Jahurul Islam – Most Prominent Businessman From Bangladesh
Jahurul Islam redefined the concept of business and industries in Bangladesh. He was the king of Bangladeshi business sector. The history books rightly states him as the father of Bangladeshi business.
Business was in his blood since he belonged to a traditional business family. Jahurul Islam ventured into the business sector as early as 1964, with his company ‘Islam Group’. Since then Islam Group has diverged into multidimensional sectors including engineering, construction, trading and even manufacturing. The company, over the years, concentrated in other sectors including pharmaceuticals, textiles, jute, aviation, ceramics, media, real estate, finance, construction and even something as vital as energy.
Through the variety of his concerns, Jahurul Islam has shown diversified thinking capability that no one in his generation possessed. His unique way of thinking and leadership also resulted in Islam Group to be one of the leading industries in Bangladesh.
Perseverance is one of man’s greatest qualities; Jahurul Islam possessed that quality. It naturally transformed him to be a great businessman and leader. He faced a lot of problems during the three decade sway over his company; however his patience and his brilliance together made Islam Group number one company in the country.
Besides being good businessman, he was also a humanitarian. He founded Jahurul Islam Medical College and Hospital, for the betterment of the country. Although the institute officially began in 1992, the hospital service started as early as 1989. It had huge capacity of holding patients, as much as 500 beds with both emergency and normal hospital facilities; no kind of injury was ever rejected for treatment. Modern and intensive case has been offered ever since its establishment. The institution also earned foreign reputation by admitting approximately 30 students every year.
Jahurul Islam’s philanthropist attitude also reflected in the companies’ environment, since it provided best working environment for the staff. The very rare facilities provided by any private company was offered by Islam group and its sister concerns, such as medical facilities, provision for pension, accident compensation, on the job training and etc.
Even though the company has been divided into three different parts now – Islam Groups, Navana and Aftab Group, after the death of Jahurul Islam; all three companies enjoys the brands of being top companies of the country. All three groups still follows the philosophy, ethics, dedication left behind by the great Jahurul Islam.
Not only as a businessman, but also as a human being, Jahurul Islam is an idol for generations to follow. He has left behind huge inspiration in his life history for aspiring future generations of entrepreneurs.
His diverse mentalities that caused his success are rare. His power as a businessman in the market based economy made him a great leader. His way of thinking about the world as a whole and the betterment of the country made him a kind philosopher. His leadership qualities were impressive, his philosophical point of view was exceptional; and the combination of both made him a successful man. He took business sector of Bangladesh to a higher level.