Regulations’ originate from. We also 

went to different UBL branches to see how the 

new ‘Proxima’ initiative was taking shape, or 

shall I say, reshaping our branches. After all the 

high-intensity training during the week, soft 

skills training on Saturdays was always a 

welcome relief. 

I honestly felt that the UBL MT Program was 

instrumental in changing our ‘professional 

rivalries’ into ‘professional camaraderie’. As the 

Program came to a close, we MTs looked at 

ourselves as a “part of the UBL family” and at 

each other as friends and team-mates. My 

interface with the officials who came to us as 

‘presenters’ had benefits that I hadn’t even 

imagined. Now, as I walk past corridors or enter 

into different office areas I see familiar faces, 

and I know where to go should I need help or 

guidance. I can proudly say that I now pick up 

the phone and call people in UBL across Pakistan 

– Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and even 

Faisalabad. 

Placement Day! 

After three days of rigorous interviews and tense 

waiting for the outcome, I found out that I was 

placed in the department of my first choice i.e. 

UBL Cards. I initially went on rotation, spending 

time in Sales, EMU, FRMU and other sections 

within Cards to get a holistic view of the business. 

This has played a vital role in my overall 

understanding of the cards business and for this 

I am thankful to my supervisors. At UBL I have 

been given every possible opportunity to develop 

myself and show my potential. I am exposed 

not only to what is happening at UBL, but am 

getting to know what is happening in the entire 

banking sector through different competitor 

scans. My MT training has not only enhanced 

my knowledge of banking but has also helped 

develop my people skills which, as we all know, 

forms an integral part of an employee’s overall 

development and future growth. 

I still count my time at UBL Cards in months, 

but I have enjoyed every moment of it. I have 

been given responsibilities and challenges that 

I have ownership of and have been guided 

tremendously by my supervisors. 

I look forward to being a part of the UBL family 

for years to come and welcome the next batch 

of business graduates who should be getting 

ready to start their career to a world of 

tremendous opportunities at UBL. 

07

CBG / E-Commerce 

UBL & QIL 

Sign Cash 

Management 

Agreement 

The CBG Division’s 

mission is to serve all 

corporate needs of its 

customers and ensure full 

satisfaction through 

product innovation, 

personalized banking, and 

top notch service. 

An agreement was signed on January 10th, 

2009, between United Bank Limited and 

Qarshi Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. at a ceremony 

held at the UBL Corporate Centre in Lahore. 

Mr. Hassan Raza - GE Corporate Banking 

Group represented the bank and Mr. Iqbal 

Ahmed Qarshi CEO, Qarshi Industries (Pvt.) 

Ltd. (QIL) signed on behalf of his company. 

Under the agreement UBL will extend the 

Bank’s Cash Management facilities to QIL 

with specific initiatives planned for the near 

future. 

Qarshi Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. which emerged 

from a humble Dawakhana into a modern, 

successful and progressive manufacturing 

and marketing company now ranks among 

the largest natural products companies in 

Pakistan. QIL has several well-known brands 

such as Jam-e-Shirin, Johar Joshanda and 

Springley (Natural Mineral Water) along 

with more than 200 herbal products. 

The Corporate Banking Group’s mission is 

to serve all corporate needs of its customers 

and ensure full satisfaction through product 

innovation, personalized banking, and top 

notch service. The focus of the Group has 

always been on attracting and servicing large 

portfolio customers. 

According to the agreement Qarshi will avail 

Cash Management services countrywide 

including collections, disbursements and 

other technology-driven products such as 

E-Collections and Auto Debit facilities. 

Through this initiative, UBL reiterates its 

strength as a bank dedicated to surpassing 

the highest expectations of its customers 

and other stakeholders by providing 

excellence in service. 

The ceremony was attended by senior 

members of UBL and Qarshi including Mr. 

Hassan Raza, Mr. Adnan J. Lari - Divisional 

Head, Cash Management, Mr. Farhan Javaid 

Durrani - Unit Head, Cash Management 

(Central), Mr. Naeem Malik - Unit Head, 

Cash Management Islamabad. From Qarshi, 

the ceremony was attended by Mr. Iqbal 

Ahmed Qarshi, Brig. (R) Taimur Afzal Khan 

- Director HR, Mr. Mian M. Riaz Iqbal - 

DGM - Corporate Finance, Mr. Imran Baloch 

- Manager Finance, and Mr. Muhammad 

Arif - DM CE Secretariat. 

UBL signs contracts for E-billing System 

UBL’s E-Commerce group has led the way 

for innovation in the Bank’s various 

products and services. Keeping with the 

innovation theme and towards providing 

customers ease of service, UBL signed a 

contract with Water and Sanitation Agency 

– (WASA RDA) and Hyderabad Electric 

Supply Corporation (HESCO) recently. 

According to the agreement, customers of 

both utilities will be able to pay their 

HESCO and WASA bills through UBL’s 

website and 24-hour customer help line. 

Highlighting the benefits of this scheme 

Mr. Aurangzaib Alamgir, Business Head 

E-Commerce Group, said, “The e-billing 

system is in line with UBL’s commitment 

of putting its customers first and finding 

new and innovative ways to make their life 

easier. This facility will help consumers 

save time by avoiding waiting in long 

queues in order to pay their bills, making 

it a very useful service for them.” Mr. 

