Driving change, moving forward

Difficult times are times for fortitude and tenacity. It is also time for change, time for renewal and re-evaluation. In this issue of COLORS, we talk about the change makers, we focus on their vision, follow their courage, and focus on their dogged determination to change things for a better tomorrow.

We begin with the automobile industry and narrate the story of Fair Group on how they have put forward a bold step to assemble South Korean Hyundai cars in Bangladesh, putting the country into the automotive industry age.

Halda Valley and its tea estates is another story of turning barren lands into a tea empire in the span of two decades and making breakthrough in the international mainstream tea market.

We look at Bangladesh’s LDC graduation, the implications of it and its challenges and opportunities ahead. 

Adding to this, we also look at the McKinsey Report and the decade of the Bangladesh readymade garment industry. ‑e deep dives from the report used as a reference on what the future holds for Bangladesh’s biggest export earning sector.

On our cover we have Tina Jabeen, the Managing Director and CEO of the first Venture Capital platform, Startup Bangladesh Limited. She speaks about how she is working relentlessly to build the startup ecosystem of Bangladesh and the vision she has for the startups of the country.

In our icon section, we feature Yuji Ando, country representative of Jetro, telling us how Japan-Bangladesh relations are getting better. Then we have Monira Rahman, founder and CEO of Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation, a dedicated soul working to create awareness on mental wellbeing. Next, we have Salim Chowdhury, President of British Bangladeshi Caterers Association (BBCA), whose passion for Sylheti cuisine and entrepreneurial zeal changed the complexion of the British culinary world. And finally, Ehsan Hoque, the Bangladeshi born American working with Artificial Intelligence to help the world become a better place for those who are having to grapple with being differently abled.

And lastly, we spoke to Kevin Wallace, the General Manager of Inter-Continental Dhaka, and his journey from being a finance man to an internationally renowned hotelier.

The individuals featured in the current issue have taken risks in their elds, dreamt to change things for better, become the spearheads they are now.

Zakaria Masud
Editor