A young turk in management consulting

Mohammed Masudur Rahman, a bright young professional who graduated from the BBA Program of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka and currently is a Business Development Officer at e.Gen Consultants Ltd., a multidisciplinary international management consulting firm of Bangladesh, speaks to Next Step on his rollercoaster ride in the consulting industry. He provides valuable insights into an industry which is increasingly attracting lots of talented young people who are now opting for the knowledge industry over consumer goods, banking, and advertising.

Were you in leadership roles or involved in entrepreneurial pursuits when you were younger or in your university life?
Entrepreneurship has always excited me from the early days of my student life. Most of my work and studies during my undergrad studies revolved around communications and relationship management. This guided me to cofound my own start-up social media marketing venture. The early days of leading a team of young people, all approximately my age, towards a profit-making entity has been a strong confidence booster for me in my career path.
When you were in college did you have some notion of what you wanted to do for a living?
I wanted to have a career path which was rewarding, and made me feel that my work has a direct impact on the society. Thankfully, my current job lets me do exactly that, and also builds up around the experiences I have gathered during the university period.
What kind of activities did you take part in during your undergrad life? Do they help you in the corporate sector? How?
I was involved in debate, as well as business case and branding competitions. They have helped me to become confident, articulate and goal-oriented. Above all, they gave me glimpses of what is expected of me in the real world.
What are your duties as a Business Development Officer?
My responsibilities primarily include international and local business development, client relationship management, proposal preparation, and international recruitment.
If you could learn any random skill, language, sport, etc., what would it be, and why?
I would love to learn to speak German. I am a great Kafka fan, and it would be a fascinating experience for me if I could read and understand his works in the original script he composed in.
Do you have a particular hobby that might not seemingly influence your job, but plays an important role in your life?
I love doodling. My current favourite medium is charcoal on paper.
What is your favourite thing about the e.Gen office?
What captivates me the most is the people I work with. Most of us are of the same age bracket, and started our first job here. This has helped in developing a highly cooperative work environment, and a very empowering culture. Last but not least are the high standards of professionalism and business ethics that e.Gen practices in spite of the challenging circumstances under which we operate in Bangladesh.
What is the present scenario of the development sector management consultancy in Bangladesh?
The development sector management consulting has been making strides towards a brighter future for the last few decades or so. Bangladesh is a fairly large recipient of overseas development assistance. There is substantial room amongst the market players for healthy competition. This may have contributed towards the growth of development sector-focused management consultancies and project management firms in the country. Building up on their reputation, firms from Bangladesh are now working internationally on development projects.
I represent e.Gen Consultants Ltd., which is based in Bangladesh, and now works internationally in multi-disciplinary sectors which include, among others, energy, SME, public finance and climate resilience across three continents – Asia, Africa, and Europe. Our major clients include development agencies like the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, DFID, JICA etc. and public/government agencies within the country.
e.Gen has been the top ranked international consulting firm in the Technical Assistance category of the ADB for Bangladesh for two consecutive year 2012-13.We have been awarded these projects by competing against leading consulting firms around the world, the likes of which include Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers, AECOM, SMEC, etc. This indeed has been an achievement for a Bangladeshi firm competing globally with local resources.  What makes us different is the sheer prowess, drive, and talent of our young team, whose average age is between 25 to 27. This is the youngest team not only in Bangladesh, but possibly in the industry itself in South Asia.
Where do you see management consultancy in Bangladesh in the next 10 years?
While management consulting has not been perceived as the apple of the eye for the country's fresh graduates in the past, the development sector as a whole and management consulting in particular have been getting increasingly popular in recent times. With promises of enthusiasm and energy from new faces, I would argue that the management consulting in the development sector may experience a steeper curve towards success in days to come.
This is one of those industries where you can both make money and have an impact on the society and the country you choose to serve. That is why a job in this industry is one of the most sought after by graduates of the leading business schools of the world including Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, INSEAD, etc.
What are the hurdles for growth in this development sector of our country?
Access to information is often a big challenge for firms in the developing countries. In the case of Bangladesh, corruption and poor governance makes it an arduous task for ethical firms like e.Gen to have opportunities to compete fairly where merit is the supposed to be the sole deciding factor in awarding projects. To be honest, that is one of the reasons why in spite of our success internationally, we hardly compete for projects locally unless we are confident on the ethical standards the local client will follow.
It is ironic that while we are outsmarting top notch international competitors outside the country, in our own country, we hardly find the space to participate on the basis of good business practices. However, I am an optimist and firms like e.Gen are making the next generation realize the value of the management consulting industry. Should we be able to illustrate a bright career opportunity in this industry for the top minds of the country, we may very well become self-sustained in terms of resources.
What is a quotation that holds meaning for you?
A very apt quote in my industry could be a line borrowed from John F Kennedy, “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

Corrigendum:
In last week's article “New terrains in consulting”, we made some mistakes regarding the outline. The article was actually written from the writer's perspective but unfortunately ended up looking like an interview of another person. Hence, today's version represents the actual interview of the concerned person. We regret any inconvenience that may have been caused.