The federal government has approved the appointment of Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as the new Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), according to an official notification issued by the Ministry of Finance.
According to the notification, Dr Sidhu was first appointed as a commissioner of the SECP through a separate order, after which his appointment as chairman was approved. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP).
During his tenure at the Competition Commission, Dr Sidhu is credited with introducing significant institutional reforms and restoring the commission’s enforcement capacity.
Officials say his leadership strengthened regulatory oversight and improved the commission’s effectiveness.
Dr Sidhu 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 a postgraduate diploma in civil litigation from the Manchester Law Society and obtained professional certifications in mortgage and financial advice from the London Institute of Banking and Finance.
His doctoral research focused on investor protection and regulatory frameworks of stock exchanges in the United Kingdom, the United States and Shariah-compliant markets.
With more than two decades of professional experience, Dr Sidhu has worked with insurance companies, law firms and financial institutions in the UK, and has also served in various roles with government ministries in Pakistan. Prior to becoming chairman of the Competition Commission, he worked as a senior legal consultant at the Ministry of Law and the Privatisation Commission. He has also been associated with UK universities as a research associate alongside leading legal scholars.
After assuming office as CCP chairman in August 2023, Dr Sidhu inherited a large backlog of cases pending before courts. Within two years, the commission reduced the backlog by more than 70 percent, with decisions secured in 434 out of 567 cases through active litigation.
During his tenure, the Competition Commission recovered nearly Rs1.36 billion in penalties, exceeding the total recoveries of the previous 16 years combined. The commission also imposed fresh penalties exceeding Rs1 billion for cartelisation and misleading marketing practices.
Major investigations and enforcement actions were initiated against cartels in sectors including poultry, sugar, edible oil, telecommunications and healthcare. Several key decisions of the commission were upheld by the Supreme Court and the Competition Appellate Tribunal, providing judicial validation of the commission’s enforcement actions, officials said.
