Business icons honoured

GBNEWS24DESK//

A business group with global footprints, an intrepid entrepreneur and a game-changing financial institution were felicitated with the Bangladesh Business Awards for their exemplary contribution to the economy.

MA Jabbar, managing director of DBL Group, was the Business Person of the Year, Pran-RFL Group the Enterprise of the Year and leading mobile financial service provider bKash the Best Financial Institution in the 20th edition of the award introduced by DHL Express and The Daily Star.

Planning Minister MA Mannan handed over the trophies to the winners at a gala event at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the presence of RS Subramanian, managing director of DHL Express India; Md Miarul Haque, MD of DHL Express Bangladesh, and Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

MA Jabbar, managing director of DBL Group receiving award from Planning Minister MA Mannan at the 20th Bangladesh Business Awards ceremony at the capital’s Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel last night. Photo: Star.

Mannan said Bangladesh should be a trillion-dollar economy by 2041 or even earlier and the government has the ambition to establish a sustainable, civilised and scientifically-oriented modern society.

“Because of the hard-working people, our fortune has changed. But we are not there yet — we can’t be complacent.”

The government is gunning to become a developed country by 2041 and an upper-middle-income country by 2041, he said at the event styled “Bridge to Prosperity – Connecting Beyond Borders”.

Mannan went on to assure the business community of the government’s constant support so that they can leverage their strength to the hilt and help the country reach its full potential along the way.

Kamal Quadir, founder and CEO of bKash Ltd receiving award from Planning Minister MA Mannan at the 20th Bangladesh Business Awards ceremony at the capital’s Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel last night. Photo: Star.

“We are a business-friendly government,” he added.

Subramanian underscored the need to sustain Bangladesh’s commendable growth momentum through cross-border collaboration, particularly through business-to-business e-commerce, or B2B.

“B2B is no longer considered the underdog of e-commerce. In fact, corporate customers prioritise suppliers and partners that allow them to trade online without first speaking with a sales representative.”

By 2025, 80 percent of all B2B sales interactions between suppliers and professional buyers would occur online, he said, citing a study.

“So, none of us have the option to ignore the disruptive change that is taking place all around us.”