Bridge to a Brighter Tomorrow

BuildNation flagship programme

Rethinking Leadership in the Age of Disruption

Two days with Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Robi’s first home-grown CEO, for the people who make the big calls when technology, markets and teams all shift at once.

See the next dates What the two days cover
Format
2 days, 16 hours
For
C-level and future C-level leaders
Led by
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed
Track record
4 cohorts since Nov 2024

Upcoming cohorts

BankingSat 10 – Sun 11 Oct 2026Completed FMCGSat 31 Oct – Sun 1 Nov 202619 days to go InsuranceSat 7 – Sun 8 Nov 202626 days to go

Why this programme

The job changed. The playbook didn’t.

Many of today’s senior leaders learned to lead in a steadier world. This programme is built around the four forces reshaping the job right now.

Generative AI

AI is moving into every department. Leaders need to know where it helps, where it doesn’t, and how to lead teams that use it.

Global crisis

Exchange-rate swings, inflation and supply shocks are no longer rare. Leaders have to plan for them as normal.

Industry 4.0

Automation and connected systems are changing how work gets done, and who does it.

Transformation

Every organisation is in the middle of some kind of change. Someone has to lead people through it.

The programme

What the two days cover

Sixteen hours of frameworks, discussion and first-hand stories, built around what senior leaders actually face. The goal is simple: a resilient, adaptive way of leading that holds up when things get hard.

Who it’s for: C-level leaders, and those aspiring to or being groomed for C-level roles. In past cohorts, organisations nominated the people they saw as their future leaders.
Before you arrive: every participant completes a leadership profile, so the two days start from where you really are.

  1. Leadership in context

    What leading looks like when the ground keeps shifting.

  2. Understanding leadership styles and traits

    Know your default style, and when it helps or hurts.

  3. Transformational leadership

    Moving people, not just managing tasks.

  4. Leading in crisis and the digital era

    Holding direction when the plan breaks.

  5. Behavioural economics for decision-making

    Why smart leaders make predictable mistakes, and how to catch them.

  6. Data-driven decision making

    Using numbers to decide, not to decorate.

  7. System and process-driven performance

    Results that don’t depend on heroics.

  8. Leadership development

    Building the next line of leaders behind you.

  9. Driving operational efficiency

    Getting more from what you already have.

  10. Data security for leaders

    Why protecting data now sits with the leadership team.

  11. AI transformation

    Where AI can change your business, and how to lead the shift.

  12. Leading with integrity

    Ethics and trust as the base of leadership that lasts.

  13. Leadership journey of Mahtab Uddin Ahmed

    Lessons from three decades at Unilever and Robi, told first-hand.

What you leave with

  • A clear read on yourselfYour leadership style, strengths and blind spots, starting from your pre-programme profile.
  • A way to lead changeFrameworks for bringing people with you through disruption, not just issuing instructions.
  • Sharper decisionsTools for deciding on evidence, with an eye on the biases that trip up experienced people.
  • A plan for what’s nextIdeas you can take back on systems, efficiency and growing future leaders.
  • A peer networkTwo days with senior leaders from your own sector, plus a certificate of completion.
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed
Mahtab Uddin AhmedFounder and Managing Director, BuildNation

Your mentor

Learn from someone who has done the job.

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed has spent more than three decades in the rooms where the big decisions get made, from finance at Unilever to the top job at one of Bangladesh’s largest telecom operators. He founded BuildNation to pass that experience on to the leaders coming next.

  • Robi’s first home-grown CEOLed Robi Axiata as MD and CEO from 2016 to 2021, after joining as CFO in 2010 and serving as COO. Under his leadership Robi took a leading position in 4G and completed the largest IPO Bangladesh had seen at the time.
  • 17 years at UnileverBusiness and finance leadership roles, including finance director positions in Unilever Bangladesh, Pakistan and Arabia.
  • Globally trainedAlumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. FCMA and CGMA.
  • A voice of the professionElected President of ICMAB for 2025, and former President of AMTOB.
  • Still learning in publicHosts Yet Another Podcast, which drew 10M+ views across platforms in Season 1, and the Real Reels leadership series.

Track record

Four cohorts so far, two sectors.

Rethinking Leadership began with two banking cohorts at The Westin Dhaka, then moved into healthcare. Each cohort is built around one sector, with guest leaders chosen for it, so the examples and the people in the room stay close to your reality.

  1. Banking and finance

    Sat 30 Nov – Sun 1 Dec 2024

    The Westin Dhaka

    Where it began

    28 leaders from the financial industry, each nominated by their organisation, with guest sessions on AI, ethics and Gen Z.

    See Batch 1 moments
  2. Banking

    Sat 1 – Sun 2 Feb 2025

    The Westin Dhaka

    Built for banking

    The second cohort, designed exclusively for the banking industry, just two months after the first.

