Sunday, October 6, 2024

One step ahead

Sarwar Ahmed
As you step out of the lift at the entrance of an outstandingly modern, crisp and clean office, you see an oil painting of a lion and a lamb lazing together. If the painting is a paradox, so is the story of Imdad Haque, a 55-year-old Bangladeshi who locked horns with his future. He has offices sprawling from New York to Moscow, Hamburg, Vienna, Ankara, Dubai, Singapore and recently in Dhaka.
Since early in life, Imdad was a go-getter, a value instilled in him by his late father. His father was an army personnel, and Imdad helping, were the first to train the youth of Pirojpur where the family comes from, to use firearms as Mukti Bahini in 1971. His father also made it a point that Imdad learn English and encouraged him to listen to English news broadcasts, bought English books to read and got him to learn short-hand and typing. After the Liberation War, these skills and his English helped him to work part-time, contributing to the family of ten siblings and his parents. Imdad recalls his fantastic teachers of Pirojpur Government High School, which he says is the best institution that helped shape his life values.
Imdad went on to BM College in Barisal to complete his HSC. Staying with a family where he had to teach seven children for his bread and board, he attended college and worked part-time, taking dictation, typing our letters, circulars. The executive engineer of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation was kind enough to arrange a flexible time schedule. Imdad was one of the two students who passed with a first division in 1974 from BM College. Dhaka beckoned him for his graduation, and again, his skills helped him to work for UNDP and ILO to pay for his livelihood. A scholarship to the UK fell through as he could not muster the funds required for the travel.
With an indomitable spirit, a small bag with meager belongings and fifty dollars in his pocket he trekked off to Iran. Again his English and typing skills got him various back office jobs. After the tumultuous 1979 revolution in Iran, Imdad left for Vienna, Austria and then on to New York. Completing his graduation in computer science from City University of New York in 1984, he thereafter completed his MBA.
The year 1984 saw the advent of his business, a computer consultancy firm. The first personal computers had just arrived and all around offices needed networks to be established. As his business picked up, he travelled to Poland in 1987 to attend an IT seminar. There he met participants from Kazakhstan who showed interest in his skills of establishing wide area networks. They kept in touch and asked him to participate in a bid for a WAN project for the oil industry in 1989. Bagging the $4 million contract, he completed the project by 1990, linking nineteen oil production region offices.
During his travels to Kazakhstan, Imdad had stopovers in Moscow. He sensed the market for personal computers in 1991 and set up an assembly unit with 114 engineers. Like a bread factory, customers were literally lining up outside the door. Business was brisk as the PCs sold like hot cakes. Imdad was the first to set up a hyper-market in Moscow in 1999, the American model of 24 hours all year round open market, a unique concept in Russia. He gradually increased his footprint with 14 such outlets. As big players like Migros, Carrefour began to come in Russia, nimble footed, he sold off his business in 2007, staying one step ahead before being crushed by the heavy weights.
As part of his business diversification, the next stop was Dubai and Dhaka. He has mixed feelings of investing in Dubai, more so because of the recent property value crash. The power crisis in Bangladesh will take several years to come to a semblance of normality. That is why he has invested in a joint venture with a Turkish company in Bangladesh. Living up to customer commitments, his gensets (fossil-fuel powered generators) are already making their presence felt in a competitive market.
With his supply chain knowledge and links, Imdad bought off a fish processing plant in Rupsa, Khulna. Tearing it apart, he is investing in the best possible equipment and processes to meet international standards to serve European and Russian markets for fish and shrimps.
The purchase of the plant gave him another bonanza, land. Imdad is now investing in what he expects to be one of the largest garment manufacturing units in Bangladesh. With four floors, each with 60,000 square feet, Imdad believes in the best of technologies as he puts in state of the art equipment to produce 100,000 pieces per day. Why Khulna? You are away from the flashpoint of devastating turmoil of Savar and Ashulia, and the nightmarish traffic of Dhaka. There are certainly trained workers of nearby districts who will appreciate to work nearer their homes. And Mongla Port is only half an hour from the site.
What about the recent wage issue? Imdad says our economy is dependent on garments export; we need to be careful of how Bangladesh is being projected in its major markets, the EU and USA. Consumers are questioning about fair play practices. When news about our garment workers being paid 19 euros a month flash, brand buyers are being put in the defensive, as consumers ask if their production sources are using slave labour in sweatshops. If we do not humanise the workplace and pay decent wages, labour unrest will remain a festering sore and can damage Bangladesh’s long-term image.
How does he manage his business? It is quite simple, he says, hire the best of the best. Inculcate a corporate culture of being a family, deal with your associates with respect and never take advantage of your position.
Married to a Russian, they have three children, born in Russia, Finland and Switzerland. Imdad is proud to be a Bangladeshi who loves our luxuriant rural green. He has the satisfaction of having the vision to provide livelihood to thousands and enjoy the challenge of setting up and having fun in running a business in his native Bangladesh.

The writer is the managing director of Syngenta Bangladesh Ltd.

 

Original article on The Daily Star

Related News

Social media pressure changing news making

Opinion Afsan Chowdhury THE relentless reality of social media has begun to influence news making at several levels. Three social media elements are making these pressures so strong. (a) It reaches consumers almost instantly and in no way can professional media compete with that. (b) Content creators can mix and offer audio-visuals that cost little ... Read more

Securing water for sustainable urban future

Opinion By AKM Mahmudul Haque WATER, the essence of life, is a precious resource that sustains our planet and its inhabitants. Yet, despite the vastness of our oceans, only a small portion of the water is potable. Recent studies have revealed alarming statistics that approximately 80 per cent of the water supplied in cities and ... Read more

We need to transform social norms for gender equality

World Population Day Views Md Nuruzzaman Khan World Population Day, which has been observed on July 11 every year since 1989, holds significant importance in addressing critical population-related issues. This year, the focus is on gender equality, symbolised by the theme of “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls ... Read more

Quality education for all, but quality schools for few?