Aurangzaib also pointed out that non-UBL 

customers can also avail this facility using 

UBL Orion (Mobile Banking Service), while 

there are plans to introduce cards in order 

to facilitate customers further. 


Retail Bank 

RB Sales Conference 

Sets the Tone for 2009 

The Marriott hotel in Karachi was the venue of 

the Retail Banking Sales Conference held on 

January 23 & 24, 2009. The objective of the 

Conference was to discuss and finalize Sales 

Targets for 2009 in light of overall budget 

guidelines and activity plans of various Product 

groups. 

(NPLs), expenditure on people and 

infrastructure as well as safety and security of 

the bank’s assets. 

He also stressed upon the importance of selling 

commercial assets selectively, enhancing asset 

quality to generate better returns and cutting 

costs wherever feasible. He said “there is no 

Special Recognition Awards 

Nauman Ghani 

DM Allama Iqbal Town-Lahore 

Special Recognition Award - WIZ Cards 

Amir Sheikh Raza 

Retail Sales Manager - Karachi 

Special Recognition Award - WIZ Cards 

Kamran Basit Malik 

Team Leader LSF - Lahore West 

Special Recognition Award - LSF 

Syed Shakeel Ahmed 

Team Leader Commercial Assets - Quetta 

Special Recognition Award - Commercial Assets 

Aqeel Shahid 

Regional Head Commercial Assets - Lahore West 

Special Recognition Award - Commercial Assets 

During the opening session on Friday morning 

respective Cluster Heads of Agri, CML, 

Consumer and LSF & Cross Sell met with the 

H.O. based Heads of Businesses /Products to 

discuss product-wise numbers for 2009. In a 

parallel session, the Cluster General Managers 

and Regional Business Heads sat down with Mr. 

Mohammad Asghar, GE – Retail Bank and 

Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla, GH – Marketing and 

Sales to discuss the overall targets and branch 

banking issues. 

Post-lunch, the entire team gathered in the main 

Conference Hall for presentations made by the 

Business Heads for Deposits & Network 

Planning, Agri, CML, Consumer and LSF & 

Cross Sell. Mr. Aameer Karachiwalla, CFO and 

GE – Global Shared Services and Mr. Ayaz 

Hashim Shamsi, GE – Human Resources also 

sat in on the presentations along with 

Mr. Mohammad Asghar, GE – Retail Bank. 

The session provided Product Teams the 

opportunity to present updates on product 

activity planning, new launches and overall 

strategies. It also allowed for simultaneous 

feedback and clarification from the sales teams 

and GM’s on areas that needed further 

discussion. 

Mr. Mohammad Asghar, GE – Retail Bank, 

mediated the deliberations offering advice and 

guidance whilst clarifying issues. He stressed 

upon the need for the team to be vigilant in the 

face of difficult market conditions envisaged 

during the year 2009. 

A summary of the various sessions, 

presentations and decisions was presented by 

Mr. Agrawalla to the President and CEO Mr. 

Atif Bokhari as well as other Group Executives 

at the concluding session of the day. 

In his remarks the President highlighted the top 

priorities for the Year 2009 based on comments 

and suggestions made at the last Board meeting. 

The Board had advised that attention be paid 

to three key areas viz. non performing loans 


reason to feel depressed about the adverse 

market situation” and reminded the participants 

that “you have seen through difficult times in 

the past and I am confident that you will succeed 

once again in 2009”. 

The President exhorted the need for managing 

expectations, being proactive and working really 

hard to meet the year’s revenue and profit 

objectives. 

The first day’s session ended on a high note with 

mementos being presented to outstanding 

performers from the three clusters. 

The following day’s session started with an open 

forum on HR issues. Some of the areas 

highlighted by Cluster GMs and RBHs the day 

before were brought up for discussion. Mr. 

Shamsi and his team responded to each of the 

points raised, and briefed the participants on 

steps that either had already been taken or were 

taken to resolve them. 

An update on forthcoming union negotiations 

and its likely implications was also shared at 

the forum. HR was hopeful that the negotiations 

would be amicably concluded in the interest of 

all parties and the Bank. 

The session on HR was followed by a brief 

presentation on proposed activities and plans 

for UBL’s Golden Jubilee Celebration by the 

Head of Marketing Services and Corporate 

Communications. These ranged from monthly 

staff competitions to media advertising rollouts, 

customers’ networking events and distribution 

of gifts and mementos. Ideas were sought from 

the participants for optimizing field participation 

to make UBL’s Golden Jubilee truly momentous 

and memorable. 

The final hour on Saturday morning was devoted 

to Product presentations by Heads of Business 

which also included an update on UBL’s Islamic 

Banking plan highlights for the year. 

