Women have to work 10 times harder than men to succeed: Simeen Rahman

Simeen Rahman, chief executive officer (CEO) of Transcom Group, said women have to work 10 times harder than men to succeed in life.

“You just have to believe that you can be what you want. My mother would always say if you want to prove yourself, you will have to work 10 times harder than that of your male counterpart,” said Simeen.

She was replying to a query in a virtual event held on Monday marking International Women’s Day organized by HSBC Bank Bangladesh, titled “In Conversation with Simeen Rahman”.

“If you want to succeed in your career, you will have to try your best. There is no alternative but to work hard, to be successful,” she added.

A total of 450 staff members of HSBC joined the session along with the officials of different organisations of Transcom Group.

Simeen said, “My father Latifur Rahman was a man of dreams. He founded Transcom Group by cherishing a big dream. I started working at this group from the very basic level. I first had to work in the warehouse of Transcom Distribution. I went steadily through various stages and now I have been promoted to the CEO of the Group. But there was no such obligation from my father side to join Transcom’s business.”

When asked about the challenges she experienced along the way, she replied “I have given priority to both my family and my career as I believe a woman has to play 360 degree role in society. A woman will be a professional at the same times as being a mother, daughter and wife. The autobiographies of successful women have inspired me."

Simeen Rahman claimed family support was essential for any woman to move forward. “My mother used to take care of my sons when they came home from school. That's how my mother helped me. A mother's support helps a woman to move forward,” she added.

Terming the responsibility of CEO of Eskayef Pharmaceuticals as an acid test, she said, a woman has to work hard to succeed in any sphere of life.

Hard work will raise the voice of woman in any forum no matter how hard the task. A leading woman executive will not only perform her responsibilities well but will also take care of her employees. She will take correct decisions.”

At the end of the conversation, she was asked how she gets inspirations at work every day. “My father is our inspiration. Transcom Group is a business organisation that maintains business ethics and honesty,” she replied.