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COLUMN

Once upon a time...

SARWAR AHMED
I am sure you are familiar with how stories begin. Didn't we enjoy stories when we had the leisure to hear or read them at times gone by? Our evolution tells us that we learnt to talk first rather than to write. The use of a pen is more of a recent invention compared to oral communication. As such, story telling is the most ancient form of entertainment, telling and remembering history, and was the means of passing the tribe's historical baton from one generation to the next. Stories help us to connect with our history.
As Reynolds Price, Professor of English Literature at Duke University USA says, a need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens, second in necessity, apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives. Word of mouth, short stories are an important means of shaping and bringing continuity in the organisation's culture.
And so on July 17, Ashafaque ur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Novartis Bangladesh Limited, invited us for lunch. They were celebrating 35 years of formation of the company in Bangladesh. There we were, one of the oldest Mr. Rasul, Akhtar Bhai of Swisscolour, Tajdique, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Sanofi-Aventis and Rupali Chowdhury, CEO of Berger Paints, whose careers began in the legacy
Ciba organisation, joined Novartis Head Office colleagues for an hour or two, telling stories, reminiscing the past. Mr. Rasul had joined the companyin 1966.
Ashfaque had dug out some pictures, which he shared with the audience, taking us down memory lane. Yes, that was Georg Wyss, and Rudolf Randegger, and oh yes, Gerhard Doege, all past managing directors. I got a glimpse of myself in a picture or two, as the slides passed by. The beard was certainly a lot more black compared to the silver of today. Ripples of laughter followed some wily comments as people in the audience saw themselves in their younger years.
Thereafter, each of us shared our piece of the eventful, historical past.
We remembered the early difficult days and creative ways of how the company was financed to keep afloat. As Ashfaque reminded the audience, today's generation was enjoying the fruits of the hard work done by pioneers like Mr. Rasul.
At the conclusion, what was it that had brought Novartis to its success of today, Ashfaque asked of us. It boiled down to the springboard era of Georg Wyss and his visionary leadership that created an environment where people came to work for fun, for the risk taking, enterprising, invigorating work culture. Georg had created a psychologically safe environment where making mistakes were stepping stones for learning. And of course we remembered the continu-
ous learning and development way of life, which he instilled in us. We all felt that this spirit was still with us after all these years and had helped us in our own careers.
More than seven years have passed since I parted from Novartis with the spin off of Syngenta. Ashfaque has redone the office since taking over, his meticulous, orderly trademark clearly visible in the office decor and settings. The company has grown into a leading pharmaceutical Multi-National Company (MNC) of the country and is the largest pharmaceuticals exporter, bagging government awards. The Sandoz brand has been resurrected to name the generic business line.
What is your vision for the future7
Ashfaque articulates his vision to create an organisation, which care and cure people with world-class medication. He seeks Novartis’ recognition as one of the most professional and responsible corporate citizen in business and dealings with community. He wants to ensure that their business model is shaped on ethical practices, which at limes, seems to flow against the tide.
What are the challenges you face today? The challenges revolve around developing quality human capital. Ashfaque wants to establish a mindset of 'working with Novartis' and not 'working for Novartis'. To further this aspiration, an annual Town Hall meeting is held w’here the whole company of 600+ people assembles for company communication, learning and socialising. A one week management development workshop 'Compass', which was developed by a team of us, is still very much part of the Novartis culture change program.
To care and cure’, Ashfaque intends to invest more on people and further develop their skills, strengthen their commitment, excel in manufacturing, marketing and export standards, and establish Novartis as one of the best practices' pharmaceutical organisations in the country. You can see that resolve behind his smile as we parted after a sumptuous lunch that ended the nostalgic story sharing of yester years.
The writer is the managing director of Syngenta Bangladesh Limited