Dilshad Aslam 

Regional Head Agri Business - Sahiwal 

Special Recognition Award - Agri Business 

Shehzad Valliani 

Product Manager Revenue Collections & Recovery 

Special Recognition Award - UBL Drive 

Hasan Faraz 

Business Manager Investment Product & 

FCY Accounts 

Special Recognition Award - Liabilities 

A. Jawad Chaudhry 

Business Head Debit Cards & New Ventures 

Special Recognition Award - Project WIZ 

Top Performing Cluster Award 

Abdul Jabbar Junejo 

General Manager North Cluster 

Top Cluster Performance Award - 1st Position 

Khurram Hussain 

General Manager Central Cluster 

Top Cluster Performance Award - 2nd Position 

Top 10 Performing Regions out of 

a Total of 21 Regions 

Irfan Waheed Mir 

RBH Islamabad 

Top Regional Performance Award - 1st Position 

Mati Ur Rehman 

RBH Azad Kashmir 

Top Regional Performance Award - 2nd Position 

Sohail Omar 

RBH Khi Central 

Top Regional Performance Award - 3rd Position 

Niaz Khan Toru 

RBH Peshawar 

Top Regional Performance Award - 4th Position 

Muhammad Ahmad Jamil 

RBH Jhelum 


Rao Muhammad Babar 

RBH Sahiwal 


Asif Nawazish Ali 

RBH Mardan 


Asrar-ul Haq 

RBH Multan 


Saif ur Rehman 

RBH Gujranwala 


Salman Babar Bhutta 

RBH Sialkot 


09


UBL & PSO launch 

Pakistan’s first Auto 

Credit Card 

UBL and PSO (Pakistan State Oil) launched 

Pakistan’s first Auto Credit Card in 

December 2008, with a focused campaign 

across the country using Print and Radio 

media, and BTL activities at branches and 

PSO stations. 

Dubbed as Pakistan’s first Auto Credit Card 

because of the additional auto-related 

benefits it offers customers in comparison 

with other credit cards, the UBL-PSO Auto 

Credit Card tops the offer with 5% free fuel 

every time a customer purchases fuel from 

any designated PSO outlet across the 

country. Customers also get 1% free fuel at 

non-PSO fuel outlets. 

In addition, UBL-PSO Auto Credit Card 

comes with an annual fee waiver on the card 

as well as a host of other benefits including 

free accidental insurance and discounts 

of up to 25% on the purchase of 

genuine spare parts and car 

accessories from 3S dealers. Special 

discounts are also available 

on vehicle 

tracking 

devices, PSO 

lubricants and 

the installation 

of CNG kits. 

Although other 

banks and fuel 

marketing 

companies have 

launched cards that offer free fuel, none in 

the market offer such custom-designed 

benefits as those offered by UBL-PSO Auto 

Credit Card. 

As part of the launch, main branches (hubs/ 

virtual hubs) of the bank have been 

decorated with UBL-PSO Auto Credit Card 

posters, flyers, display stands and mobiles. 

Simultaneously designated PSO outlets have 

also been branded with flyers, posters and 

other branding activities. 

With the launch of the Auto Credit Card, 

UBL continues in its legacy of firsts. In 

February 2005, it launched the first ‘Chip 

Credit Card’ in Pakistan which was certified 

by Europay MasterCard VISA (EMV). This 

was followed by several other innovations 

in the cards market which include Galleria, 

the first picture credit card and WIZ, the 

first VISA-powered prepaid debit card. 

“We have consistently offered free fuel on 

our regular UBL credit cards. But the UBL- 

PSO Auto Credit Card offers much more 

value in the shape of customized deals on 

auto-related products and services, in 

addition to the instant loyalty program 

which is a standard feature and annual fee 

waiver,” said Mr. Atif Bokhari, President 

and CEO UBL on the card’s launch. 

Double 

Digit 

Growth in 

Deposits! 

The year 2008 was a tumultuous year, with 

political and economic uncertainties within 

the country and a global economic crisis 

taking its toll on businesses in every sector, 

including finance and banking. However, 

despite difficult conditions UBL managed 

to close its Year 2008 Domestic Deposits 

at Rs. 377.7 billion* (adding Islamic Banking 

YE08, the Total Domestic Deposits stand 

at Rs. 379.5 billion). 

A comparison with last year reveals a YOY 

increase of nearly 15% with Core Deposits 

remaining strong. The increase was largely 

achieved on account of the outstanding 

performance of all the Clusters in which 

Central took the lead by achieving the 

largest growth in Total Deposits, whereas 

in Core Deposits, North Cluster showed the 

best performance. 

The credit for this achievement goes to the 

GMs, Cluster CSHs, RBHs, ROHs, DMs, 

DCSMs, BMs, BCSMs and all the field staff 

in the Retail Bank, who put in their best 

efforts along with the employees in CBG, 

Commercial Assets, Agribusiness and 

Consumer Bank. Treasury and ALCO also 

provided support and guidance. 

Mr. Mohammad Asghar GE – Retail Bank 

and Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla, GH – Marketing 

& Sales – Retail Bank, appriciated the 

efforts of the UBL Retail Banking team 

across the network. 

In their message to the field they said: 

“Congratulations to all Clusters, Regions, 

Districts and Branches, and scores of other 

individuals and teams who made it possible 

for the Bank to deliver double digit growth 

in such tough times. As we celebrate our 

Golden Jubilee Year in 2009, the Retail 

Bank pledges to surpass all targets set for 

2009.” 

* These growth numbers are PE based and do not 

reflect average deposit which will be captured in 

the Bank’s MPRs. 



Outbound 

Campaign 

Planning 

Meeting 

The serene and tranquil outskirts of the 

DHA Golf club served as the venue for an 

offsite organizational meeting. The 

participants included people from the 

Contact Center as well as the Product teams. 

Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla (GH – Marketing & 

Sales) and Mr. Syed Javed (GH – CS 

Division) also attended the session. 

The objective of the meeting was to devise 

a well-defined structure on which to base 

potential telesales campaigns which would 

later be run by the Contact Center’s 

Outbound Team. In order to achieve this 

goal, the product heads not only familiarized 

the Outbound Team on Product’s upcoming 

sales programs but also allowed them to get 

a head-start and prepare themselves for an 

eventful and demanding 2009. 

Over the course of the day, members were 

divided into small groups that engaged in 

creative discussions about new ventures. 

They were ably assisted by the three Contact 

Center Team Leaders who were present on 

the occasion. 

Towards the end of the session, ideas were 

presented to Mr. Agrawalla, who provided 

valuable insights with regard to their 

application and their utility in setting 

pragmatic yet ambitious targets. The 

Outbound Team collected these ideas for 

further deliberation and review. The session 

ended with the agreement that the members 

from both the Product teams as well as the 

Contact Center will gather again very soon 

in order to finalize the first round campaigns 

based on how they pan out once they have 

been more fully evaluated. 

UBL celebrates UAE 

National Day in Islamabad 

UBL joined in the celebration of UAE’s National Day on December 2nd, 2008 at the 

UAE Embassy in Islamabad. Special supplements were published by all leading 

newspapers to mark the occasion and highlight the long-standing partnership 

between UAE and Pakistan. UBL’s ads appeared in leading dailies and a customdesigned 

stall was set up within the embassy compound that was manned by UBL 

employees. 

UBL and the UAE share a long and eventful relationship since 1967. A special media 

campaign was launched by the bank in UAE and adjoining markets in 2007 based 

on the theme “40 Years & Beyond” to trace the evolution of the Bank in the UAE as 

the Emirates grew to become a global economic hub. 

The two major shareholders of UBL today are the Abu Dhabi Group, UAE with H.H. 

Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan as our Chairman and The Bestway Group, 

UK with Sir Mohammed Anwar Pervez OBE, HPk as the Deputy Chairman. 

A major feature at the UBL stall at the embassy was WIZ Prepaid VISA Debit Card. 

Visitors including high ranking officials from the government and private institutions, 

were provided product information and brochures that generated a great deal of 

interest about UBL’s all-new Debit Card. 


11


41 ABEP 

Branches 

opened 

in 2008 

it is also part of the organization’s 

commitment to reach out to more and more 

customers wherever they may be located. 

ABEP as part of SBP’s Branch Licensing 

Policy (BLP) is aimed primarily at enhancing 

the outreach of banking services including 

services to rural/underserved areas of the 

country. The approval given by SBP to any 

bank is based on several parameters 

including, among others, its financial 

strength, liquidity position, quality of 

customer services and managerial 

capabilities. 

Banks can only open new branches once all 

the parameters are fulfilled. The 41 branches 

opened by UBL in 2008 also meet the 20% 

requirement of SBP for branches in 

Rural/Underserved Areas (RUAs). 

The successful completion of this project is 

a direct result of the support of all 

stakeholders including Sales, Customer 

Services, IT, Fincon, Marketing Services, 

Projects, CCOD, GSD and senior 

management. The Network Planning Team 

especially deserves appreciation for its 

efforts in driving this initiative from 

planning to execution. 

Forty-one new branches of UBL were 

opened under the Annual Branch Expansion 

Plan (ABEP) 2008 approved by the SBP, 

taking the bank’s total tally of branches 

(including Islamic Banking branches) to 

1,118 as at the end of the year 2008. 

Network expansion is a key ingredient in a 

bank’s growth and an indicator of its strong 

financial position. From UBL’s perspective 

UBL BRANCHES AS ON 31-12-2008 

Total Retail Bank Branches* 1,105 

Corporate Branch 5 

SAM Branch 2 

Treasury Branch (Stock Exchange) 1 

Islamic Banking 5 

Total UBL Pakistan Branches 1,118 

* Does not include 11 sub branches tagged to 11 main branches. 

GJ Staff Competition is on! 

been announced for the month of 

February. A significant number of entries 

have already arrived by the time of our going 

to press. 

One of the major internal activities planned 

as part of UBL’s year-long Golden Jubilee 

celebration is a series of staff competitions 

planned to run every month. The first staff 

competition, a photography contest, was 

therefore announced on January 1, 2009. 

In a communication that went out to “All 

Staff”, employees were asked to send in 

pictures, one per person, that depicted their 

vision of UBL. The picture could be sent as 

a print or by email with the pre-condition 

that it had to be printable. The theme of 

the competition was aptly expressed by the 

caption: “UBL... from the eye of my Camera”. 

Several entries have been received in the 

specially created email address by the 

closing date – a few have also arrived by 

mail. The winning entry will be chosen by a 

special Committee constituted for the 

purpose. The Committee includes ExCom 

members. 

The second staff competition titled “My 

slogan for UBL Golden Jubilee” has already 


The nation-wide incentive scheme for Branch Managers 

finally came to a conclusion in September 2008 with 

cash prizes distributed to the 148 winning Branch 

Managers in November. The combined purse for the 

winners was Rs. 1,040,570/- 


UBL Jeet hi Jeet 

Winners Announced 

The scheme, based on 3rd quarter Core Deposit 

performance, was the first time that such an idea had 

been introduced at UBL. The result was very encouraging despite the unstable political and economic situation in the country, and the 

impending financial crisis. This just goes to prove how useful a Jeet hi Jeet spirit can be in the most challenging of times. 

