By Sujoy Roy
International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The slogan for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Be Bold for Change” to help furnace a better functioning world and a more inclusive, gender equal world.
Progress in terms of gender parity has always been a striving point in the context of developing countries. There has been considerable improvement in the way working women are valued in Bangladesh since the birth of this nation four decades ago. Proper education, awareness, better workplace conditions and fair governance policies have up scaled women empowerment to its pinnacle. Their contribution to the economy adds up a substantial value each year which is incremental towards Bangladesh’s development.
Keeping this in mind, IPDC Finance Limited, the first financial institution of Bangladesh, has developed its culture to become one of the most women friendly institutes. IPDC has always maintained a safe and sound environment by empowering women to take challenging targets to accelerate their careers. Not only that, it also provides six-months full paid leave to expecting mothers so they can nurture the most precious time of their lives without the fear of losing their jobs. This enables them to maintain a proper work-life balance and have the peace of mind. Today, in honor of all the working class women we feature the driving force and three pillars of IPDC and how their everyday divination takes IPDC’s success to newer heights.
Gulnaz Alam
Head of Human Resources IPDC Finance Limited
Gulnaz Alam has seen through the vision of a passionate and contemporary dream of the biggest revamp of any bank or non-banking financial institution (NBFI) in the history of the country. Holding a workspace that allows her to introduce innovations for the betterment of her female colleagues, she introduced the first ever women’s committee that dealt with the happenings and concern of women before any mishaps could occur. The committee ran numerous workshops along with knowledgeable lawyers to raise awareness for both genders regarding the extent and repercussions of sexual harassment in a workplace. Gulnaz has created a presence in the leading and upcoming universities by delivering speeches and inspirational sessions for aspiring students.
Mahzabin Ferdous
Head of Brand and Corporate Communication IPDC Finance Limited
With her very first step in the IPDC Finance Limited, she pulled out the most magnificent and biggest revamp in the history of any NBFI in Bangladesh. The rebranding marked a milestone with its top-notch standards creating an amazement in the industry raved by the many influential of the country. She was also behind the journey of Samsung Mobile Bangladesh’s marketing from scratch to a leading brand of Bangladesh with her passion and perseverance which set a paradigm for the rest of the industry. “Be the change you want to see in the world” – she firmly tries to follow this remarkable saying. She craves to use her robust experience of working in marketing to campaign for and contribute to the social benefit of the less privileged. She brought many accolades and awards for her one of a kind projects and is famously known as a next generation digital marketing innovator.
With the birth of her twins, she did not find herself any less efficient in her work space. Throughout her journey, she was well always been aware of any kind of obstacles a woman in Bangladesh faces, and opened herself to the avenues that have led her to fight harder. She sets an example as the one of the most dynamic and charismatic woman leaders of the corporate sector of Bangladesh.
Nasreen Sattar
Independent Director IPDC Finance Limited
Nasreen Sattar, an aspiring name for women in the banking sector, is a senior banking professional with 23 years’ experience in top rated global banks. She started her career with ANZ Grindlays Bank in Bangladesh in the mid-1980s with focus in the retail and corporate businesses of the bank. Nasreen spent time with Standard Chartered HQ in London to work with the Global Development Organization Team. After acquisition of the American Express Bank by Standard Chartered, Nasreen was appointed as Regional Head of the Development Organization Team covering India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Her experience in challenging circumstances has helped her to understand how the human mind of individuals in a corporate world works, and the need for development of their potential untapped skills. She is currently a consultant involved in Training & Developing professional women in enhancing their leadership skills, aspirations, and helping them achieve their goals while realizing their full potential.
