Corporate leaders share value of following one's passions

North South University MBA Club organised a seminar on ‘Follow Your Passion 5.0’ at the university campus recently. This is the fifth instalment of the Follow your Passion series. The seminar aimed to deepen the understanding of what it entails to follow one's passion, emphasising that the journey is not without its challenges. Various aspects of following your passion, and offering guidance on overcoming obstacles along the way were discussed by icons in the corporate world.
The seminar was inaugurated with an inspiring and wonderful speech from Dr FJ Mohaimen, faculty advisor of the North South University MBA Club. The sessions were then continued with speeches from the guest speakers. It began with Mashrur Arefin, CEO and managing director of City Bank with over 28 years of experience in the banking industry and also a published writer and poet with many publications. He advised the students to treat their careers like test matches instead of T-20s. He further explains that the focus should be on the long-term goals of one's career rather than just the short-term goals of the jobs one might have. Concerning the seminar's theme of passion, he stated that finding one's passion implies doing what one loves.
The next speaker was Rashna Imam, managing partner at Akhtar Imam and Associates, an advocate of the supreme court of Bangladesh, and also the founder and executive director of the Academy of Law and Policy. She shared her thoughts on a hotly debated topic: work-life balance. She believes that work-life balance is a fallacy, and that if a person is enthusiastic and passionate about something, he or she will put in the extra hours.
Afterwards, Yasir Azman, chief executive officer of Grameenphone and a leader in transformation, change management, and business development took the podium. He said, there is no alternative to hard work. He advised the students to be honest and transparent because, in the long term, it would make them sustainable. He added that passion is the intense driving force that makes one want to dedicate their lives to doing something.
The final guest speaker was Ishtiaq Ahmed, chief executive officer of LPG, Agri-Business and Consumer Goods, Unitex Group. He said that a student's graduation is like an entry ticket to starting a job or business. He explained that it is a phase when students need to step back and do their homework to figure out what exactly they want to do. This homework is very important for graduates to decide whether they want to do a job or start a business, for example. He suggested that one should stick to their passion even if it would take double or triple the amount of time.
There was also a Q&A session where the members of the audience could ask the guests some interesting questions and pick at the brains of these leaders of the corporate world. The session was then followed by a crest giving ceremony for our guests of honour conducted by NSU MBA Club Faculty Advisor, Dr FJ Mohaimen and NSU MBA Club President Farita Binte Hassan. A certificate ceremony for the MBA Club members who worked on this seminar the hardest was also conducted. The seminar ended with a photo session.
NSU MBA Club President Farita Binte Hassan shared, "We are pleased to organise one of our signature events 'Follow Your Passion' for the 5th time - bringing together icons of the corporate world to North South University to share their thoughts and expertise in this matter. We felt that the audience was inspired hearing from these icons and learned a lot from this seminar."
Over 150 students, faculties, and administrative personnel from North South University attended the seminar. The seminar was deemed a success with more captivating programmes, seminars, and workshops coming up from the North South University MBA Club.