Omair Dawood – CU Pakistan

Omair Dawood (45) from Pakistan
Joined our company in 2021.
Is an International Inspector/SAC and Global Coordinator, HiGG FEM
Business unit: Control Union Pakistan Certifications

What is it exactly that you do at Control Union?

I am an International Inspector and global HIGG Asian coordinator. And I am looking into HIGG ACM, one of the programs that CU Pakistan is working for. I am also the Global Responsible for that program and we are trying to enhance the capabilities and capacities in this domain specifically for Pakistan and other countries. And also I am a Technical Reviewer for SEDEX, and SMETA, one of the social programs we are working with. I am examining Pakistan and Vietnam offices at the moment. I am also active as a Textile Auditor looking after GOTS,GRS, RCS, OCS audits in Pakistan. These are all sustainable certification programs. It seems a lot of work, and it is! But I can manage it.

Why did you join us?

First of all, Control Union is a big name in the market as far as certification is concerned. And I know since 20 years of my experience in the market, that they work in a very professional way and they are an honest company. Those were reasons for me to join. Control Union has a very good reputation and they were partners with the previous company I was working for.

What do you enjoy most about your role/work?

I am enjoying mostly the coordination with people from all the continents in the world; from South America, Europe and Far East Asia. We all are working together as one team and coordinating with them is what I enjoy the most. Every day I learn something new. Learning is one of the main goals for me in this job.

Share with us the opportunities you have had with CU

I joined as an International Inspector, Initially. And after a while, they just promoted me to become the global responsible for one of the programs. I believe that this was one of the best opportunities I could have in just a relatively short time. I believe if you work hard and engage, trust will come quickly in this organization. You can develop your experience in any domain. This way I became the Lead Auditor for ‘McDonalds FS audits’ in Pakistan on behalf of Control Union.

What was your most memorable work day?

There was a certification we needed to do exams for and then I tried hard to become a chemical verifier. Even though I had the experience, it was difficult for me to pass.  I remember the exam was at 11:00 PM and the examiner was in another time zone. When I finally got the online results and saw I had passed, that was one of the most memorable moments I can recall.

Control Union has a CSR policy and cares about the environment. How do you see this in your work?

I can tell you I had a discussion with the management on the need to reduce the usage of fuel because all the auditors drive company owned vehicles.
We are trying to avoid costs, and also the GHG emissions that are the global barometer for everybody. This way we can try to reduce our carbon footprint. So I made a plan with the management to buy us hybrid cars that will save the fuel as much as possible. Our offices also had a contract to install solar panels for our rooftops. It might still take a few years, but we are doing more and more to become more sustainable.

What is your best advise to people who want to join us?

I can say it’s a long run company. They excist for over a 100 years. It’s people are very good in what they do. I know a famous quote:  ‘people don’t leave companies, people leave bosses’. And our management is good. They let you excel, but you have to take some initiative as well. Don’t always wait for management to give you directions or orders. Come up with suggestions and ideas for improvement of work and for our clients. That would be my advice.

So what is next for your work, market and/or business?

I can tell you each and every program where sustainability compliance is involved, we are into it. One of the programs is called Ocean Bound Plastics,.This becomes very important, also for Pakistan. To gather and recycle al that plastic is a big challenge, but rewarding. My team also visit the farms for cotton production around in Pakistan and we are working on ‘Better Cotton’ initiatives and regenerative agriculture and better wages for workers in the textile industry.