Md. Solaiman Uddin, FCS
General Manager (F&A)
Amber Super Paper Ltd.
Md. Solaiman Uddin, FCS is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB). Having enriched academic and professional qualifications, dedication & robust performance in his corporate arena, and support from colleagues & well-wishers, Management has uplifted him as General Manager (Finance & Accounts) in Amber Group, a prominent business conglomerate in Bangladesh.
Amber Group has played a pivotal role in the country’s economic growth. Amber, a prolific & diversified group, has been moving forward under the vibrant and dynamic leadership of Mr. Showkat Aziz Russell, Chairman, and Managing Director. Being a business magnate, his farsightedness is beyond the realm of imagination. Both eyes are full of dreams. Besides, Mr. Abu Hasan Mahmud, Hon’ble DMD; Mr. M.M. Chakrabarty, Director, HR & Admin; Mr. ABM Saiful Haque, Director, Operations, Mr. Arisur Rahman FCA, Group CFO and Mr. Mohammad Imran Hossan, G.M (F&A), Amber Denim Ltd. are enriched & experienced fellows of Amber. Mohammad has been seasoning himself under the guidance and underpinning of such icons since 2006.
Mr. Solaiman, son of Md. Jashim Uddin, Rtd. Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of Janata Bank Ltd., a man of Sarail, Brahmanbaria, was born on 31st December 1979 in an aristocratic Muslim family. He started his career at Shohag Group as an Assistant Manager (Internal Audit) in 2005 and later joined as Manager, Accounts in 2006 at Partex Group. During his long corporate life, he equipped himself with affluent business knowledge from a few literate financial colleagues of Amber. His sincerity & transparency was the only weapon to bolster his career. GM (F&A), Amber is currently working at Amber Super Paper Ltd., a wing of Amber Group. This unit produces world-class writing & printing paper in Bangladesh.
This white-collar professional acquired M. Com (Accounting), Dhaka College; Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) under Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka; Advanced Certificate in Business Administration (ACBA) from IBA, DU; CA, Intermediate under ICAB and CMA Business Level from ICMAB. In addition, he completed MBA, Major in Finance, Bangladesh Islami University (BIU), and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) under Bangladesh Open University (BOU).
With the experience of 16 years, he has climbed to the peak of success and opted for bringing more achievements under his belt. Throughout his career, he gathers sound experience in managing the financial aspects of business which require skills, keen eyes, and most importantly, devotion toward the work. Indeed, his dedicated journey of reaching this far is fascinating and inspiring for those willing to build their career in the financial field. Read on to find out his journey:
The InCAP: Mr. Solaiman Uddin, how would you describe your leadership style at your workplace?
Md. Solaiman Uddin: I do practice the Participative leadership style. It enables my working forces a free flow of thoughts & ideas. They can spontaneously contribute themselves to get a job done. Participative leadership improves commitments with morality. If my teammates know they will be heard, they are more likely to contribute and feel like their contribution is highly treasured.
What’s your approach to delegating employees?
My approach is to delegate power among employees by cascading down responsibilities. Firstly, I briefed my junior colleagues about the importance of power delegation and the side effects of its malpractice. Delegation style is made orally or sometimes in black and white. It differs based on the jobs they can do sporadically or regularly. But I continuously monitor their activities superficially and keenly. I keep trust in my supportive hands. In case of misuse of power, no mercy lies on it.
What is your most significant achievement as of now? To what extent does your motivation help you to thrive in your career?
As a professional accountant, my most significant achievement was to convince my high-ups about ensuring the transparency and accountability in Accounts Departments of all units under Amber Group, resulting in the prevention of financial embezzlement. Finally, they agreed upon my proposal and launched the Internal Audit Department (IAD). So now, Amber’s financial activities are being operated under complete check & balance.
However, I got enormous motivation from my Hon’ble Chairman, who told me explicitly while I was continuing the ACBA (Advanced Certificate in Business Administration) program from IBA, Dhaka University, during my service in Amber that “Mr. Solaiman! Continue your study; I am with you financially and allowing your breathing time in office work.” I also got the exact motivation in the MPA Program at Dhaka University. Besides, the heart of my chairman is very kind. He is wise, keeping his employees thoughtful by providing sophisticated office equipment. Considering all, I was fully committed to my chairman and my job from inception.
What is your experience achieving C.A. (Chartered Accountancy) as your professional education?
C.A. is a noble profession globally. It ensures to serve the nation by producing financial literacy. Proper financial reporting in the private and public sectors would not be possible without a professional accountant. As I acquired knowledge from the C.A. profession, now I have been contributing myself in the corporate sector like Amber Group with full of trust & respect. Owners rely on me as various types of reporting are being supplied regularly. It is my proud and ultimate achievement till now.
To what extent does technology facilitate the work Amber Group does?
a) CCTV coverage: Outside and Inside Office except for the chambers of senior executives
b) ERP Software: Our Accounting Records of all units are maintained.
c) Building up own customized software: Apart from ERP, Amber has formed an I.T. Team working on all sorts of MIS reports, accounting records, and Reminder Software covering all units. It has partially launched.
d) Strong Networking Coverage as Amber has an internet service provider unit named Amber IT Ltd.
e) Other innovative and sophisticated office equipment to the executives. No desktop is used in Amber. All staff use Laptop and G.M. and above use MacBook and latest iPhone. In addition, WhatsApp is the standard and most used platform in Amber for smooth communication.
What challenges do you face while playing your role, and how do you overcome those?
i) Cross Commanding From Seniors: It causes a great challenge for me to complete the jobs as no one knows the instruction of others, but all are bosses. In private employment, this is a common scenario probably.
ii) Sporadic Financial Crisis: It’s a great challenge for me as a G.M. (F&A). Especially during the last two years, Amber has been facing a liquidity crisis resulting in irregular liabilities and loan classification for pandemic effect. However, we finally overcame by corresponding with banks by papers and physical efforts to clarify the real pictures and future potentiality. So now we are in regular mode.
Other than academic knowledge or degrees, what are the five skills that the youth should acquire to have a bright future?
i) To develop the Technical knowledge
ii) To introduce academic and practical learning education simultaneously.
iii) To enrich the youth by motivating digital applications knowledge viz. programming language learning as the 4th Industrial Revolution has been occurring globally.
iv) To motivate the youth for cricketing and other athletic practices to make themselves world-class.
v) Freelancing practices side by side regular academic study.
vi) They can read success stories of world leaders, billionaires, and renowned industrialists who were not academically educated to ponder how to develop themselves as an Entrepreneur.
Achievements:
i. Being a fellow member of ICSB, i.e., FCS
ii. General Manager (F&A), Amber, A reputed group in Bangladesh
iii. Having a member of the Intellectual Property Association of Bangladesh (IPAB)
iv. Having a member of Dhaka Taxes Bar Association
Merits & Honor:
i. Disciplined lifestyle
ii. No habit of smoking
iii. Obedient to seniors
iv. Habit of Study
v. Managements trust me, it is my pleasure & honor!
What does success mean to you, and why do you think that way?
Success to me is that my dedication & involvement contribute to my company’s economic growth resulting in enrichment of my personal & professional career because success depends on give-take.
Utterance:
My utterance to general mass:
i) Maintain commitment that leads to reaching the apex point of success.
ii) Read the success stories of the world leaders and learn from them.
iii) Have enough Me-time to improve mental & physical fitness.
iv) Think positive.
v) Nothing to be achieved without dedication.
vi) Believe yourself.
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