Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu named new chairman of SECP

January 10, 2026 (MLN): The government has approved the appointment of Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) with immediate effect.

The appointment was approved by the Prime Minister, according to a notification issued by the Finance Division.

Dr Sidhu is currently serving as Chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), where he led a comprehensive institutional reform drive.

When he took charge in August 2023, the Commission was burdened with enforcement delays and a substantial backlog of cases. Over the following two years, more than 70% of pending matters were resolved, significantly strengthening the regulator’s performance and credibility.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law, an LLM in Banking, Insurance and International Business Law, and a PhD from the University of Manchester. 

He has also completed postgraduate training in civil litigation and obtained professional certifications in financial advisory services in the United Kingdom.

His doctoral research focused on investor protection and regulatory oversight of both conventional and Shariah-compliant stock exchanges.

Dr Sidhu brings over 20 years of experience spanning legal practice, financial services, and public-sector advisory roles in Pakistan and the UK.

Prior to joining the CCP, he served as Senior Legal Consultant at the Ministry of Law and the Privatisation Commission, and worked as a research associate with leading academics at UK universities.

During his tenure at the CCP, recoveries from penalties reached approximately Rs 1.36 billion, compared to cumulative recoveries of around Rs 200 million over the previous two decades. 

The Commission also imposed more than Rs 2bn in fresh penalties through new enforcement actions.

His leadership saw intensified action against cartels and anti-competitive practices in sectors including poultry, sugar, edible oil, telecommunications, and healthcare. 

Several key decisions were upheld by the Supreme Court and the Competition Appellate Tribunal.

Consumer protection and action against deceptive marketing were also prioritised, with penalties imposed on companies in real estate, FMCG, education, pharmaceuticals, and the automobile sector. 

Companies penalised included Kingdom Valley, FrieslandCampina, Unilever, Engro, Al-Ghazi Tractors, Hyundai Nishat, British Lyceum, and 3N Lifemed.

A major reform during his tenure was the establishment of the Market Intelligence Unit, an AI-enabled surveillance mechanism designed to support proactive enforcement.

The CCP also reviewed 139 merger cases across 34 sectors, including high-profile transactions such as the PTCL–Telenor merger and Shell Pakistan’s sale to Wafi Energy. The PTCL–Telenor decision was widely noted for balancing competition safeguards with investment facilitation.

In addition, Dr Sidhu oversaw the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Competition Law to carry out competition assessments and support regulatory modernisation across key sectors of the economy.

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