Page 44 - ICE BUSINESS TIMES March 2020
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business leader. One of the most   leaders in our EO board and it has                                                                     survive and need to balance it with   make it unique. This includes   organization of successful
 highly rated Board Room Session   been a wonderful experience                                                                             goodness of life. We entrepreneurs   gaining access to important places   entrepreneurs. Since it offers a
 was held with acclaimed business   working with them. Each board                                                                          love our work, and family is the   and meeting global leaders,    plethora of benefits, including local,
 leader of Bangladesh, Mr. Sk. Bashir   member is exemplary in their own                                                                   most important thing in our lives.   Networking with entrepreneurs   regional, national and international
 Uddin, MD of Akij Group.  right and in their own sector of                                                                                So we need to find harmony to enjoy   spread all over the world, having   events, and provides access to really
 My second priority is to focus on the   business. Hence leading the EO                                                                    what we do, whether at work, with   business development          good resources, we are focusing
 importance of social responsibility   agenda has been a smooth ride.                                                                      family or in the community. Time   breakthroughs by gaining insight   more on quality of service for the
 for us business leaders and find   However, one of the main challenges                                                                    management skills, purposeful    from sector leaders and personal   existing EO members and we are not
 collaborative ways. Business leaders   is to manage the demand on our                                                                     work, delegation and building teams   growth through learning and   promoting very aggressively about
 are constantly looking to find   time. Leading a business can be                                                                          that work proactively gives us a lot   experience shares.         new member recruitments. We are
 solutions to problems and hence it is   tough and the role requires                                                                       of flexibility. Leading EO does take   One of the unique features of EO is   only taking new members based on
 also our responsibility to find   round-the-clock dedication, and                                                                         up a lot of time and volunteering my   the forum experience. Upon joining,   referrals from existing members and
 solutions and to act in the best   most times we are busy                                                                                 time, like many others in EO, have   members are assigned into a forum,   the current process takes about 1
 interests of the environment and   troubleshooting. As entrepreneurs   MyEO New Years Party                                               been very rewarding and have been   a long-term group of about 8-10   month including vetting from global
 society as a whole. We have had a   we feel there is no clock-out time   An Exclusive Learning Workshop by Daniel Marcos                  instrumental in my personal growth.    people who meet on a monthly basis   and local board.
 successful agreement with EO   and you should always be working.                                                                                                           to confidentially share the
 Switzerland to form a working   Obviously, it is rewarding to see the                                                                     How does EO differ                highlights and lowlights of their   What is your
 committee on how the EO members   business we have built to grow,                                                                         from the rest of the             lives, learning and helping each   expectation with the
 from both countries can collaborate   evolve and flourish. But a                                                                                                           other through shared experience.
 on social initiatives. Also the global   systematic way of organizing work                                                                entrepreneurs                    These are not mentors, but rather a   impact award
 What motivated you   scary at the same time. I felt the   award event ‘Social Impact Business   and life is very important and            organization, say                set of friends with businesses in   ceremony?
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Bangladesh is a land of
 Awards’ is going to be held in
 knowing what is purposeful work is
                                                                                                                                                                            different industries, picked so that
 to join EO?  need to be with like-minded   As a president what was   Dhaka, Bangladesh. This is a matter   important.                     different business and            there can’t be a conflict of interest in   entrepreneurs and social innovation
 people with an entrepreneurial
 After I graduated as Industrial   mindset. I joined the business   of great honor for us and EO   In EO so far we have had 6 training     bilateral chambers?              the group. This is a unique learning   and it was a justified choice of the
 Engineer from USA and joined   chambers, but realized that I   your first priority? How   member companies who have been   programs already among various   EO is the only global network   experience that is intially guided   global MyEO Engage team to choose
 my family business in Dhaka,   needed more than an   much did you manage   nominated from around the world   groups of members in areas such as   exclusively for entrepreneurs. An   and moderated by EO. This access to   Bangladesh as the destination for
 the first thing that I wanted to   association around businesses   to accomplish during   for their work in Social Impact   strategic planning, regular and   entrepreneur is not just about work,   people with similar but different   the award event. This event is
 do was start new businesses   and its policies. As I was talking   your tenure?  Businesses will be presenting their   accelerated forum trainings etc. and   it very much involves family, social   experiences is something that you   bringing in many foreign EO
 while bringing sizeable changes   to a friend of mine, he referred   projects in Dhaka.  all these sessions focus on                      obligations and community that we   simply cannot not buy for any   members to Bangladesh and also
 to the existing ones. I completed   me to  Entrepreneurs’   Bangladesh being a fast developing   teambuilding and how to work in a   Shanghai Award Winner of Bangladesh MyEO She Rockers SDG Awards gets her trophy   Tahsin Aman representing EO Bangladesh in support of SDGs at the United Nations   work in. Unlike the trading   amount of money.  putting Bangladesh on the map of
