Daffodil International University's Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the entrepreneurship program of Bangladesh Open Source Network (BDOSN), recently felicitated Khairul Alam, CEO of Fleet Bangladesh, for his entrepreneurial accomplishments across the country.
As part of their “Chakri Khujbo Na Chakri Debo” award distribution, Alam received the Nurul Kader Award for growing a small company of 10 personnel in 2018 to more than 500 employees in 2021, according to a press release.
No other organization outside of Dhaka has achieved this much growth in a short time, the release also said.
The Nurul Kader Award acknowledges the prosperity of the entrepreneurs and the employees.
The award was named after the business mogul Nurul Kader, who was a pioneer of the garment industry and the concept of back-to-back letter of credit in the business arena of Bangladesh.
Digging a little bit into the life of this trailblazer man can enlighten and embolden us about the versatility of entrepreneurship in today’s world.
Kader was born in December 2, 1935 in Munshiganj. He joined Air Force as a GD pilot after passing the HSC exam but had to quit owing to his physical condition.
He later joined Dhaka University and was elected as the VP by the student council. Having completed his graduation, he joined the Pakistan civil service.
Later, he was appointed as the secretary of the Mujibnagar government and after the Liberation War of Bangladesh, he was appointed as the establishment secretary.
With his deep-seated desire to inaugurate a business of his own, he resigned from his post and launched the first-exported oriented garment industry in Bangladesh known by the name of Desh Garments in 1977.
The legacy of Nurul Kader’s entrepreneurial competencies underpins the realm of the freelancing industry.
Nurul Kader Award is a commemoration of Khairul Alam’s business acumen and a stimulus for Fleet Bangladesh to cope with emerging challenges, the release added.