BM Report:
Planning Minister M. A. Mannan commented that achieving the 2041 vision would be very difficult for Bangladesh due to challenges coming from the impact of globalization, political situation, and lack of business leadership. He said, “We should not survive depending on others’ support; rather, we need to understand our own identity and who we are. We should go ahead with equal treatment in foreign relationships.”
As the Chief Guest, the Planning Minister was addressing the 6th Bangladesh Marketing Day 2023 on Friday at TSC of the University of Dhaka, organized by the Marketers Institute Bangladesh (MIB) with the motto of Sustainable Marketing.
M. A. Mannan also said, “Globalization came for bringing the market. That created problematic competition with an imbalance of technological facilities and investment. But this could be a chance for us to work in our own ways.”
In response to questions,he said, “Sri Lanka has survived their economic turmoil; Bangladesh is also doing better in this case. Our economic situation is not like that, though. The government is trying to control market prices and the inflation rate.”
Professor Mizanur Rahman, president of MIB, said, We are trying to keep connecting marketing people with each other to make this career better. Our aim is to build a sustainable marketing chain with the advantage of technological changes. He emphasized that artificial intelligence in marketing will take over our jobs. By developing our skill set, we need to adapt to technology. No fear; make yourself the technology to fight with this. There is no way without embracing that.
“AI cannot perform creativity tasks like management of demand, differentiation, and relationships. So, focus on these for sustainable marketing points. Think about the changing expectations of buyers. Work not only for owners but also for people as well”, he added.
Khorshed Alam Babu, Director of Akij Group, said, “Invest in yourself for personal skills development so that you can lead the company in the future. It is embarrassing to see foreigners in the leadership chairs of the country’s different brands and industries.
Ashraf Bin Taj, Business Director, Consumer Brands at ACI Limited, said, “The dark side of the marketing sector is the lack of leadership skills in marketing graduates. That leads to a career crisis for them after the age of 40. This is because they stopped developing new skills.”
According to him, personal development will help develop the company and the country as well. Time, labor, and money to be invested for this purpose. We need to integrate people with machine learning technology by giving attention to creativity and innovation.
He said, “Infrastructure to combine entrepreneurship and leadership, industry-academic collaboration, and labor rights are needed for achieving SDG goals.”
In a welcome speech, Shariful Islam Dulu, CEO of MARKTALE Bangladesh Limited, said, Marketing workers are brave people who work for business development in the country. They worked in the COVID-19 lockdown as well, providing food to millions of families. A sustainable marketing ecosystem is in timely demand now.
The program was also attended by Syed Alamgir, Managing Director and CEO of Akij Venture Group; Sirazul Haque, Chairman of the DU Marketing Department; Mohammad Mofassel Haque, Director (Marketing) of T.K. Group of Industries; Asif Iqbal, Group Chief Executive Officer of HAMID GROUP; Syed Ferhat Anwar, Professor of IBA, University of Dhaka; G M Kamrul Hassan, CEO of NextGen; and Muneer Ahmed Khan. Cultural session: Bokul Nrittaloy and other art organizations presented a colorful cultural session.
