FS Weekly Digest: The Insights You Missed Last Week (Late)

Everyone with a standard Monday through Friday job has at least once in their life day-dreamed about dramatically quitting and starting their own business. Who wouldn’t want to be their own boss? While most only dream, a small percentage of people actually do it. If you happen to be one of those people, you’re probably well aware of the steps you need to take in order to get your business off the ground and start turning a profit.

IDC Managing Director, Ashraf Bin Taj, on the evolution of IDC, how IDC has grown from a team of over 300 people to over 500 people in a year (we first interviewed Mr. Ashraf in 2017, you may read the interview here) and the scale of its operation, the imperatives for growth, how managing the growth and sustaining the culture has become the most critical challenge for IDC, IDC’s ambition to build its own brands and get into manufacturing, how IDC is dealing with financing challenge, how digital commerce is hanging retail around the world and Bangladesh and IDC’s ambition going forward, talks about the role of the CEO in an early stage company and how role of a CEO changes as the company grows, the common mistakes that early stage entrepreneurs and CEOs make, how should startups approach the world of forming a board and what should be relationship with the board in the early days, and why you should never take your people for granted.

The Osiris Group, a frontier markets private equity firm making investments in Asia, and BRAC, the world’s leading organization dedicated to the development, poverty reduction, and humanitarian crisis management, have announced an impact fund partnership with an ambition to provide opportunities in: education, healthcare, the digital economy, and access to goods and services

Social science research should be aimed at social and political change rather than making it a mere tool for getting published and for seeking promotion. Research studies conducted in Bangladesh have largely failed to contribute to bringing change in society, especially because they are rudimentary, motivated by special interests, often agency driven, and not demand-oriented.

Wafi Shafique Menhaz Khan, Managing Director & CEO at Green Delta Securities Limited and DMD & Head of Retail, SME & Micro Insurance at Green Delta Insurance Company Limited, on his personal journey to what he is doing today, the influence of his early childhood experience on his work, talks about his work as the DMD & Head of Retail, SME & Micro Insurance, Green Delta Insurance Company Limited, Green Delta’s business in retail insurance space, Green Delta’s plans in retail, SME and micro Insurance space, how Green Delta is pushing its retail insurance business with innovative products and distribution strategy, challenges for GD’s retail insurance business and ambition for the segment going forward, how Green Delta Insurance is working on solving distribution and awareness problem in the market, his lessons from his journey so far and why patience is the most effective antidote to life’s challenges and difficulties.

Prime Bank Managing Director and CEO, Rahel Ahmed, on his early life, influence of his father on how he looks at life and works, how he started his banking career, his journey to the Managing Director and CEO of Prime Bank, the current state of Prime Bank's business, how Prime Bank is working on a diversification plan with a focus on SME and retail, why culture is critical for every organization, how team Prime Bank is working on building a culture of collaboration and teamwork, the future of Banking in the age of fintech and how Prime Bank is investing in technology to meet the demand of a changing market need, the challenges for Prime Bank and its ambition going forward, why technology will improve the banking as a service, why empowering people is the best form of managing people, a few sectors he is bullish about, why leadership is all about setting examples for people to follow, and why we all should invest in building meaningful connections with people because people are opportunities, luck, and knowledge.