An overview of the biggest public speaking event in the country, Rise Above All 2022, where prominent personalities shared words of inspiration for the youth and young professionals.
Bangladesh’s biggest public speaking event, ‘Walton Presents Rise Above All – 2022 Powered by Frutika in Association with RTV’ was organised by the Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy for the 6th time at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) on Friday, 18th March 2022. The event presented a novel opportunity for students and young professionals to connect with personalities who are experts in their fields and learn about their stories of successes and failures. More than 2,000 corporates, young professionals, and students attended the daylong event.
The program was hosted by Ghulam Sumdany Don (CIO – Don Sumdany Facilitation & Consultancy) who introduced the diverse guest speakers at various times of the day.
The speakers shared words of inspiration about leadership roles, overcoming hardships and being diligent in our responsibilities to ensure the growth and prosperity of our nation. One of the key takeaways from the event is the importance of support and collaboration, directly resonating with the event slogan, ‘Together We Rise.’
The keynote speaker of the event was Nasrul Hamid, State Minister of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources. He compared how Rise Above All is now inspiring the nation’s youth as the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did for the country. He also expressed how Bangladesh is progressing with new power projects, helping everyone to get access to electricity.
Bangladesh’s leading telecommunications service provider, Grameenphone’s CEO, Yasir Azman, talked about passion, hard work and purpose, and their imperative role in one’s success. Yasir Azman also emphasised that “Honesty and transparency is the key to becoming a successful and strong leader.”
Managing Director and CEO of Akij Ventures Limited, Syed Alamgir, spoke about his journey in the corporate world and shared the trials and tribulations he had to face in his career. He advised the audience on how adaptability is one of the most necessary traits needed to advance up the career ladder.
ONE OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE EVENT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION, DIRECTLY RESONATING WITH THE EVENT SLOGAN, ‘TOGETHER WE RISE.’
The CEO of RTV, Syed Ashik Rahman, talked about the importance of facing hardships and overcoming challenges in order to thrive in life. He also emphasised the importance of planning, and reflected on how it was the key to his success and growth.
Ayman Sadiq, Founder and CEO of Bangladesh’s biggest online educational platform, 10 Minutes School, was also a speaker at the event. He talked about social media as a platform to start and grow a business, and shared a framework for developing one’s own brand. Quoting Sadhguru he said, “We can’t suffer in our past and future because they don’t exist. We suffer from the memories.”
One of the most famous content creators in Bangladesh, Raba Khan, also shared the journey of her social media growth. She shared her experience in dealing with negativity.
Renowned Content Creator, Iftekhar Rafsan talked about his highs and lows and what kept him going.
Vice-Chancellor of Asian University for Women, Rubana Huq, took the stage and shared details about some key events of her journey and what it took for her to be in this position. She addressed the youth and advised them, “Love what you want to do and I promise you, you will come out as successful. Rise above all prejudices and biases. You are the generation that will rise. You won’t lose.”
Manish Chauhan, Chairman of Noize Jeans and Co-Founder of LoveGen Bangladesh, talked about how observation skills and seizing the right opportunities made him successful today in his career. He said, “Never repeat your mistake. Analyse your mistake and learn from it.”
One of Bangladesh’s most talented film stars, Siam Ahmed, went candid with the audience and reminisced about his career as an actor. He shared his thoughts on what it means to be successful and said, “I always think what more can I add as an actor? I shared these beautiful moments in front of the camera that actually occur in my life.”
Country Managing Director of Oracle, Rubaba Dowla shared her life stories with the audience through her 10 rules. She expressed that loving what one does and not compromising on their goals is the only way one can achieve their dreams.
The closing speech of the event was delivered by Golam Murshed, Managing Director and CEO of Walton Group, one of the top electronics manufacturers in Bangladesh. He reinstated the importance of public speaking events like Rise Above All and how this event creates a scope for the youth to learn from the most notable corporate leaders, media personalities, and entrepreneurs. He also stated that “If you work responsibly, success will surely follow you. There is no one fixed path to success. The work which gives you inner peace will definitely bring success to you.”
During the closing session of the day-long event, the organisers thanked the guests and audience for making the event a success despite the hard times brought upon by the pandemic, and shared their hopes to have a bigger event in the upcoming year.