    See Batch 2 moments
  3. Pharma and healthcare

    Sat 26 – Sun 27 Apr 2025

    Into healthcare

    The first cohort curated for healthcare professionals. Major General Ibne Fazal Shayekhuzzaman attended and honoured BuildNation with a token of appreciation.

    See Batch 3 moments
  4. Pharma and healthcare

    Sat 9 – Sun 10 Aug 2025

    Healthcare, round two

    A second healthcare cohort, with guest contributors Munaf Mojib Chowdhury, Khondkar Khaled Alhossainy and Kamran Bakr.

    See Batch 4 moments
Participants at a Rethinking Leadership cohort

Inside the programme

More than a classroom

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed leads the core sessions. Around them, every cohort adds outside voices, hands-on work and a formal close.

  • Guest leaders chosen for your sector, from Grameenphone’s Chief Business Officer on AI and leading through crisis, to the heads of the national telehealth service and Grameen Digital Healthcare Solutions on digital health. Meet some of them below.
  • The people side of leading, from ethics and building high-performing teams to understanding the Gen Z colleagues now joining your teams.
  • Hands-on team-building challenges that build collaboration, creativity and fresh leadership insight.
  • Peers from your own industry: each cohort brings together senior leaders from one sector, often nominated by their organisations for their leadership potential.
  • A formal close with a certificate ceremony. Past cohorts have welcomed distinguished guests such as Muhammad A. (Rumee) Ali, Chairman of the Banking Commission, ICC Bangladesh, and Major General Ibne Fazal Shayekhuzzaman.

Guest voices

Leaders who have joined past cohorts

The guest line-up is shaped around each cohort’s sector. These leaders have contributed so far. Titles are as at the time of their session.

  • Dr. Asif Naimur RashidChief Business Officer, GrameenphoneAI for financial institutions; leading through disruption in healthcareBanking and healthcare
  • Kamran BakrFounder, Pro4Pro; former Chairman and MD, Unilever BangladeshEthics; building high-performing teamsBanking and healthcare
  • Dr. Nizam Uddin AhmedCEO, National Telehealth Services (Shastho Batayon); Chair, Gavi CSO Steering Committee30+ years in health systems and digital health across Asia and AfricaHealthcare
  • Dr. Ahmed Armaan SiddiquiCEO, Grameen Digital Healthcare SolutionsHow digital transformation is reshaping healthcareHealthcare
  • Prof. Nazlee SiddiquiExpert in organisational behaviour and strategic leadershipLeadership transformation in healthcareHealthcare
  • Munaf Mojib ChowdhuryFounder, CoNexus AI and AdTechEntrepreneurship, innovation and business modellingHealthcare
  • Khondkar Khaled AlhossainySpecialist in corporate governance, finance and strategySound decisions in dynamic marketsHealthcare
  • Sameer AhmedInfluencerUnderstanding Gen Z at workBanking

Moments

From the room

Photos, videos and reels from past cohorts, straight from our Facebook page. Pick a batch to filter, and tap any post to see it in full on Facebook.

Upcoming cohorts

Three new cohorts, October to November 2026.

Same two days, same mentor, shaped around a new sector each time. Seats are limited, so reserve early for yourself or your leadership team.

Batch 5Completed

Banking

Sat 10 – Sun 11 Oct 2026

For bank leaders balancing digital competition, tighter regulation and a new generation of customers and staff. Banking has already hosted two cohorts, both at The Westin Dhaka.

Format
2 days, 16 hours
Course fee
BDT 65,000
Venue
To be announced
Ask about future dates
Batch 619 days to go

FMCG

Sat 31 Oct – Sun 1 Nov 2026

For leaders running brands, supply chains and field forces in fast-moving, price-sensitive markets. Mahtab Uddin Ahmed spent 17 years at Unilever, so expect stories from the inside.

Format
2 days, 16 hours
Course fee
BDT 65,000
Venue
To be announced
Reserve a seat Add to calendar
Batch 726 days to go

Insurance

Sat 7 – Sun 8 Nov 2026

For insurance leaders rethinking distribution, customer trust and team performance as the business goes digital. The programme’s first insurance cohort.

Format
2 days, 16 hours
Course fee
BDT 65,000
Venue
To be announced
Reserve a seat Add to calendar

Good to know

Questions people ask

Who should attend?

C-level leaders, and people who are aspiring to or being groomed for C-level roles. Many organisations use the programme for the future leaders they want to invest in.

Why is each cohort built around one sector?

So the examples, discussions and peers in the room reflect the pressures you actually face. A banker and a pharma leader share many challenges, but not all of them.

Is there any prework?

Yes. Every participant completes a leadership profile before day one, so the programme can start from your real strengths and gaps.

Do participants get a certificate?

Yes. The programme closes with a certificate ceremony on the second day.

Can we run it for our organisation only?

Yes. Talk to us about a private cohort shaped around your organisation’s context and goals.