Adaptability is the key to success
Business students' must-read book "Principles of Marketing: A South Asian Point of view" by advertising legend Philip Kotler cited a great immensely successful notion of a Bangladeshi professional as a case study.
The thought of "completely Halal Soap" from Syed Alamgir, considered a superstar in Bangladesh's advertising arena, captured the interest of millions and created a global marketing phenomenon. Many companies adopted the idea.
He was the first Bangladeshi marketeer to be cited in the prestigious book.
"If anyone desires for success, to become a CEO or perhaps MD, he must understand how to adapt with new factors," Alamgir said.
"During our childhood, there were no calculators for all of us to compute, and today I have one of the largest computer displays in my room. This is adaptability," he said.
Before you begin his career path just as a business executive, Alamgir had aspired to be in the civil service. Soon after, he changed your choice.
After obtaining an MBA degree from the Institute of Organization Administration of Dhaka University in 1976, he started with Rhone Poulenc Bangladesh, presently Aventis Pharma.
On his very first day on the job, he faced the then managing director of the multinational company who asked him about his aim in life.
"I replied that I would become the managing director of Rhone Poulenc or any different enterprise someday," he said.
Alamgir was years ahead of his time joining directly as a good regional supervisor Rhone Poulenc, and he was first quite certain of his capability.
An individual told him once that whether or not he could turn into a director by 40, it could be considered a successful lifestyle. He started to be a director at age 38.
A few years after, he became the group advertising director of Jamuna Group and executive director of ACI. He reached the pinnacle of his career when he became the taking care of director of ACI Consumer Brands in 2017.
"Learning to be a managing director had not been a coincidence in my own life, nonetheless it was the outcome of my plan found in the road of my profession," he said.
Alamgir also teaches due to a faculty in three universities, and he realises that there surely is a clear gap in academic and real-life task.
"I come to feel the difference and help to make students recognize that in class. I don't only teach I also study from the students."
He thinks it is the business leaders' responsibility to build a new generation to ensure that they could turn into a top leader someday.
"Those people who are students, they must learn in each of the levels of life. They need to do what they ought to do and master what they must learn to take over greater responsibility."
Advertising activities kept changing through the coronavirus pandemic, and there's a concern of exactly what will happen when it's over.
To Alamgir, the transformation in marketing interaction for health items will sustain for a while. The communication about the required commodities will stay the same.
Not only for the Halal marketing plan, Alamgir can be famous for his continuous innovation.
For his lifetime contribution, he was awarded the "Channel i-Bangladesh Brand Forum Marketing Superstar Award" last year as the primary Bangladeshi.
"The key goal of advertising is to look for people's want and fulfil it," he said, adding that he launched various new products with the goal at heart.
Alamgir followed the goal throughout his profession with many businesses and found in light of it all, he introduced 17 new businesses under ACI within the last 20 years.
Citing the exemplory case of introducing ACI Clean Salt, he said persons were eating dirty salt before. "I saw the need gap and created ACI Pure Salt, which is certainly clean white and properly iodised. Now persons will remember me as the introducer of clean white salt."
Alamgir believes that consumers will be the kings, and every organization professional actually works for them and needs to learn from them.
Every successful organization organisation is continually scanning the concepts of the people-consumers, vendors, wholesalers and distributors, and that is how they analyse the necessity gap.
Through the pandemic, ACI comprehended that persons will not concentrate on beauty soap but on health soap.
As Savlon holds 80 per cent market share of antiseptic liquid, ACI analysed the necessity gap and centered on antiseptic soaps.
Regarding to Alamgir, the normalcy right from the pandemic might not come too soon, and companies must get the need gap to generate more progressive products now.
To emphasise the importance of innovation, he explained that the health products of Savlon aren't actually latest. He analysed and understood the necessity gap years ago.
Savlon's side sanitizer was introduced in '09 2009 and disinfectants spray 2 yrs ago, and through the pandemic, their demand skyrocketed.
To Alamgir, business is a great profession as it holds the most significant possibility to help people.
He believes that introducing top quality products to weed away the fake ones is an excellent service to the nation.
Even through the pandemic, ACI had continued regular operations, maintaining wellness safety protocols to ensure that people will get necessary products in stores.
To Alamgir, that's as well a contribution to contemporary society.
"It's authentic that if you're not making a earnings, you won't survive. Business means earnings, but not continuously."
Alamgir sticks by 6 values: quality, customer concentration, innovation, fairness, transparency and continuous improvement. "These ideals are accompanied by all in ACI."
He believes that key performance indicator (KPI) isn't necessary for people as every individual gets the immense mental capacity to go beyond imagination.
"That's why I make an effort to claim something new each day and to take action new. Everyone should excel within their capacity."
Regarding to Alamgir, personal values will be the number one part of life.
"You need to be an excellent person first. There is no point of being successful if you're not a good human being."