Winners List 

No. Branch Name Branch code No. Branch Name Branch code No. Branch Name Branch code 

1 Onah 0608 

2 Cantt Branch, Rawalpindi* 0041 

3 Main Markaz F-7/2 1376 

4 Liberty Market 0962 

5 Al- Rehman 1234 

6 Wah Cantt 0104 

7 Bank Road, Muzaffarabad 0375 

8 M.D.A. Chowk, Multan 0278 

9 Deans Trade Centre 1939 

10 Jinnah Road 0476 

11 Secretariat Building 0389 

12 Bombay Bazar 0108 

13 MACHS 0453 

14 Raipur 1016 

15 Guddu 1358 

16 Timergara 0388 

17 Peshawar Cantt 0032 

18 Chowk Yadgar 0266 

19 Pattoki 0975 

20 Liaquatabad 0297 

21 Sialkot Cantt 0127 

22 North Nazimabad 0544 

23 Depalpur District 0566 

24 Davis Road 0347 

25 Napier Road 0065 

26 Quarry Road 1243 

27 Pasmic 1133 

28 Khipro 1456 

29 Shahdadpur 0275 

30 Bosan Road, Multan 1149 

31 Gowalmandi 0174 

32 Govt.College 0953 

33 Rashid Minhas Road 0849 

34 Kashmore 1465 

35 Small Indust. Estate Sialkot 0074 

36 Seri 1123 

37 Peshawar City 0053 

38 Mand 0883 

39 Sher Shah 0948 

40 Hangu 0836 

41 Daultala 0448 

42 Attowala 0717 

43 Clock Tower, Sukkur 0651 

44 Hurmaz 1818 

45 Rajuwal 0591 

46 Wana 0881 

47 Jalalpur Jattan 0061 

48 Khui Ratta 0654 

49 K.B. Naseerabad 1391 

50 Hanjarwal 0363 


51 Madeji 0636 

52 Mandhani 1480 

53 Kohat City 1030 

54 Tallianwala 0619 

55 Tarutta 0655 

56 Kayani Shaheed 0699 

57 Azam Cloth Market 0294 

58 Dhudhial 0432 

59 Swabi 0323 

60 Talagang 0986 

61 Jaura Karnana 0656 

62 Hazar Ganji 0475 

63 Dabgari Bazar 1262 

64 Kutchery Road, Multan 0165 

65 Chak No.87-A/6 0054 

66 Jinnah Colony, Faisalabad 1580 

67 Bhera 0226 

68 Shaheenabad 0759 

69 Charohi 1210 

70 Jodia Bazar 0019 

71 Chaman 0541 

72 Dargai 1029 

73 Faqir Wali 1062 

74 Chak No. 96/6- 1129 

75 Bhopalwala 0653 

76 Malowal 1120 

77 Mumtazabad Comm. Center, Multan 1932 

78 Ghakkar Mandi 0828 

79 More Khunda 1454 

80 Khal 0861 

81 Dhalywali 1410 

82 Pharianwali 1604 

83 Karakuram Highway, Mansehra 1161 

84 Mayar 1157 

85 Chak No 557/EB 1360 

86 Thathi 1111 

87 Chowk Bazar 0285 

88 Sargodha Road 0320 

89 Suraj Miani 0727 

90 Tall 0084 

91 Ranipur 0479 

92 Shorkot Cantt. 0430 

93 Setharja 1654 

94 Kot Mirs 0129 

95 Tate Pur 0267 

96 Missa Kaswal 1032 

97 Jamal Garhi 0864 

98 Saintha Kahuta 1128 

99 Village Hattar 0465 

100 Gaggoo 1006 

101 Salarwala 0722 

102 Buzurgwal 0730 

103 New Hala District 1489 

104 Sinjawi 0692 

105 Poona 1443 

106 Miranshah 0117 

107 Jowar 1787 

108 Sarsawa 1442 

109 Khadro 0641 

110 Digri 0124 

111 Karbogha 0013 

112 Tatral 1928 

113 Gondal 1056 

114 Jahangira 0425 

115 Tatta Pani 1445 

116 Maini 1576 

117 Khanpur Nabipur 0815 

118 Burj 0660 

119 Sujawal 1490 

120 Chak No.60/5L 0035 

121 Dheri Julagram 0014 

122 Padhrar 1019 

123 Sher Garh 0780 

124 Marghuz 1397 

125 Adda Chak No.73-5/L 1837 

126 New Dumbalo 1766 

127 Babozai 1531 

128 Mandi Faizabad 0416 

129 Dokri 1675 

130 Muridwala 1332 

131 Hadali 0402 

132 Kityari 1786 

133 Chak No. 247/Gb 0753 

134 Lora 1503 

135 Shahpur City 0621 

136 Buledah 1686 

137 Piryaloi 0557 

138 Doodhoo Chak 1183 

139 Kamra Cantt 1919 

140 Kachello 1072 

141 Din M Junejo 1079 

142 Mouza Mubarikpur 1230 

143 Esak Khumari 1798 

144 Kulab Jial 1528 

145 Swabi Maira 1598 

146 Jhulori 1162 

147 Tandlian Wala Sugar Mills 1886 

148 Roda 1890 

* Hajj deposits have been excluded from the 

Sept 30, 2008 balances. 

