JOURNEY OF A VISIONARY LEADER: TAMARA HASAN ABED

Semester: Summer 2024

Course Name: Managerial Skills Development
Course: HRM 370
Section: 03
SUBMITTED TO:

Faseeha Zabir (FSZ)

Senior Lecturer, Department of Management
North South University

SUBMITTED BY GROUP- 1
Name ID
Arup Banerjee 1921107030

Sadia Islam Talukder 1911478630

Shafkat Nazrul 2013805030

Fariya Khondaker 2021738630

Anwarul Abser Chowdhury 2022470630

Erina Washima 2111142030

 JOURNEY OF A VISIONARY LEADER: TAMARA HASAN ABED

Letter of Transmittal

16th November, 2024

Ms. Faseeha Zabir,

Senior lecturer
Department of Management
School of Business and Economics
North South University

Subject: Submitting the report ‘Journey of a visionary leader: Tamara Hasan Abed’.

Dear Faseeha Zabir ma’am,

With due respect and humble submission, we, Group 1 from HRM370, Section 3 would like to
submit our group report. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for
bestowing us with the proper guidance and support throughout the case. We sincerely hope that
you will find this comprehensive report useful and appropriate as per the given requirements.
We pledge that under no circumstance will any part of it be reproduced for any reason, shared
with anyone else, or uploaded to any Internet website without your written consent.
Furthermore, we pledge that this report has not been submitted to any other faculty member of
North South University.

Sincerely,
Group 1

Name ID
Arup Banerjee 1921107030

Sadia Islam Talukder 1911478630

Shafkat Nazrul 2013805030

Fariya Khondaker 2021738630

Anwarul Abser Chowdhury 2022470630

Erina Washima 2111142030

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Acknowledgement

We want to start by sincerely thanking our distinguished faculty member Faseeha Zabir, whose
advice and mentoring were crucial in creating the structure and caliber of our project. We also
want to express our gratitude to the members of our organization for their hard work, devotion,
and honesty. To the report, each group member contributed their own thoughts, knowledge, and
experience. Last but not least, we are grateful to the helpful reference books, papers, websites, and
magazines that gave us pertinent information. This research and the caliber of the outcomes we
achieved were greatly boosted by the pooled knowledge we gathered from these resources.

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Executive Summary

The objective of this research is to examine Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed's outstanding leadership
qualities in regard to BRAC Enterprises, highlighting her role as managing director, and her
involvement with BRAC University and Aarong. She's been educated at the University of Dhaka
and Harvard Business School and has combined social and business needs to take advantage of
BRAC's sustainable and socially inclusive objectives. Her model of leadership combines the
principles of transformational and servant leadership: emotional intelligence, conflict
management, strategic influence, and fostering innovation and growth within the organization.
Initiatives led by Tamara have helped in enlarging the scope of operation of BRAC while
incorporating significant social benefits through Aarong, which helped the community of artisans,
both economically and socially. Her outlook is evidence of how business strategies can
successfully combine ethical approaches and development for everyone so that it becomes a game-
changer agenda.

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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Methodology................................................................................................................................................. 5
Introducing Tamara Hasan Abed .................................................................................................................. 5
Childhood .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Education .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Liking and Preferences .............................................................................................................................. 6
All about the organization ............................................................................................................................ 6
BRAC Enterprises....................................................................................................................................... 6
BRAC University ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Aarong ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed’s Position and Contribution in BRAC & BRAC University .................................. 7
Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed’s contribution in Aarong ................................................................................... 8
Analyzing her characteristic .......................................................................................................................... 9
Emotional Intelligence .............................................................................................................................. 9
Conflict Management: .............................................................................................................................. 9
Trait Approach: ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Transformational Leadership .................................................................................................................. 10
Servant Leadership ................................................................................................................................. 10
Path-Goal theory ..................................................................................................................................... 10
The Myers-Briggs Type............................................................................................................................ 11
Influence Strategy ................................................................................................................................... 12
Leadership/ Manager Meter ....................................................................................................................... 12
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 13
References .................................................................................................................................................. 14
Contribution Table ...................................................................................................................................... 16

