Taking Igloo to the Next Level
Colors’ Tamima Islam speaks to G.M. Kamrul Hassan to know about his journey to becoming the Group CEO of IGLOO.
His journey began in 1995 when he started his career at Nestle, working at an entry-level, field-work post. It was here that Kamrul Hassan stunted much of his growth, spending about 12 years of his life in Nestle; he went into corporate training, and finally landed on brand marketing. Soon enough, he moved forward to newer heights, exploring his potential every chance he got; he served as the Marketing Manager at Rahimafrooz, Head of Marketing at New Zealand Dairy, Head of Marketing at Fonterra Brands, Group Marketing Head at PRAN-RFL Group, and finally, Group CEO of Igloo.
Mr. Hassan’s journey has indeed been a fruitful one, but he had to overcome many challenges without which he would not have come this far.
“Every day comes with a new challenge I need to overcome,” says Mr. Hassan.
He had been the first in many of the companies to become CMO, or CEO, including being the group CEO of Igloo, which meant that he had to form a structure and norms from scratch without any predecessor to look up to.
“I had no references either, which meant I had to deliver the best results to prove myself worthy” shares Mr. Hassan.
When asked about how he overcomes these difficulties, Mr. Hassan emphasized the importance of letting go of one’s comfort zones.
“As long as we are in our comfort zones, we cannot grow any further,” he says. “Fear and self-doubt will always be there but we have to challenge it by facing them.”
Apart from the challenges and having to overcome them, Mr. Hassan wholeheartedly enjoys what he does, and tries his best to gain satisfaction from ‘small achievements’ he makes every day, keeping himself motivated.
“I focus on what I have done rather than focusing too hard on what I haven’t,” he says.
Fully aware of the fact that most companies employ only foreign CEOs, being a Bangladeshi CEO in his home country is one of many achievements Kamrul Hassan’s profile boasts. Of late, he has been awarded as the ‘World’s Greatest CEO 2018-2019’ by URS-Asia One Magazine, as the Group CEO of Igloo.
Being the Group CEO of an ice-cream company is one of many perks Mr. Hassan enjoys in life and when asked about the success of his company he told Colors how popular Igloo is among its consumers, citing survey results.
“Our brand depends on taste, and taste buds can’t be cheated,” he insists. “Even though it isn’t an easy task, we have been awarded the top 100 trusted global brands, thanks to customer surveys.”
As a Bangladeshi brand, Igloo is number one in the ice-cream industry. They maintain top-notch hygiene and quality, and about 90 percent of their ingredients are sourced from Europe, just like any other premium ice-cream out there.
“I have a goal to place Igloo in the minds of consumers so that the word ‘ice-cream’ will be replaced completely by ‘Igloo’,” says Mr. Hassan.
Despite the achievements Igloo has made, it is still a temperature-dependent product, which makes it all the more tough to maintain.
“A lot of times, merchants tend to face difficulties selling ice-cream due to issues like shortage of electricity and lack of facilities,” shares Mr. Hassan. “Therefore, we still have room for a lot of improvement in terms of infrastructure, but I believe we will get there soon.”
Apart from being ‘World’s greatest CEO’ on a daily basis, in his free time, Kamrul Hassan’s passion lies in hosting shows, namely on ABC Radio, RTV and also Spice FM. Being the busy man that he is, he is still a family man and observed that his family’s support has helped him come a long way.
“I may not always be able to give my family time, but I make sure I manage somehow,” he says. “After all, life is a big managerial role, and if you can master that, you can master any job you do.”