13


Branch Branding Rolls On 

In August 2007, UBL branches started to 

undergo a visible change – the dull, drab, 

‘basic office’ look started to be replaced with 

new graphics that had a distinctive style 

reflecting the personality of a bank, always 

known for being progressive, innovative and 

customer-friendly. 

By the end of the year 2007, nearly 175 

branches in key cities underwent a major 

face-lift. The ambience of UBL bank branches 

was gradually transformed – customers 

acknowledged that fact and employees saw 

it as an important enrichment of their service 

environment. After all a bank branch is still 

the most convenient meeting point for both. 

During 2008, UBL continued to pay special 

attention to branch branding along with 

repair and renovation (R&R) of more than 

390 branches, including 41 ‘ABEP’ 

branches sanctioned under the ‘annual 

branch expansion plan’ by the SBP, 

were refitted with the new livery. The main 

fascia, windows and ATM vestibules were 

branded along with modifications made 

inside the branches. The total number 

of UBL branches in the new graphics 

crossed 565 by the end of the year, which 

is comfortably more than 50% of the 

network. 

Kutchery Road, Multan. 

Abbotabad Branch. 

Boat Basin, Karachi. 

President visits Gujjar Khan Branch 

President & CEO Mr. Atif R. Bokhari stopped 

over at the Gujjar Khan Branch on Dec 18, 2008 

while returning from a visit to village Thathi to 

attend the funeral and interment of a brother of 

the Deputy Chairman, UBL, Sir Anwar Pervez, 

OBE, HPk. 

During his short stay at the branch he was given 

a brief overview of District Gujjar Khan. In his 

comments, he appreciated the outstanding 

performance of the WIZ Prepaid Debit Card 

team in Gujjar Khan District, that achieved 

Number 1 ranking among the top 5 Districts of 

the country, in terms of WIZ sales. 

The President also complimented the team on 

the relocation of the Gujjar Khan Branch on to 

G.T. Road, which has become a significant 

landmark on the main highway. Mr. Bahauddin 

Khan, G E – Global Ops Services, GM North 

Mr. Abdul Jabbar Junejo and RBH Rawalpindi 

Syeda Sajeela Asghar were also present at 

the occasion. 

LUMS Gold Medal for Shehzad Valliani 

Shehzad Valliani, Product Manager UBL Drive, 

Marketing & Product Management Group at the 

Retail Bank was awarded a ‘Gold Medal’ for 

exceptional performance in the ‘Corporate Finance’ 

course at Lahore University of Management 

Sciences (LUMS). 

Shehzad joined UBL in November 2004 as a 

‘Management Associate’ and was placed in 

Consumer Assets. He remained with UBL until 

July 2006 when he headed off to pursue his 

post-graduate studies. He re-joined UBL in July 

2008 after completing his MBA from LUMS. 


BCP 

Embracing Resiliency 

Contribution by: Sohail Khimani, Manager – Business Continuity Planning 

Recent world events have made it inevitable for 

business organizations to be ready for and 

manage complex situations that could threaten 

an organization's future. It is no longer feasible 

to limit this activity to mere emergency response 

plans or disaster management activities as was 

the previous practice. Today's threats require 

the creation of an on going, interactive process 

that serves to ensure the continuation of an 

organization's core activities before, during, and 

most importantly, after a major crisis event. 

Regardless of the organization, its managers 

have a duty to plan for its long term survival. It 

would be mortally wrong to assume that history 

will not repeat itself. Not every crisis that occurs 

should be labeled as an "Act of God" but it must 

be met with a well-thought and pre-planned 

contingency program and strategy. 

Resiliency is a virtue that can effectively identify 

and address contingency concerns as well as 

result in business improvement opportunities. 

The concept of “Resiliency" has of late taken 

BC (Business Continuity) professionals by 

storm. One of the greatest differences between 

businesses in the past and businesses now is 

that the world is riskier than it used to be and 

there is an imperative need for high availability 

and an embedded resiliency in all strategic 

processes. Enhanced risk exposure, stringent 

regulation, supply chain disruptions and 

heightened impact of business disruptions have 

also underlined the true need for resiliency. 

"Resiliency" in its narrowest approach, is used 

mainly in the context of IT systems but in its 

broadest sense, it is applicable to all business 

components. Business Resiliency provides 

immediate value and unlike traditional Business 

Continuity Planning, it provides a compelling 

value proposition, making it a lot easier to gain 

management support for it. 

Today's businesses are operating full time. Both 

customers and employees expect business 

services and technologies to be available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 

with no exceptions and no excuses. Modern 

business organizations are becoming 

increasingly less tolerant towards system failure, 

downtime or service unavailability. Every aspect 

of today's business is expected to be available 

continuously without interruption, regardless 

of circumstances. 

Even when disaster strikes, whether of a natural 

kind or on account of technology failure, 

business services and technical support are 

expected to remain available. Besides, customers 

in today's marketplace have more choices than 

ever before. Few businesses operate in an 

environment where they are the only players. 

At the same time, businesses are for obvious 

competitive reasons, making it easier for 

customers to switch. Customers tend to take 

their business to companies in which they have 

the most confidence. 