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Introduction
The report in the present case is an assessment of the development and managerial skills of Ms.
Tamara Hasan Abed, who is the Managing Director of BRAC Enterprises. In this regard, the report
aims to reflect the leadership image via the performance and achievements of a given person with
regard to transformational and authentic leadership framework. The purpose of this analysis is to
help delineate the aspects or attributes that make it possible for her to manage effectively BRAC
Enterprises, one of Bangladesh’s successful social businesses, and at the same time, draw attention
to the development efforts she has been involved in.

Methodology
The present report relies majorly on secondary sources such as published academic works, news
articles and documents from BRAC Enterprise. The information in regard to Tamara’s biography
has been obtained from open access to carry out a deeper probe on her management style and the
practices used therein. The report answers the question centered around her leadership and
perspectives on leadership with respect to transformational leadership concepts and theories.

Introducing Tamara Hasan Abed

Tamara Hasan Abed’s trajectory towards the helm of leadership can be described as having a vast
array of experiences combined with an earlier ingrained aspect of social values that was deeply
rooted in her family and education.

Childhood

Tamara Hasan Abed was born into a family that practiced and preached social development and
empowerment of the community (Aarong, n.d.). One of her notable influences during her
formative years was her father, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, who is the founder of BRAC. With this kind
of upbringing focused on the betterment of the society, Tamara imbibed the qualities of
compassion, duty towards others and volunteer work which later shaped her in many ways as a
leader and a social entrepreneur (Aarong, n.d.).

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Education

Tamara pursued her undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Dhaka and earned an
MBA at Harvard Business School (BRAC, n.d.). This educational background was instrumental
in instilling a sense of global outreach and subject mastery in her and in BRAC Enterprises which
enables her to strike a perfect balance between social investments and business leadership.

Liking and Preferences

Tamara is dedicated to social sustainability and ethical practices (BRAC, n.d.) She loves heritage
and crafts in her work with Aarong by promoting and supporting local handicrafts (Aarong,
n.d.). On a more personal level, she finds joy in researching social enterprise trends and
developing young business leaders in order to raise a generation that seeks to change the world for
the better (Aarong, n.d.).

All about the organization

BRAC is one of Bangladesh's most prominent non-governmental organizations, founded in 1972.

They have been operating internationally too, in 11 developing countries in South Asia and sub-
Saharan Africa since 2001 (BRAC USA, 2020). BRAC is known for creating endless opportunities
for everyone, especially empowering people who live in poverty. They want to solve Social
problems. Some of the things that they do are educate children, provide health care, and provide
micro-finance for local business initiatives.

BRAC Enterprises
It is a wing of BRAC that was established mainly to motivate job-creating businesses for the
betterment of the lives of people (BRAC Enterprises, n.d.). Thus, it seeks to create employment
and the economy Some of the fields in which it operates include agriculture, retail, and health to
guarantee that the businesses yield profits and, at the same time, enhance the lives of the people.
This way, they assist people in acquiring skills, getting income, and improving their status of being
independent. The aim is to educate and enable people and families to solve significant social
problems such as health care and availability of food (BRAC Enterprises, n.d.). Finally, BRAC
Enterprises ensures the growth and development of the economy (BRAC Enterprises, n.d.).

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BRAC University

BRAC University is one of the most essential parts of BRAC, and it works in education and
learning (BRAC University, n.d.). It was established to enable it to deliver quality education to
students in Bangladesh as well as across the globe (BRAC University, n.d.). This site endeavors
to prepare young people through knowledge and skills acquisition for their immediate careers and
society. Maintaining students rather than leaving students behind and creating a supporting
environment are some characteristics of BRAC University that contribute to the success of students
from struggling backgrounds (BRAC University, n.d.).

