The British American Tobacco (BAT) Group, the parent organisation of Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) has invested in a shared business services setup in Pakistan and inaugurated its Islamabad office on September 28, 2021. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umer graced the occasion as chief guest. At the occasion, Ali Akbar, MD & CEO PTC, Shannon McInnes, Area Head of Marketing, Middle East & South Asia and Khurram Shahzad, Head of GBS, were also present. Global Business Services (GBS) office will focus on pioneered shared services capabilities, including but not limited to digital marketing capabilities, business intelligence & data analytics, legal consultancy, and advance pricing analytics. GBS set up currently operates in Malaysia, Romania, and Costa Rica and in 2020, BAT decided to expand it GBS services and after a rigorous and deliberative process of evaluating countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Philippines, and Pakistan on key factors such as existing BAT commercial presence, economic sustainability and the availability of key talent. BAT group selected Pakistan to be the site for its shared services operations for Asia Pacific & Middle East (APME) region. As a first step in this journey, a liaison office has been established in Islamabad. This office will provide a base for the new set up to start operating and full-fledged operations will be carried out from Lahore in the near future. Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umer congratulated BAT on setting up the new shared services business and mentioned that the decision to set up its GBS office in Pakistan shows the commitment of the government to make Pakistan a business and investment friendly country. “Pakistan has great talent especially in IT and this move from BAT has put Pakistan on the map for shared services hubs that will create greater employment and growth opportunities for local talent,” he added.