There was a time, not too long ago when 

customers were accustomed to working with 

financial institutions during their limited 

business hours, however today's customers are 

accustomed to online access, phone based 

services and other capabilities that are available 

around the clock. A failure of any institution to 

provide all of these services, all of the time, 

shakes customer confidence. 

Businesses have embraced technology as a way 

to perform repetitive tasks more cheaply and 

effectively. As a result, today's workforce is 

engaged less and less in easily replaceable work, 

and more and more into work that is based on 

their unique skills. The workforce relies more 

on continuous and proper operation of 

technology. When technology fails to deliver, 

the workforce literally stops working. Imagine, 

for example, a hospital whose computerized 

record-keeping system becomes unavailable. 

With paper records and individuals trained to 

file and find those records when required 

becoming increasingly rare, patients in hospitals 

could quite literally die if the right records aren't 

available at the right time. 

Extra workload leads to worker frustration, 

which impacts the business and encourages 

employees to seek employment in a more stable 

company, resulting in a drain of intellectual 

capital. Frustrated employees also provide less 

than expected service quality to customers 

thereby increasing customer dissatisfaction and 

pushing them toward competition. Frustrated 

employees can also damage market confidence 

in the company. 

Two decades ago, the biggest threats to 

organizations were natural – fires, floods, 

hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and other 

disasters categorized as "Acts of God". To a 

lesser degree, outside services also presented a 

risk: a loss of utility power, for example, could 

put multiple businesses out of commission for 

hours, or even days. While those natural and 

infrastructural problems still haunt businesses 

there is a vast array of additional risks that now 

threaten most organizations. For example, the 

political climate in various parts of the world 

presents a very real risk. Businesses in 

traditionally peaceful and well run countries 

like the United States and the United Kingdom 

have experienced significant physical damage 

resulting in major interruptions to business. 

Ironically, some of the very technologies that 

help enable resiliency in one form – email, 

robust computer networks and so forth – are 

also enabling new forms of threats to the very 

continuity they help enable. So at a time when 

employees and customers have increasingly 

high expectations, companies are faced with 

mounting threats, making the entire concept of 

business resiliency more complex and more 

intricate to accomplish. The biggest benefit of 

business resiliency is that it not only supports 

the organization in case of any disruption but 

also provides benefits in day to day operations 

thereby enhancing business operational 

efficiencies. 

This is good news, as it is only through the 

engagement of appropriate resources that 

processes and controls can be put in place. As 

external stakeholders, including regulators, 

investors, and customers become more vocal in 

their calls for greater levels of resilience, there 

is a pressing need for companies to maintain 

their focus in this area. The potential for loss 

that can ensue from failure to protect the 

company, in terms of damage to assets, lost 

revenue or tarnished reputation is simply 

immense. 

UBL has always been committed towards 

safeguarding its assets including its human 

capital. The BCP Department under Global 

Operations Services Group, along with the IT 

Group and numerous internal and external 

stakeholders is working towards meeting its 

resiliency objectives. We aim to place Business 

Continuity at all critical and strategic levels so 

as to embed a culture of resiliency in the bloodstream 

of our organization. We, as individuals, 

are the veins of our organization. Hence, to 

ensure smooth circulation, we must understand 

and play our roles diligently and make sure that 

UBL remains healthy and vibrant. BCP 

Department would continue to focus on 

developing a robust BCP culture in the 

organization and would make certain that 

through continuous training, awareness forums 

and, road shows, UBL achieves its goal of 

resiliency. 

15

Group Companies / Divisions 

Inauguration of UBL Insurers (UIL) Head Office 

The President of UBL and the Chairman of UIL cutting the 

ribbon simultaneously. 

to the Senior Management Team of UBL 

also attended the ceremony. 

The Head Office was shown to the guests by 

the CEO of UIL, Mr. Khalid Hamid, the COO 

of UIL, Mr. Najib Nasir Syed and the CFO 

of UIL Mr. Ehteshamullah, along with the 

department heads of UIL. 

After the inauguration, the President and 

the Chairman penned down a few words in 

the UIL Guest Book, wishing the Company 

and its employees best wishes and a 

prosperous future. 

UBL Insurers Limited started its operations 

on January 5th, 2007 and the Head Office 

has been relocated to new premises. Keeping 

up the tradition of United Bank, UIL Head 

Office is now a land mark amongst the 

insurance companies in Pakistan. 

The dusk of December 2nd, 2008 witnessed 

the inauguration of UBL Insurers (Pvt.) 

Limited (UIL) Head Office located on the 

2nd floor of State Life Building Number 2. 

The President & CEO of UBL, Mr. Atif 

Bokhari and the Chairman of UIL, Mr. 

Aameer Karachiwalla graced the occasion 

by cutting the ribbon simultaneously. Other 

distinguished and esteemed guests belonging 

UIL Team members at their new office. 

UBL Funds adopts new CRM Solution 

As part of its commitment towards elevating 

its customer service standards and 

expansion of its investment services 

platform, UBL Fund Managers have 

successfully deployed a state-of-the-art 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 

solution. 

Bearing Point, a prominent name in I.T. 

Consultancy and Solutions, has been 

selected by UBL Fund Managers to develop 

and deploy the customized CRM solution. 