Aarong
Aarong is a social business venture of BRAC that aims to market handicraft products and aid the
artisans of Bangladesh (Aarong, n.d.). The idea is to build a viable income source for thousands of
artisans, including women from village areas. Being an NGO, Aarong also produces and sells
several dresses, utensils, ornaments, clothing materials, and more. In offering remunerative wages,
skills development, and market linkages, Aarong empowers the artisans as collected creations
maintain the spirit of the respective cultures (Aarong, n.d.). It also brings women to economic
opportunities that enable them to keep themselves financially afloat for themselves. As a result,
Aarong supports BRAC's mission of alleviating poverty, empowering the society and encouraging
economic growth (Aarong, n.d.).

Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed’s Position and Contribution in BRAC & BRAC University

BRAC is one of the world’s largest non-governmental development organizations, Tamara Hasan
Abed holds the position of Managing Director of BRAC Enterprises which is a key segment of
BRAC. She oversees a diverse portfolio of about 13 social enterprises. (Abed, T. H., n.d.).

She plays the role of both strategic and operational which may ensure BRAC’s enterprises remain
socially responsible and financially sustainable and align with BRAC's broader mission (Shah, N.,
2023). BRAC's social businesses have been updated significantly under the direction of Tamara.
Her supervision is helping BRAC to become more inventive and resilient while maintaining the
moral standards of the organization. Her works have shown how business can be both profitable

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and socially effective in addition to helping underprivileged communities and advancing the
economic growth of Bangladesh.

She was elected the new board of chairperson with effect from July 25, 2019 in BRAC University
(Shah, N., 2023). However, since January 2011, she had been serving as a member of the board
and a member of the syndicate since March 2011.

Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed’s contribution in Aarong

Tamara Hasan Abed has played significant role for upholding and expansion of Aarong (Aarong,
n.d.). Aarong is a cherished brand which was inspired by her mother, Ayesha Abed initially
(Aarong, n.d.). Since she stepped into leadership at BRAC Enterprises, Tamara has focused on
modernizing Aarong at the same time preserving its roots for supporting artisans and promoting
traditional Bangladeshi crafts (Abed, T. H., n.d.). She has implemented strategic expansions by
increasing the retail presence nationwide and bringing Aarong to a broader audience (Shah, N.,
2023). She also kept the idea of global expansion in mind as a result she pushed into the
technological advancement of Aarong and introduced a website and Aarong app for better reach
and at the same time for user experiences (Shah, N., 2023).

Tamara has also worked on the improvement of product quality, supply chain management and
brand positioning which helped Aarong to grow sustainably meanwhile supporting thousands of
rural artisans (Abed, T. H., n.d.). She ensured Aarong remained relevant in a competitive market
with the help of diversification of different product lines, adopting digital marketing and launching
new store concepts. Tamara’s vision helped Aarong to align with BRAC’s social mission, by
providing fair wages to empower artisans, skill development and a stable income, making her
instrumental in carrying her mother’s legacy forward (Shah, N., 2023).

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Analyzing her characteristic

Emotional Intelligence

In an interview, Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed stated, she used to give opportunities to the old
employees despite knowing that they were not suitable for that particular position. This situation
impacted her organization negatively. Besides, she took the growth of her subordinate very
seriously. She tries to understand the strengths and weaknesses of others (Future Startup, 2018).

This indicates that she was trying to please people in her initial stage of her career. With the passage
of time, she worked on herself and built emotional intelligence.

Conflict Management:

In the mid-1990s, the business world did not accept women as leaders; she had to demonstrate her
abilities (Future Startup, 2018). During the covid-19 pandemic, she came up with an innovative
idea of booking slot using online platform of Aarong (Future Startup, 2020). She mostly used the
collaborative and accommodating approach to resolve conflict based on the situation.

Trait Approach:

The goal of the trait approach to leadership is to pinpoint the particular characteristics that set
successful leaders apart. Important qualities of Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed include
• Visionary: Expanding Aarong nationwide and enhancing brand image, product quality and
welcoming new ideas indicates that she has a clear vision for Aarong (Future Startup, 2018)
(Abed, T. H., n.d.).
• Neuroticism: Composure is one essential quality of a good manager even when sitting in
a plane during a pandemic (Future Startup, 2018). All that the manager can do is formulate
the best course of action possible, which in Ara’s case she did by crafting a unique approach
for Aarong (Abed, T. H., n.d.).

