Bangladesh, being the second largest RMG exporter in the world, is full of opportunities, but also heavy on challenges. There are a few young women entrepreneurs, working hard to prove their mettle in this industry in this country.
Samiha Azim, Director, Shinest Group, a smart businesswoman, a devoted mother, a loving daughter and wife, part of a modern high-tech project in Himmayatpur for high-fashion garments, says, “I want to touch new heights of success. That is why we are constantly improving our factories.”
From day one, she would pose questions to anyone and everyone, only to get surprised looks from them. Today, she single-handedly manages the company, with special focus on sourcing and marketing. Her father looks after investments he’s made in varied fields outside the company. “I spend almost 12 hours in this office, and so do our people. If you want to spend half of your day somewhere, it has to be really comfortable and visually appealing, otherwise efficiency decreases,” she added.
Tasnima Sania Mannan, President, Sunman Group, carries three phones. One is for family, another for office, while a third one is solely for her employees to call her directly. “The workers call me whenever they need help. Sometimes they don’t even tell me their names or which factory they are calling from and immediately start telling me their issues. It is a lot to take, but as my dad taught me, ‘They come first’. They trust me and it is good for business,” Sania added.
Heading the garment, textile and sweater divisions, she kick-started the much-needed transition from a traditional way of working to a more system-driven and result-oriented approach, and brought in specialists from India and other countries. She strongly believes efficiency needs to go up and wastage come down. All her factories are in Chittagong, while she lives in Dhaka. Her children go to school in Dhaka. So she travels two to three times a week, taking the first flight out at 8 in the morning after dropping kids off to school. After attending meetings and reviewing work at the factories, she take the 9.30 PM flight back, reaching home by 11.30 PM.
Oishee Ahmed of the Wisteria Group started her career as an intern. Now she assists in TnA planning and monitoring. Production specialist Oishee is involved in planning everything — from ordering raw materials to date of production to the actual execution with focus on relating the business end to the financial area. A Baccalaureate in Business Administration from Dhaka University, Oishee also has the credit of developing a small in-hosue software system for resource planning.
“If it weren’t for Wisteria, I would’ve been working for a creative agency, but I decided to join the business – to add something new to it,” she confides.
She has had to work 12 hours a day and even endure late nights whenever required throughout her career. Her learning has entailed making mistakes without necessarily being reprimanded by her father who is her guiding force.
“He guides me from time to time and helps me identify right from wrong. So, the situation is bereft of any sort of dictation, ” she concludes.
