Karachi, Pakistan: The World CIO 200 Summit 2026 – Pakistan Edition has come and gone, and it delivered on every promise. On 12 September 2026, around 1,000 CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and digital leaders filled a Karachi hotel for a full day of keynotes, panels, networking and awards, with over 100 overseas Pakistani technology leaders flying home to be part of it. TechX Pakistan was there as Supporting Partner for the third consecutive year, and today we are releasing our official teaser from the day.
But this edition carried an extra moment of pride for our team. Khawaja Mohammad Owais, Founder & CEO of TechX Pakistan, was honoured with the Tech Leader Excellence Award at the summit, turning the nomination we announced in August into a win on stage.
Watch the Official Teaser
Fifty seconds inside Pakistan’s biggest technology leadership gathering: the opening keynote, the packed hall, the diaspora homecoming, the award ceremony and the conversations that will shape the country’s digital agenda. Full highlights and interviews are on the way on the TechX Pakistan YouTube channel.
A Nomination Becomes an Award
When TechX Pakistan announced its partnership in August, we also shared that our Founder & CEO had been nominated for recognition at the summit. On 12 September, the Global CIO Forum jury confirmed that recognition: Khawaja Mohammad Owais received the Tech Leader Excellence Award for his contribution to Pakistan’s technology media landscape and for carrying the country’s digital transformation story to national and global platforms.
The award adds to a strong month for TechX. Earlier in September, TechX was honoured as an official media partner and winner of the Global Production Services Award at the GIA Global Image Awards in Riyadh. Two recognitions in one month, one at home and one abroad, say something about the role Pakistani tech media has grown into.
Since founding TechX Pakistan in 2019, Owais has covered Pakistan’s technology ecosystem from the ground up: startups, fintech, exhibitions and conferences at home, and Pakistan’s presence at GITEX, LEAP, London Tech Week and other global stages. The award recognises that consistency, and the belief that Pakistan’s tech story deserves to be told well.
[Suggested quote – please get Owais sahab’s approval or replace with his own words]
“This award belongs to the whole TechX team and to every founder, CIO and engineer whose story we have had the privilege to tell. Pakistan’s technology community is stronger than the world realises, and our job is to make sure the world sees it.” — Khawaja Mohammad Owais, Founder & CEO, TechX Pakistan
What Happened at the Summit
The day opened with a keynote from Dr. Erdal Ozkaya, President of the Global CISO Forum, who travelled from the USA to lead the Pakistan edition, and was inaugurated alongside Zarrar Hasham Khan. Ali Rashid, Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister for Science and IT, attended as chief guest and called for closer cooperation between government, the private sector and the technology leadership community.
Sessions covered the questions Pakistan’s enterprises are actually wrestling with: moving AI from pilots to production, cybersecurity in a growing threat landscape, cloud adoption and legacy modernisation, and organisational resilience through economic and regulatory change.
The award ceremony recognised around 50 senior technology executives with the Tech Leader Excellence Award, selected from a large pool of nominations through the Global CIO Forum’s jury process.
Behind the scenes, Event Director Muhammad Umair Nizam and Global Advisor Syed Abdul Qadir (PMP, CISA, ISO LA), the team that first brought the World CIO 200 journey to Pakistan, delivered the largest Pakistan edition yet.
Event at a Glance
| Event | World CIO 200 Summit 2026 – Pakistan Edition |
| Date | 12 September 2026 |
| Venue | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Attendance | ~1,500 tech leaders, 100+ overseas Pakistani delegates |
| Awards | ~50 Tech Leader Excellence Awards |
| Organised by | ITCN Asia |
| Powered by | Global CIO Forum |
| Supporting Partner | TechX Pakistan (3rd consecutive year) |
Pakistan on the Global Calendar
The Karachi summit is one stop on the World CIO 200 Roadshow, which spans 60+ countries and in 2026 has already visited the USA, the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ghana and Singapore, with the grand finale set for Sri Lanka from 22 to 24 September. For a fourth consecutive year, Pakistan sits on the same calendar as Oxford, Singapore and New York, and this year it did so with its biggest turnout to date.
Thank You, Karachi
To ITCN Asia, the Global CIO Forum, every speaker, delegate and award winner, and everyone who stopped by to talk to the TechX team: thank you. Three years as Supporting Partner, one award on stage, and a teaser that only scratches the surface. Full coverage is coming.
TechX Pakistan – Supporting Partner, World CIO 200 Summit 2026 Pakistan Edition. Stay tuned for the complete highlights film, interviews and photo gallery. | techx.pk