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• Building Relationship: She has built positive relationships with all the parties involved
(Abed, T. H., n.d.).

Transformational Leadership

Tamara Hasan Abed is one of the industrious and visionary leaders in BRAC history (Abed, T. H.,
n.d.). Further, the Managing Director of BRAC Enterprises developed new strategies, women
empowerment, and ethical behavior in all her leadership roles, all in alignment with the vision of
BRAC (Shah, N., 2023). Under her supervision, more employment was generated, boosting the
low-income groups and further accelerating economic growth (Abed, T. H., n.d.). Over time one
of the major transformations made at BRAC was the work done in social enterprises which mainly
included Aarong, BRAC Seed, Dairy, and Agro (Shah, N., 2023). Next up innovations were
brought into the picture for social impact by introducing new business models like Aarong clothing
line reaching internationally. A recent change in Aarong emphasizes its sustainable practice and
fosters sustainable fashion lining, which obligates its ethical practice (Aarong, n.d.).

Servant Leadership

Ms. Tamara main objective was to implement social well-being and empowerment. Below here
are some of the servant leaderships that she actively follows.

• Actively listening: To be a good leader the first step is to be a good listener. Tamara
Hasan Abed always ensures that she is listening to her team's insight and all points of view.
(Future Startup, 2019)
• Ethical and Sustainable Methods: She prioritize the work environment. In her
leadership, fair wage practice and ethical sourcing are implemented (Rahman, 2023).
• Empowering underrepresented groups: Many women and underprivileged people's
lives are changed by offering those jobs or making them independent by providing training
and market access.

Path-Goal theory

Tamara Hasan Abed who is known for her balance between profitability and social work aligns
with some path-goal theories to help the objectives achieved by her team.

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• Precise goals: BRAC Enterprise has always focused on goals that match BRAC's
sustainable development promote social equity and redeem poverty.(Rahman, 2023)
• Offering training and resources: Women and other groups were often given the
opportunities to empower themselves through training and an effective supply chain was
made between the artisans and suppliers. (BRAC, 2019)
• Promoting Adaptability: Her leadership in Aarong has uplifted the local artisans and also
aided in fulfilling the customer demand.
• Mentorship: In overcoming the complex situation, Tamara has provided practical
direction.

The Myers-Briggs Type

Ms. Tamara’s leadership style is more people-centric and structured. These factors are the elements
of empathy, increased valued efficiency, and growth of strategic management system. These traits
can be found in MBTI types such as ENTJ or ENFJ.

Extraversion: Where does Tamara Abed focus her attention? She always tries to focus on the
outer world and social cooperation. She focuses on taking contributions from various sectors for
her organizational growth. (Shah, 2023).

Intuitive: Tamara Abed always focuses on the patterns or possibilities and then decides to do
something based on that pattern or analytical assumption.

Thinker: Tamara Abed always makes her decisions based on logic and proven data which is a
quality of a thinker.

Judging: Tamara Abed is more into structured people-centric management where she can make
the planning and clear decisions for her organization.

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Influence Strategy

• Reason: Tamara Abed regularly uses data-driven judgments and logical arguments, which
are essential components of the strategy of reason. Her strategy demonstrates to others the
value of critical thought and well-informed decision-making by justifying her decisions.
• Reciprocity: Many of her dealings with staff and other parties involved in BRAC present
reciprocity. She often, builds an atmosphere of respect and cordiality, to create a give and
take relationship. This she does to motivate the employees, build better relations with
external parties and enhance the social change mission of BRAC.
• Retribution: For someone with Tamara's socially sensitive leadership style, retribution
may be a less common tactic, but it can still be useful. Upholding accountability is essential
in a big organization like BRAC. (Abed, 2020).

