“Change Me”: The Re-Branding of an IBA Graduate

Attending the Institute of Business Administration at Dhaka University was neither a dream nor an aspiration. That may seem strange to hear at first, considering how hard it was to be accepted, but even back then, I was thinking about my career in terms of a personal brand.

So, attending IBA represented a "change me" marketing campaign for my entire life. Prior to IBA, I graduated from Khulna University and then joined Bangladesh Civil Service immediately after my work with the European Union.?But I was looking for a change in my life.

In 2007, the first batch of the Executive MBA program was the official start of my "change me" marketing campaign. It was a premium offering of the IBA designed for busy corporate executives. All members of our 1st Batch were fortunate to be in touch with amazing faculty members, each with a unique personality. Somehow, I was made the class captain with the title "Chief." Of course, my "Deputy" became my other classmate, Mr. Monowar Hossain (Country Manager, Asutex).?

So what did we get exactly from our experience? An education? Certificates? Learning? Those are just the obvious gains from the IBA program.

The core value of the program – you can think of it in terms of a unique selling proposition was something harder to define. The program gave us the confidence, dedication, competitiveness, and desire to win. That’s not just true for me, it’s also true for each of my batch mates.

?In my case, I had a strong standing in the Bangladesh Civil Service and anyone looking at me might have thought that I had everything needed to succeed. I might have had the confidence, but I had never been subjected to the kind of social pressure I faced when I became an IBA grad.

"Be different among all" was not our planned approach; rather, it was automatically implanted within us. It was, quite simply, the start of our personal branding.

?At IBA, it was the personal experiences that meant so much. The EMBA canteen on the top floor of the IBA and the IBA Library were the places where we gathered and now can't forget. They were places where we celebrated birthdays, took iftar, and prepared for examinations.

The EMBA was a blend of three generations. Our senior classmate Mr. Sham’s son was studying with us in the BBA program and we participated in the same orientation ceremony. We had mates who were from the defense forces of the Bangladesh Army and Air Force. Some of us had entrepreneurial dreams, which came true with Mr. Mubir’s start-up business Humac Lab. Today's Humac Lab has become much bigger winning some national awards. I and Mubir were born on the same day on Christmas day. So, December 25 was our common birthday and still, we love to greet each other.?

Some of us were like superheroes – ‘the hunters’ Shariar and Sadat vi. The news presenters Mr.Iqbal and Ms. Towfica, with their makeup styles in class, were much fun for all of us. The best cricket player was Mr. Suzan (Chairman & MD, BASF) and also Mr. Gazi Yar, of course, the 'think tank' Warid's Sharirar Ekram. It was interesting and enjoyable to watch the great Kawsar vi – a certified chartered accountant in the elementary accounting class trying to concentrate during lectures. Also Mr. Tareq , Sadek, Ekram who were BBA grads, and many lecturers of our class were common to them but they were very serious all through. Managing all these talents was a real challenge for me and Monowar vi. Under the leadership of the brand guru, Prof. Dr. Syed?Ferhat Anwar (The then EMBA program Chair), we were changed and rebranded as IBA grads!?

This “change me" marketing campaign is not just my personal campaign; rather, it is common to us all. It is still encouraging and inspiring us to be better, more responsible, and successful.?The desire for change makes us better, not just as managers or executives, but as citizens.

Our IBA talents are mostly focused on business management, but the time has come for redirecting IBA grads to entrepreneurship, politics, and government bodies in Bangladesh. Regulatory bodies and lawmakers are slow in adapting to change. Yet, this change is a must for the future development of Bangladesh thus "Change me" can be the next step of the “Change nation" approach for upcoming IBA grads.

And so, as we celebrate 50 amazing years of IBA, it’s time to look back on all of our fond memories and all of the Batch bonding that occurred both during our education and later in life. We have great memories of so many of our Batch mates, not just the people I’ve already mentioned. It was truly a remarkable experience and I think that I speak for all of us when I say that it’s great to be back. Our memories are so fresh, it’s hard to believe that we’ve been away for so long.

J.M.Taslim Kabir , Head of Marketing , FDL-Samsung | EMBA 01 Batch , Class Captain [email protected] | +8801711309115