No! The safest answer
4 September 2026
“No” is not merely a word. It is a management philosophy and, occasionally, a retirement plan.
4 September 2026
Profit before principles
28 August 2026
For decades, Bangladesh treated multinational companies as models of ethical business.
28 August 2026
Rulebook needs a show-cause notice
21 August 2026
In many of our offices, the rulebook is treated like the fire extinguisher: displayed prominently, dusted before an audit, and touched only after smoke appears.
21 August 2026
From floor to runway
14 August 2026
Every now and then, Bangladesh produces a rare policy miracle: an authority listens before the public loses its voice. Bangladesh Bank’s latest Bangla QR circulars deserve appreciation for correcting the course.
14 August 2026
A little honest appreciation, please
31 July 2026
In Bangladesh, praise is treated like public money: everyone agrees it should circulate, but nobody wants to release it. Tell a colleague he did well, and someone will demand an audit. Compliment a bridge and another citizen will ask which political party issued your membership card. We are generous with criticism, stingy with gratitude and quick to suspicion.
31 July 2026
Corporate rituals on trial
24 July 2026
Applying for a job can feel like seeking admission to a royal household. Candidates submit a CV, cover letter, certificates, photograph, present salary, expected salary and perhaps proof of good behaviour in a previous life.
24 July 2026
The cost of neutrality
17 July 2026
Two neighbours went to a village elder with a dispute. After hearing the first man, the elder said, “You are right”.
17 July 2026
The floor economy
10 July 2026
We Bangladeshis love being unique, usually in the wrong direction. We speak of governance “of the people, by the people, for the people”, then regulate as if service providers prepared the draft, proofread it, and blessed it for their spiritual welfare.
10 July 2026
The art of bribery
I know of a deputy managing director of a financial institution who has a fascination for driving fancy cars, something that most young kids dream of.
3 November 2022
Domestic help key to happiness!
In our childhood home in the old town of the 1970s, we had quite a large number of domestic helps. The scale of domestic work was also at another level with a green backyard of domestic cattle and poultry, not to mention the endearing cats and dogs.
27 October 2022
Why we make wrong decisions – instant gratification
One of the things that I learned while dealing with professional marketeers is that instant gratification is very important for any successful product promotion. But I often wonder why people prefer instant gratification.
20 October 2022
The death of traditional telecoms: Is it imminent?
Don’t panic! Telecoms are not going anywhere! But technology will certainly be hugely disrupted with the advent of high bandwidth and low-latency satellite internet.
13 October 2022
Why we make wrong decisions – error of values
As a CEO, I had once asked the chief procurement officer and the chief technology officer to deliver 50 per cent savings on radio network items for the implementation of an ambitious growth plan. They looked at each other in disbelief and told me that they had already squeezed the vendors so much in the last few years that it would simply be impossible.
6 October 2022
Does Bangladesh need 5G now?
During a rural market visit a few years ago, I discovered, to my amusement, a keen interest in 5G penetration among the villagers. When I asked why they need 5G at all, as most did not have a smartphone, their shy excuses said it all. And why not, I urged them. There is nothing wrong with dreaming high.
29 September 2022
Japan steps in to stem yen falls
Japan intervened in the foreign exchange market on Thursday to buy yen for the first time since 1998, in an attempt to shore up the battered currency after the Bank of Japan stuck with ultra-low interest rates.
22 September 2022
Why we make wrong decisions – error of odds
A reporter once asked a corporate CEO about the secret of his success. His response was two words.
22 September 2022
Does Bangladesh need a separate digital bank?
Since I started my consultancy operation, my initial focus was on the areas of digital transformation of banks.
15 September 2022
Driving transformation in good or bad times
We all know about the funny story of Nasiruddin Hojja and his donkey.
9 September 2022
Digital economy or high tax revenue?
An irony of most third-world countries is that honest taxpayers pay more tax and need to be more compliant than those who tend to dodge the system. Not only that, often honest taxpayers even end up getting fined for non-compliance!
1 September 2022
Success and satisfaction do not always come hand in hand
A very interesting research was conducted in the US between two groups, one having won a million-dollar lottery and the other having lost a limb in accidents.
25 August 2022
Life without internet? And pigs can fly!
Just take a few seconds to imagine what life may be like without the internet. There will be no Amazon or Daraz, no foodpanda orders, no Google Maps, no Netflix, no online games, no online study, widening of digital divide, no IR 4.0, no video calls and the list can go on.
18 August 2022
Inflation widening rich-poor gap
In recent months, inflation has taken the world by storm, impacting not only Bangladesh but also countries in the first world. I have learned a few things from my wife through it all.
11 August 2022
IR 4.0 for Idiots!
Late last year, I had the opportunity to attend a daylong workshop on IR 4.0 (The Fourth Industrial Revolution) where the speakers included a number of high-level government officials from multiple ministries and institutions.
4 August 2022
What to expect when top boss is incompetent?
It is small wonder what happens when a politically-backed chief executive officer of a government construction company gets rewarded for his political affiliation by getting appointed as the top executive in a multinational company (MNC) of a technical and digital nature.
28 July 2022
Our love for the Big 4!
When it comes to the Big 4, the corporate trust instincts set in for good reasons but is it time to question if such blind reliance is the best practice always?
14 July 2022
Is the next generation ready to take the baton?
I had just come out of a meeting with my friend who is a prominent banker and this very interesting conversation ensued when I told him that I am keen to help family businesses in Bangladesh with my knowledge and experience.
1 July 2022
Is the devil outside or inside the organisation?
In my last job during the time between 2014 and 2016, the company performance was well below the mark, with 2016 being a serious disaster.
17 June 2022
Boss is not always right!
I used to have a positional big boss who was new to the job and hardly had knowledge of the industry or the multinational way of working. Every time, my team put up a proposal to him, he would look at others in the meeting instead of me while knowing all too well where the right level of knowledge was to be found.
27 May 2022