Views Mohammad Ehsanul Islam Khan Education empowers and shapes nations. Increased enrollment and reading levels in Bangladesh have also enhanced education access. But the focus on quantity has overtaken the drive for quality education, leaving only a handful with access to top-notch universities. According to Dr John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life; education ... Read more

Equal education leads to a better society

Opinion Mehreen Chowdhury EDUCATION is known to be strongest when voices and diverse perspectives are heard and shared around the community. It is vital that young people are given the space and safety to express them without feeling ashamed. The idea of special education is governed by the concept that education is for all. It ... Read more

Alarming increase in child marriage

Opinion Zillur Rahaman CHILD marriage is one of the social ills in Bangladesh. It was once an epidemic in Bangladesh. It, however, came under control because of various measures and the supervision of the government in the past decade or so, but has been increasing at an alarming rate since the Covid pandemic, which increased ... Read more

Time to prioritise social justice

Views We have the chance to reshape the world we live in – economically, socially, and environmentally. Gilbert F Houngbo May 1 is widely known as International Labour Day, a day when we celebrate the contribution of workers worldwide. It is a moment for pride, celebration, and hope. After three years of the Covid-19 crisis, ... Read more

More heatwaves are coming our way. Are we prepared?

Views While Bangladesh has a lot of experience in tackling cyclones and floods, we have not taken heat stress into consideration until now. Saleemul Huq The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently completed its sixth assessment report (AR6), with the Synthesis Report coming out in March. The Synthesis Report carries some key messages about ... Read more

Women must be at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy

Opinion Veronica Mendizabal Joffre and Pinky Serafica Can we truly reimagine a path to a low-carbon transition and change the climate narrative? This is hard to envision when we witness the unprecedented damage we are inflicting on the planet. For women, the effects of climate change are already a lived experience. Where environments are damaged ... Read more

Why collaboration is in our collective interest

ViewsRMG NOTESClimate ActionWithout fashion retailers and their suppliers working together, our industry as a whole will continue to see emissions rising. Mostafiz Uddin According to the latest report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world is likely to fail to reach its most ambitious climate target – limiting global warming to ... Read more

Will our universities survive in 25 years?

Views Syed Saad Andaleeb Quality education is the backbone of a wholesome and prosperous society. But finding the “quality” in quality education continues to be elusive in Bangladesh. The “so called” universities (more like community colleges) are rife with social, economic, political and ideological problems that work against building learning organisations. Teachers, the kingpins, don ... Read more

Can teachers be the pivot of change in education?

Views Manzoor Ahmed “No system of education can be better than its teachers” is an aphorism that remains meaningful. The nostalgic and idealised image of the teacher as a scholar, dispensing knowledge and wisdom to the young selflessly, who lives a simple life with little concern for material rewards and who is looked upon by ... Read more

Climate loss and damage are clearly visible in southwest Bangladesh

Views Ashish Barua, Sawkat Chowdhury The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that the sea level, over the last 120 years, has increased by 0.20 metres, and continues rising fast, caused by thermal expansion, glacier ice loss, ice sheet loss, etc. The sea level ... Read more

How can Dhaka solve its traffic problem?

Views Debra Efroymson If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that “traffic was particularly bad today,” I could have retired already. Over the years, people have hazarded various suggestions as to the cause of the terrible Dhaka traffic and its potential solutions. Causes include: not enough roads for all the cars; poor ... Read more

Celebrating 50 years of global environmental movement

Opinion Saleemul Huq The global environmental movement started in 1972, with the first global environment conference held in Stockholm, Sweden, hosted by then Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Among the heads of governments who also attended was the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who famously declared that environment and poverty were two major global issues ... Read more

Saving earth from disasters

Opinion By Md Zillur Rahaman TODAY is World Earth Day. The day is celebrated worldwide each year to show support for the protection of the environment. It was first observed in 1970 and is now held globally by the Earth Day Network. The UN-sponsored conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3 to June 14, ... Read more

Women for women

Opinion Faria Rashid PATRIARCHAL societies like to deceive women into thinking that women cannot get along, work together and stand in support of one another. Given the patriarchal history of society, it has mostly worked to keep women in their places and apart from each other. This is why we hear so much about women ... Read more

CSR and a new order of business

From being seen as mere philanthropy and ‘doing good’, corporate social responsibility is now at the heart of business sustainability and ethical and accountable corporate behaviour Bitopi Das Chowdhury CSR or corporate social responsibility has been a buzz phrase for quite some time now. Not a day goes by without it being mentioned, albeit in ... Read more

Harmful impacts of cartels on consumers

Munshi Abdul Ahad A cartel is an anti-competitive arrangement between two or more competing businesses. Anticompetitive agreements, particularly cartels, harm consumers in urbanised society, as well as in the emerging countries. In adding together, cartelised industrial sectors lack competition which certainly reduces competitiveness in the long run and may have a negative impact on the ... Read more

How to troubleshoot the economy

Sadiq Ahmed Bangladesh is facing serious macroeconomic challenges and I have written a lot explaining them in a series of articles published in The Daily Star and in The Financial Express. In this new article I am going to write specifically about how Bangladesh could address those challenges while also mobilising substantial external financing in ... Read more