                                                                Headquarters, New York
             from the Global Presidents
 my MBA from IBA and hoped   Organization (EO) in Toronto   country, with a strong growing   Did you face any   structured manner, whether it is   chambers, EO helps leading                                the EO universe. The global team
 my knowledge of business   and asked me to meet a few   home market and with export   making annual plans or even how to                  entrepreneurs learn and grow     How are you trying to            will be announcing four divisional
 administration will help me   members to understand what   success as well, is causing a boom   challenge being the   conduct meetings among our EO   through peer-to-peer learning,                        winners: Division 1 – Europe/Latin
 reach my entrepreneurial goals.   they do. And that was the ‘Aha’   in private sector development.   president? How did you   members with the latest techniques   once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and   promote EO among   America & Caribbean/MEPA,
 I was full of ambition and   moment for me. I was   Hence, more and more   balance between your   and technologies.                       connections to experts.          local entrepreneurs?             Division 2- Asia Pacific/North Asia,
 optimism. I tried, succeeded and   introduced to a global   entrepreneurial efforts are seen   hectic business   I, myself, have learned a lot from EO   There are many attributes of EO that   EO is a great, curated, global   Division 3 – South Asia, Division 4 –
 even failed in a few business   organization that was all about   across all sectors. It is often seen   training on how to organize life and                                                               USA/Canada with one Hall of Fame
 ventures. The whole experience   Entrepreneurs  and once I got to   that large to small companies   schedules and activities   work. Work life balance is a myth. It                                        winner and one Global Winner.
 of being an entrepreneur was a   see what they do, I was   conduct businesses with silo   of EO?  gives a false notion that work is bad                                                                     We are very happy to host the
 bit wild and rewarding, as every   convinced that this is where I   mentality and the concept of   We have a very dynamic group of   and it is something that we need to                                    Summit and Awards event in
 place that I looked showed me   should join. EO is an   competition and secrecy hampers                                                                                                                     Bangladesh in March. Our extensive
 the need and opportunity that   organization that not just   learning and makes the companies                                                                                                               program will include panel
 had businesses solution with its   connects entrepreneurs globally   static and not ready for growth.                                                                                                       discussions on ‘Local Initiatives –
 share of risks. It was fun and   Hence a lot of entrepreneurial efforts                                                                                                                                     Global Impact’ moderated by Brian
 but focuses on the learning and   fail after struggling for many years.  Presidency Handover ceremony
 growth, and covers family and   My first priority in EO is to instill                                                                                                                                       Brault, past global chair of the board
 society as well, which is an   the value of learning for continuous                                                                                                                                         of EO and current chair of the
 integral part of entrepreneurial   growth and focus more on                                                                                                                                                 EO-UN SDG working group, project
 ecosystem. I joined immediately   collaborative knowledge rather than                                                                                                                                       presentations of the awardees, visits
 and felt that I have met my   the fear of competition.                                                                                                                                                      to exemplary local initiatives such
 tribe. Even being members as   So far we have had successful                                                                                                                                                Brac and Sajeda foundation, tour of
 entrepreneurs from different   learning events with local and                                                                                                                                               heritage sites of Dhaka for our
 countries we acted, talked and   foreign experts. The most successful                                                                                                                                       foreign visitors, socials and
 thought alike. It was very   one was by Daniel Marcos who did a                                                                                                                                             networking events. It will be a big
 refreshing.  That is how my   workshop on “Scaling 10x Business                                                                                                                                             celebration for the social change
 journey with EO started and I   with less stress”.                                                                                                                                                          makers from around the world and a
 am happy that we are able to   At EO we also have an informal and                                                                                                                                           good recognition to their initiatives
 bring the immense value of EO   very private discussion session                                                                                                                                             and will surely highlight the
 to Bangladesh for our   called “BoardRoom Series” which                                                                                                                                                     difference EO members are making
 entrepreneurs.  takes place in the boardroom of the   Board Room Series with Rupali Chowdhury, one of the most successful CEO of   EO Bangladesh received Plaque of Appreciation in Colombo for spearheading   locally and globally.
                                                                Social Impact Business Programs in 2018
             Berger Paints Bangladesh
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