PALO ALTO, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2011) The CMO Council today announced the expansion of its membership base in Pakistan, continuing its commitment to the cultivation of marketing leadership committees in emerging regions. In total, 35 prominent local marketing executives have joined the Council, five of whom have been appointed to the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Advisory Board. These new board members will head the initiative in Pakistan by sharing content, insights and intelligence on the local market with the CMO Council's 6,000 global members, who control more than $200 billion in annual marketing spend.

New additions to the MENA Advisory Board include Ghufran Atta Khan of Karachi Electric Supply Co., Aly Mustansir of Habib Bank Ltd., Usman Javaid of Telenor Pakistan, Fuad Chundrigar of Engro Foods and Mahmood Nanji of Creek Marina. Working with other advisory board members from Pakistan and the rest of the MENA leadership council, these marketing executives will share their expert knowledge on the region's market dynamics and best practices to the entire CMO Council global membership base.

"Pakistan is among the many emerging country markets with large, youth populations and economic growth potential," noted Donovan Neale-May. "While often characterized and stigmatized by internal turmoil and controversy, there are many committed and innovative marketers in Pakistan overcoming inherent challenges in infrastructure, services and distribution systems.

After suffering from internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment for decades, the Pakistani market is steadily growing behind a dramatically improving mobile communications infrastructure, as well as rising Internet usage. Mobile-cellular subscribers reached over 100 million people in 2009, a dramatic increase from approximately 300,000 in 2000. With a total population of 184 million, 90 percent of residents live in areas with cellular coverage, and half have access to a cell phone. Since 2006, Internet users have grown by 7 million and now constitute 10.5% of the population.

There is a strong appetite for international marketing knowledge in Pakistan," added Ghufran Atta Khan, marketing head at the Karachi Electric Supply Co. "With more than 50 percent of Pakistan's population under the age of 30 and some 30 percent concentrated in urban areas, we expect both domestic and foreign brands to flourish as the geo-political situation stabilizes and marketers modify and adapt products, pricing and programs for local conditions."

The CMO Council's expansion into Pakistan will provide a burning platform for local senior marketing professionals to interact with a global network of top marketing gurus and exchange real insights and best practices.

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council's 6,000 members control more than $200 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 12,000 global executives across 100 countries in multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East and Africa. The Council's strategic interest groups include the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE), Marketing Supply Chain Institute, Customer Experience Board, LoyaltyLeaders.org, Online Marketing Performance Institute, and the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME). www.cmocouncil.org