Shawket Ahmed
General Manager (Sales)
Rupayan Housing Estate Limited
Career Story
I have started my 1st job after graduation with a Design House called Themo Graph, one of the sister concerns of Pioneer Printing Group. And then join Adcom, one of the leading advertising agencies in the country at that time.
After Adcom, I tried to set up my own Design Studio called The Mac Man Graphics Studio in 1997 and ran the business for three years. At that time, I get to close one of the Management Guru and Real Estate legend Mr. Salim A. Khan, then Managing Director of Advance Development and Holdings Ltd. After working for three years with him as Marketing Agency, then when he formed Asset Development and offered me a position for Head of Marketing in Asset Development, I accepted the offer and started my Real Estate career.
Long 20 years have passed after that, and in this long journey, I have worked for Asset Developments & Holdings Ltd, Rangs Properties Ltd, Building Technology & Ideas Ltd, Jamil Uddin Ltd, Jamuna Group, Nodi Bangla Group, and Rupayan Group in a different senior position like General Manager, Head of Operation, etc.
Presently I am working as the General Manager Sales in Rupayan Group and leading a dynamic team of sales and bringing better business for the company through better sales support and service to our valued clients.
Life Journey
I am from a middle-class family, born in Wari Dhaka. From our childhood, we were involved in cultural activities, like art, music, dance, play, etc. In due course, I have grown in old Dhaka and moved towards the north. Now I am living at Bashundhara R/A with my better half Tania Afroz and my beloved children. My son Tamim is now 18, and my daughter Arpi is 8 years old.
Education
After I graduated from Kabi Nazrul Government College in Business Studies, I did my MBA from Trinity College and University, USA.
Professional Procession
In Bangladesh’s real estate sector, I have implemented many pioneering ideas in the field of marketing. When I started my career with Asset Development, we formed the 1st complete marketing department different from sales. Before 2000, sales and marketing were the same department and was managed by the senior salesmen or the owner of the business himself, but we have understood the need of the growing market and could foresee the future of Real Estate in Bangladesh and conceptualize the need for specialized marketing activities in a highly competitive market.
We have brought drastic changes in the real estate marketing concept breaking all the conventional sales and marketing approaches. We were the first to introduce Mass Mailing using beautifully designed mail cards, Project Logo, and Fencing, reaching Clients to publish regular creative advertisements and creating a long-lasting Brand Image through phenomenal bonding with Buyers and Customers, creating memorable Events, Souvenirs, and Brochures & printing materials. Now the real estate market has grown as a billion-dollar industry and contributing to the country’s GDP.
I have the pleasure to create many real estate marketing professionals over the years. Those who have worked under or with me in my department are the symbol of my major contribution to the real estate marketing field.
Hobby and Other Interest
If I say something about the hobby, then the list will be long. I love painting and artwork, and I did one painting exhibition in April 2014 at Dhaka Art Gellary, Dhanmondi; it was a week-long exhibition. The title of the exhibition was ‘Crossing Through’.
I love to write poems, songs and stories. I have thee published book, two of them are Collections of Poems and one Novel. I do Bird photography, Design Murals, and Interior designs apart from my Core Sales Profession. One more thing I love to give corporate training on Sales and Marketing.
Corporate Perspectives
In a very short manner, I just would like to mention; there are very few real estate companies that have a proper corporate environment to work and grow. Real Estate still is a very owner-centric family business. Many companies think providing some incentive is the recognition of someone’s contribution, which is absolutely wrong.
So far as I know, no real estate company has taken any initiative to provide a house for their employees with long-term payment facilities. But the owners have earned a hell lot of money by the contribution of all the employees. This is why I would like to request all the owners of real estate to change their perception and start truly participatory management where the employer and employee both will grow and serve the industry for sustainable development and growth.
Life Philosophy
The word Philosophy seems very tough to hear, but it is as simple as water. I have a very simple and straight philosophy in my life, and that is “Limiting desire and being happy”.
Personal Social Responsibilities (PSR)
Contributing to make good professionals and inspire them to be positive.
Utterance
Self-confidence and focused work will produce the result.