Leadership/ Manager Meter

Tamara Abed has more strength in leadership rather than managerial though she attempts to carry
both of them. She applies the managerial tactics in some particular situation but she tries to identify
the ability of her subordinates and let them grow which emphasize her leadership characteristics.

Tamara possesses more leadership skills as she complies more traits with leading rather
than managerial roles.

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Conclusion

To conclude, Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed is an example of a true leader. She faced many challenges
through out her life which shaped her leadership skills. Moreover, she emphasized on team
building, sustainability. Her ability to adapt changes and welcoming creative ideas are the key
factors of her professional growth.

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References

Abed, T. (2020, October). Tamara Abed on her vision for Aarong & other BRAC Enterprises. Ice
Today. Retrieved from https://icetoday.net/2020/10/tamara-abed-on-her-vision-for-aarong-other-
brac-enterprises/

Abed, T. H. (n.d.). Aarong, BRAC’s social enterprises, and life: An interview with Tamara Hasan
Abed, Senior Director, BRAC. BRAC. Retrieved from https://www.brac.net/latest-
news/item/1129-aarong-brac-s-social-enterprises-and-life-an-interview-with-tamara-hasan-abed-
senior-director-brac

Abed, T. H. (n.d.). Tamara Hasan Abed. Aarong. Retrieved from https://www.aarong.com/tamara-

hasan-abed

Aarong. (n.d.). Tamara Hasan Abed. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from

https://www.aarong.com/tamara-hasan-abed

BRAC. (2019, August 1). Tamara Hasan Abed redesignated as the Managing Director of BRAC
Enterprises. Retrieved from https://www.brac.net/latest-news/item/1235-tamara-hasan-abed-
redesignated-as-the-managing-director-of-brac-enterprises

BRAC. (n.d.). Tamara Hasan Abed redesignated as the managing director of BRAC Enterprises.
Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://www.brac.net/latest-news/item/1235-tamara-hasan-
abed-redesignated-as-the-managing-director-of-brac-enterprises

BRAC USA. (2020, October). FAQ for website. Retrieved from https://bracusa.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/11/FAQ-for-website_202010.pdf

Future Startup. (2019, September 16). 07 lessons from BRAC’s Senior Director Tamara Hasan
Abed on leadership and management. Retrieved from https://futurestartup.com/2019/09/16/07-
lessons-from-tamara-hasan-abed/

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Future Startup Team. (2018, January 17). The Art of Enterprise. Retrieved from
https://futurestartup.com/2018/01/17/aarong-bracs-social-enterprises-life-interview-tamara-
hasan-abed-senior-director-brac/

Rahman, S. (2023, November 8). People think Brac only works for the poor; we work on many
different models of nation-building. The Business Standard. Retrieved from
https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/people-think-brac-only-works-poor-we-work-many-
different-models-nation-building

Shah, N. (2023, December 11). In conversation with Tamara Abed. pi Strategy. Retrieved from
https://pistrategy.org/2023/12/11/in-conversation-with-tamara-abed/

The Financial Express. (2020, May 9). Online booking to visit store introduced for the first time
in country. Retrieved from https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/bangladesh/aarong-to-
reopen-selected-outlets-with-special-health-safety-measures-sunday-1589024243

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Contribution Table

Name ID Contribution
Arup Banerjee 1921107030 Introduction, Methodology, Introducing
Ms. Tamara Hasan Abed, Referencing,
Compile.

Sadia Islam Talukder 1911478630 All about the organization (Position and
Contribution in BRAC, Aarong)

Shafkat Nazrul 2013805030 All about the organization (BRAC,

BRAC University, Aarong).

Fariya Khondaker 2021738630 Analyzing Ms. Tamara’s

Characteristics (Transformational
Leadership, Servant Leadership, Path
Goal Theory)

Anwarul Abser Chowdhury 2022470630 Analyzing Ms. Tamara’s

Characteristics (MBTI, Influence
Strategy), Leadership /Manager Meter

Erina Washima 2111142030 Analyzing Ms. Tamara’s (Emotional

Intelligence, conflict Management,
Trait Approach), Conclusion, Compile

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