Expressing his views on the occasion the 

CEO of UBL Fund Managers, Mir 

Muhammad Ali, said, “The new CRM 

solution will assist our Relationship 

Managers and the Contact Center to better 

service the needs of clients by providing 

them with a one-window operation, 

resolving their queries and requests in 

record turn-around-time and enhancing 

their overall investment experience.” 

Powerful features such as flexible data 

management and effective customer 

analysis, segmentation and profiling, allow 

the Relationship Managers to trace the 

lifecycle movement and development of 

clients, on the basis of which they can 

recommend customized investment 

strategies and solutions to each client. 

UBL Fund Managers specializes in 

investment management for individual, 

high-net-worth and corporate clients and 

offers a complete range of investment 

solutions and services to meet their needs. 

A technology-driven, quality CRM solution 

will help strengthen the fundamentals of 

customer management at UBL Fund 

Managers and achieve excellence in 

delivering enhanced customer value. 

UBL Ameen turns Park Towers abuzz 

UBL Ameen set up a stall at Park Towers, 

Clifton Karachi in mid November 2008 to 

introduce its array of products which 

included Current Account, Foreign 

Seen in the picture: Abdullah Ghaffar (third from left), 

Head of Islamic Banking, along with his team. 

Currency Account, Savings Account, 

Certificate of Islamic Investment, Auto 

Ijarah, Diminishing Musharakah, 

Murabaha and Commercial Ijarah to 

prospective customers. 

The activity garnered a great deal 

of interest among the many 

weekend shoppers who 

approached the stalls to gather 

information about Islamic 

savings schemes and mode of 

financing. According to one 

customer who visited the stall, 

“It is good to see an activity like 

this where customers can get 

information on Islamic 

Financing at their convenience, 

without even having to go to the bank 

branch.” Another customer expressed the 

hope that more Shariah-compliant financial 

products would be launched soon so that 

people who are looking out for authentic 

Islamic Banking products to meet their 

financial needs, have attractive options to 

choose from. 

Officers of UBL Ameen Islamic Bank and 

support services including Marketing were 

at their post well before the arrival of 

shoppers. A large turnout at the counter 

confirmed the growing interest in Islamic 

Banking among business people as well as 

individuals amongst a large cross-section 

of society. 


International 

CASA 

Success in 

UAE, Qatar 

& Bahrain 

A CASA (Current Account Saving Account) 

deposit mobilization drive launched on July 

22, 2008 for a period of one month in the 

UAE, Qatar and Bahrain was a tremendous 

success. The month long and region-wide 

CASA mobilization scheme was meant to 

generate low cost deposits and give a fillip 

to the business based on a more diversified 

deposit base. 

The campaign was run during the 

traditionally lean summer period – yet, the 

results were outstanding! An evening was 

marked to celebrate the success of CASA. 

Winners were invited to the Movenpick 

Hotel in Dubai in the month of September 

2008. The event was enjoyed by everyone 

to the fullest. The occasion was graced by 

the presence of the 4 Regional General 

Managers and Head of Middle East, 

Mr. Wajahat Husain. 

Champions of Champions 

1. Mohammad Ashraf Jamal Siddiqui (UAE) 

2. Asad Jan (Qatar) 

Champions 

1. Adnan Ahmed (UAE) 

2. Shahnawaz Zulfiqar Ali (UAE) 

3. Nabeel Saeed (UAE) 

4. Mohammad Irfan Qureshi (UAE) 

5. Sher Zaman Khan Khawajakzai (UAE) 

6. Han Wang (UAE) 

7. Afzal Khan (Qatar) 

8. Qamar ul Haq (Bahrain) 

Performer Extraordinaire 

1. Syed Abdul Hameed (UAE) 

2. Sheikh Muhammad Liaque (UAE) 

3. Muhammad Zubair Qasim (Bahrain) 

4. Mohammad Ibrahim (Qatar) 

UNB Opens New Branch 

United National Bank (UNB), a joint 

venture between UBL and NBP, with 

UBL holding 55% shares, opened its 

second branch at Illford in London. 

Seen in the picture are Pakistan’s 

High Commissioner to the UK, 

Mr. Wajid Shamsul Hasaan, 

the Acting CEO, UNB, Mr. Ehsan 

Mani and Mr. Aameer Karachiwalla, 

CFO & GE – Global Shared Services, 

UBL, along with other UBL staff 

members. 

UBL Bahrain 

Hosts Dinner 

On October 21, 2008 the majestic Gulf 

Hotel in Bahrain was the venue of a 

dinner hosted by Mr. Wajahat Husain, 

GE/Head of Middle East, UBL in honour 

of the bank’s top customers. The dinner 

was part of an ongoing campaign to 

strengthen relations with UBL’s major 

customers in these difficult economic 

times. Mr Ahmed Bin Hindi, Chairman 

of Bin Hindi Group and Mr Farouk 

Almoayyed also attended the dinner. 

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Wajahat 

Hussain reiterated the Bank’s 

commitment to stand by its customers 

and service their needs as best as 

possible. 

Mr. Farouk Almoayyed & the UBL team 


17


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“Proxima” 


21

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NEWS VIEWS COMMENTS ANALYSIS 

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF UNITED BANK LIMITED 

Oct – Dec 2008

Oct - Dec 2008 - United Bank Limited

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