‘Never be complacent, take up new challenges to achieve perfection’

One should never be complacent and never be happy with his/her current role, rather the person should take up challenges, which will help in achieving perfection, said Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury, the first Bangladeshi CEO of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited (LHBL).

Chowdhury believes this has been the story behind success in the recent years for LafargeHolcim Bangladesh, a joint venture of Holcim Group, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

"None should restrict himself or herself within the periphery of his or her educational and other background," said Chowdhury, who is the seventh CEO of the company.

"Seek opportunities outside the box, expand your thinking and expand your horizon," said the top boss of LHBL, which incorporated in Bangladesh in 1997 and has headquarters in Switzerland and Cementos Molins of Spain.

Chowdhury is also the first Bangladeshi to lead any multinational cement company operating in Bangladesh.

In a brief interview, he said, "CEO may be just another designation but it comes with an enormous responsibility."

Leading a cement company in Bangladesh has always been challenging due to the imbalance of production capacity and demand, he said.

"Higher dependency on imported raw material is another challenge. But we have a very good and talented team which have proven their strengths in the past. We have maintained a sustainable growth despite many external challenges in the previous years."

LafargeHolcim Bangladesh has maintained positive quarter on quarter growth since 2018 thanks to the innovative and sustainable building materials the company came up with, he said.

"This has set LafargeHolcim Bangladesh apart from others in the market."

LHBL has also made the highest foreign direct investment in the cement industry of Bangladesh having one fully integrated cement plant in Chhatak, Sunamganj and three grinding stations in Narayanganj and Mongla, Chowdhury said.

"I want to work with all to learn best practices and carry out my responsibilities with utmost sincerity."

Chowdhury, who has an MBA in finance and was a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries Bangladesh, took charge as LafargeHolcim Bangladesh's CEO in February this year.

Chowdhury has also worked for Marico Bangladesh, Berger Paints Bangladesh and Avery Dennison in his 22-year-long career.

"Being a Bangladeshi CEO, I have to fulfil the responsibilities given to me by the company and take it to the next level. It is an additional responsibility to show that Bangladeshis can excel everywhere."