1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?

The resistance to change by board members and employees when I went about expanding and diversifying institutions I was at the helm of.

2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Commenced my carrier by being selected as a member of the elite management trainee cadre of the then Grindlays Bank plc in 1982. Received extensive training and exposure in diverse roles both at home and abroad. This prepared me for taking larger responsibilities as I went along in my career. I was working in a senior role in 2003 in Dubai UAE for Standard Chartered Bank. It was then I was chosen to apply to become CEO of Bangladesh's largest investment bank, IDLC Finance Limited. I competed against three other more senior candidates and was chosen for the role. I served there for six years after which I was invited by the board of Mutual Trust Bank Limited to become their CEO in April 2009. Served there for nearly eleven years and have since retired in December 2019, having reached the statutory retirement age in the country. In that position, I also became the Chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh, Chairman of Primary Dealers Bangladesh Limited, Vice President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dhaka and Vice President for two different terms of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I first relax for about half an hour after I wake up. Read the headlines in the newspapers. I then set to work by addressing all the mails that need to be responded the same day. I then sit for meetings from the early afternoon. I do not take meetings in the evenings if I can help it. I chose the early evening to read documents, edit papers and think of the day ahead. Evenings are meant for walking in the park and then relaxing with family and friends. I watch movies late at night.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Never be daunted by anything for too long. You will find a solution soon to the problem at hand. Eventually, with challenging work, thinking creatively, patience, confidence and optimism, the solution has to come. .

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

In Search of Excellence by Robert H. Waterman Jr. and Thomas J. Peters.

It taught me to perform better each day. Learn a new thing and teach it to team-mates every day. Success followed.

6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?

By delegating responsibilities and making them accountable for their actions.

By training them.

Be rotating and exposing them to multiple responsibilities.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?

So called whistleblowers trying to thwart infusion of fresh capital from a leading European country. They made baseless and false allegations against the board members and senior management. These were investigated by forensic auditors which was a most painful episode. However, we surmounted all the obstacles and came out clean and were absolved of all the allegations. The injection of the fresh capital then went through successfully.