Bangladesh Brand Forum

Leadership Summit

Major General Richard M. BurrDeputy Commanding General,

US Army Asia Pacific

Building a Coalition:

Inspiring Teamwork

Amongst Diverse Partners

Major General Richard M. Burr

Maj. Gen. Richard M. Burr took the stage to talk about

the importance of partnerships in an improved

organizational model that can survive and thrive in

the present day globalized structure of the world. His

work experience in the US Army Asia Pacific has

exposed him to the need to move beyond one’s own

sense of identity and exclusivity, and find the

optimum satisfaction in teamwork and performance

through inclusivity and partnerships. He believes that

new business models will concentrate on

contributions and partnerships between different

cultures, countries, and organizations, and will work

for a common interest. To realize that, he believes

leadership has to be about more than just oneself; as

he says, “Leadership is not about you; it’s about the

team, the mission, the objective.”

Sir Fazle Hasan AbedFounder & Chairperson,

BRAC

In Conversation

with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

The second session of the day was dedicated to a

conversation with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder &

Chairperson of BRAC, whose decades of experience in

social and developmental work has cemented BRAC as

one of the most successful NGOs with a global

presence to stand as a symbol of Bangladesh’s

resilience and social conquers. When talking about

BRAC’s journey, Sir Abed placed emphasis on a vision

that explores all possible approaches with foresight

and work in every level of organizational

infrastructures and hierarchies. He talked about the

decentralization of the authority to lead within BRAC,

the importance of social businesses, and the need to

empower people not just with charity but also with

models that empowers self-sustainability. As his

session ended, his final note placed special

importance on ethics and sincerity in work.

Vivek SoodCEO,

Grameenphone Ltd.

Communication to Connectivity

Vivek Sood

Vivek Sood, the CEO of Grameenphone with 22

years of experience in serving in executive

positions across industries and borders, spoke

in the third session “Communication to

Connectivity.” He discussed how

Grameenphone is now aiming to bolster

communication, mobility, and connectivity,

which in turn can mobilize ideas, initiatives, and

leadership in Bangladesh. He talked about the

relevance of technological advancement in

staying connected with one’s team on a real

time basis, and how it can boost team-work and

productivity. He also mentioned the rapid

growth of internet usage and how it can be a

key factor to speed up Bangladesh’s economic

development.

Ata SafdarMD Reckitt Benckiser,

Thailand, Philippines, Indo-China

Developing Corporate Leadership

in Bangladesh

Tweets

Ata Safdar

Ata Safdar, Managing Director of Reckitt Benckiser for

Thailand, Philippines, Indo-China, took the center stage

to talk about the importance of leadership training and

development in Bangladesh. He believes corporate

Bangladesh needs to keep up with the pace of the

world quickly and start learning. He brought examples

of the how the modernizing world is upholding

leadership values now and posed suggestions on how

we can come forward and develop our homegrown

leadership values. He emphasized the need to overhaul

the current education system of Bangladesh,

encouraged the idea of private-public partnerships,

and asked the audience to respect and learn from the

leadership values found in the most essential

workforce of Bangladesh – the farmers.

Beth MacdonaldGlobal Executive Coach & Learning Facilitator,

Human Capital Development, Philippines

Leadership Mindset

and its Impact on

Business Decisions

Beth Macdonald

Beth Macdonald put a very interesting talk on stage,

where she brought a fascinating approach to the

leadership talk. While we usually hold leadership as a

value, she took a more scientific spin and talked about

ways to identify leadership traits in individuals and

predict their performances as leaders. She brought

practical work dynamics in the form of crunched

numbers in statistics, to show that there might be ways to

predict and analyze an individual’s ability to lead

successfully. Even if the idea seems far-fetched, there

sure is excitement in just the prospect of it. Her views

and opinions that have culminated from years of

experience as a consultant, and personal interest in

science and technology, opened up an interesting

perspective and conversation topic in the summit.

Panel Discussion

Leading Against Odds -

What’s Next

Zafar Sobhan

Khalid Quadir Hassan Zaman Ata Safdar Rubana Haq

“Leading Against Odds - What’s Next” was a panel discussion amongst some of

the leading entrepreneurs and policymakers of Bangladesh. The discussion shed

light on a lot of affairs in the general economic and developmental scene of the

country. Rubana Huq, Managing Director of Mohammadi Group; Ata Safdar, MD of

Reckitt Beckinser; Khalid Quadir, CEO of Brummers & Brummers Bangladesh;

and Hassan Zaman, Chief Economist of Bangladesh Bank; got together with Zafar

Sobhan, the Editor of Dhaka Tribune to discuss their experiences in managing

and leading large teams and the challenges they have faced and endured.

Multiple facets of leadership were exposed, some harsh, some delicate, and

some enlightening. They believe that going forward, endurance, commitment to

lead, and faith in the real issues will bring light at the end of the tunnel for our

next generation of leaders.

Discussion Summary

Priya ParkerFounder,

Thrive Labs

Visioning Lab:

An Experiential Laboratory to

Explore Purpose and Vision for You

and Your Company

Priya Parker

Priya Parker closed the summit by engaging the

audience in a mission to look into their work-life and

career paths and zero-in on their real purposes and

aims in life. Her years of experience working closely

with diverse groups of people showed as she

interacted with the participants to ask the right

questions with the most difficult, yet important and

deep answers. With a very strong work and

academic background to cement her presence on

the stage, she awakened the room by asking

successful entrepreneurs and executives questions

such as, “Do you wish you were doing another job

instead?” She encouraged many in the room to

introspect and work for a goal that connects with

one’s purpose in life to their work.

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