The courage to copy
If you walk into a startup pitch competition in Dhaka, it often feels like going to a winter wedding. Everyone wears the same panjabi and waistcoat, and talks about disruption in the same polished accent they learned from a YouTube video.
16 October 2025, 18:00 PM
OPINION / Signals of change: Telecom Policy 2025
Bangladesh’s Telecommunication Network and Licensing Policy 2025 represents the most ambitious reform since the 2010 ILDTS framework
9 October 2025, 14:43 PM
Purpose beyond profit
A CEO in Dhaka once gathered his managers and declared with great seriousness, “Our company has only one purpose: to maximise profit.
2 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Paperwork over powerplay
One of my friends has been working with a government agency for the last three years on a project, bringing more than a decade of hard-earned experience to the table, as well as the rare distinction of having actually managed the kind of project they were struggling with.
25 September 2025, 18:00 PM
Turning toxic politics into purpose
A king once set out to tour his kingdom with an assistant. In the very first village they visited, they discovered that water and ghee were being sold at the same price.
18 September 2025, 18:00 PM
The soul of wealth
The wealthiest man in the city once promised to donate gold equal to the weight of a cow at a charity event. The organisers, being business-minded, asked for some time, not to think but to fatten the cow, and immediately started feeding it biryani to make it heavier.
11 September 2025, 18:00 PM
Job hugging!
We have always been champions of hugging. From clutching relatives at weddings long enough to make the stage creak, to embracing one another at mosques after prayers, to greeting colleagues with theatrical warmth at the first meeting of the week. And of course, the masters of the art, our politicians, hugging voters before elections with dazzling smiles, then hugging power afterwards as if their lives depended on it.
4 September 2025, 18:00 PM
The untapped power of sorry
In our country, the word “sorry” is rarer than electricity on a summer evening. Not because we do not make mistakes. We produce them in bulk. From call drops to collapsing bridges, from delayed mega projects to disappearing dollars, we are world-class exporters of errors.
28 August 2025, 18:00 PM
Why put all degrees and titles on visiting cards
Walking back from the corner shop, Mr Chowdhury met a neighbour who inquired about what his sons are doing nowadays.
26 January 2023, 18:00 PM
Cyber security threats to Smart Bangladesh
In 2016, a group of hackers calling themselves “The Impact Team” hacked into Ashley Madison dating website and exposed the personal information of 37 million users.
19 January 2023, 18:00 PM
Why we struggle to share credit
Back in the day when we went to university, it was a common feature in every batch to have a group of friends who would inadvertently have a designated “Khadem” or “assistant” from the same class, an ordinary-looking, kind-hearted male classmate who would take care of their every need at the drop of a hat!
12 January 2023, 18:00 PM
Can AI be a threat to human existence?
A group of scientists developed the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) in the world, but they were left speechless when it announced,
5 January 2023, 18:00 PM
Dealing with corporate politics and politicians
Once a young boy went to a “Boishakhi Mela” with his father and came upon a vendor selling parrots, which he wished to have dearly.
29 December 2022, 18:00 PM
Digital trends transforming workplace
While it is vital to introduce digital technologies to workplaces, it is equally important to identify the problem areas where they can be implemented. Let’s look at some of the recent digital trends which will impact workplaces in the immediate future.
22 December 2022, 18:00 PM
Giving feedback to your boss
On their way to lunch, the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief human resources officer (CHRO) and their boss stumble on a beaten-up but valuable-looking brass container.
15 December 2022, 18:00 PM
Digital transformation: the term mostly abused
I had the privilege of working with a good number of high-tech wizards in a recent event where I found most of the chief technology officers (CTOs) are upset that the IT budget has been slashed due to the looming economic uncertainties and the ensuing challenges in the banking sector.
8 December 2022, 18:00 PM
Lest they judge
Once upon a time, Nasiruddin Hojja was riding a donkey with his friend.
1 December 2022, 18:00 PM
Are we safe from cyber hackers?
Mr Jones is a mafia leader who manages all his secret deals and finances on his laptop, which is his regular companion.
24 November 2022, 18:00 PM
Dealing with a bad boss
It is common that when a boss cracks a poor joke, we all laugh our hearts out.
17 November 2022, 18:00 PM
Mahbub Jamil: a corporate leader and a nation builder
At its inception Bangladesh had only a handful of successful corporate leaders and Mahbub Jamil was one of them. I cringe from using the past tense for Jamil Bhai. With his passing we have lost a great leader, mentor and friend.
17 November 2022, 06:31 AM
How does social media know what I am thinking?
Back in my university days, I had the privilege of learning a management theory which was of significant value later in my corporate years. It is called Johari Window for self-awareness, a technique to self-improve by knowing oneself better.
10 November 2022, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM
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, 18:00 PM