1. Let’s start with a brief introduction to yourself and your childhood and hobbies.

Mr. Golam Murshed: I have spent a wonderful childhood in my home district Chapainawabganj. I completed my SSC at Harimohan Govt High School and moved to Dhaka. Later I got admitted to Notre Dame and completed my HSC from there. After HSC, I got accepted to IUT in the mechanical engineering department and graduated from there. I joined Walton within a month after my graduation.

I have been very passionate about sports since my childhood and used to play football, cricket, badminton and table tennis quite often. Still now, I play badminton and tennis whenever I get the opportunity to play.

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: I grew up in a pleasant environment with my beautiful family & siblings. Looking back at those days, I feel delighted to have had such a lovely childhood. I was very sporty during my school days, mostly played handball and cricket, and brought glory to my school by winning several medals as a team. I love exploring, traveling to new places, and learning new things. When I was in class 11, I aspired to become a fashion designer, but my father encouraged me to pursue myself more in technological aspects as he told me as he sees a reflection of himself and a future leader in me. My father encouraged me to explore the horizons to see where my capabilities would lead me. After I started University, my father asked me to join the office and begin by taking minor roles. During my 7th semester, I started a new journey at Walton as an intern. It was an immensely illuminating experience through which my inner potentials flourished and helped me know my possibilities better. This journey reintroduced me to myself and drove me to know myself in a better way.

2. How did you prepare yourself to take the helm of the company at such a young age? (Mr. Golam Murshed)

Mr. Golam Murshed: I always aspired to accomplish something significant in my life; there was not any specific goal that I had to become a doctor, engineer, MD, or CEO, I wanted to do something that will serve the purpose of my life, which is being someone eligible to help my society and serve my country. After joining Walton as an engineer and entering the practical field, I started learning everything from scratch; I was assigned to the manufacturing belt. I have experience of 5-7 years working there; therefore, I always preferred working with my own hand sharpening my skillsets. It was not solely because I wanted to become someone significant in the organization; instead, it was because of my sheer passion and the willingness to learn. Regardless of my assigned roles, I executed them with all my dedication and devotion. My undying willpower to give something to the company and my country has led me to become what I am today.

3. Briefly tell us about the vast expansion of Walton and its success at both home & abroad. What do you think is the significant reason behind its success? 

Mr. Golam Murshed: Where Walton stands today, maybe I am taking on the steering of the company, but the central infrastructure or the company’s backbone was built by the five brothers whose dream was to bring a change and revolutionize the local electronics manufacturing scene of our country. Their sheer will to bring the wind of alteration has led us to where we stand today. The name of our company Walton has come from the term “Wind of Alteration,” which clearly indicates the goal Walton pursued since its initial days. Before Walton emerged, there used to be a trading business in this sector where they used to import products from overseas, and all our money used to go abroad. Seeing this, the initiators of Walton realized there should be a wind of alteration and thought, why can’t we establish such production facilities in our country?

With this thought, these visionaries have established Walton and started manufacturing products in our country.

Now, these products are also being exported globally after serving the needs of the mass consumers of our country. This story of the wind of alteration came through the hands of the five visionaries who are still among us, guiding and helping us to move in the right direction, and seeing them, we get inspired to take this brand another step ahead. The legacy they have created through their vision, we aim to carry it further towards excellence. We are continuously trying to increase our brand value alongside our global exposure. The initial journey was quite challenging, but the government played a significant role in helping and establishing this industry. Especially the electrification in the rural area has enabled users to use these products in rural areas, which has led us to achieve a significant market share in our country. So overall, the trust of the mass consumers, governments cooperation, and the undying willpower of the five brothers has led Walton where it stands today.

We are innovating in technical aspects and overall facets every day, which is essential to establishing a sustainable brand.

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: My family has always prioritized innovation since the beginning. They have always thought 10-20 years ahead of the time they are creating something. Things we can incorporate with our products in the future to make our consumers’ lives easier have always been their priority, and we also try to inherit those characteristics. Innovative thinking has been an integral part of our lives; therefore, we enforce it in all the aspects we explore. Alongside that, we also ensure all our product’s quality by using them first hand. Some people may wonder whether we use the products ourselves. The answer to it is yes; we use all of our products in our everyday lives before we launch a product in the market. The products we are manufacturing are no longer luxury products; instead, they have become our necessities. To enhance the experience of these products, our research team is working vigorously. We have over 1000 engineers working for us. We also have foreign engineers who previously worked for renowned multinational companies who continuously guide us. It is complete teamwork, and we are achieving excellent outcomes through our team.

4. There is a conception where some local users rely more on foreign products. What role is Walton playing in building trust towards local products and promoting homemade goods? (Mr. Golam Murshed)

Mr. Golam Murshed: If we looked back 12 years ago, no brands were manufacturing products domestically. Bangladesh is now 50 years old, which means people were accustomed to using foreign brands in the initial 40 years, so the market was quite different from where it stands now. Previously, We mainly spent on foreign products, giving our hard-earned money to the countries abroad. Therefore initially, there was a biasness among the people due to their habituated lifestyle. But later on, people started getting accustomed to the changes, and they also started believing that it was possible to produce international quality products in Bangladesh. When Walton emerged, It also was able to create quite a hype. So the user habit that was created due to the last 40 years’ lifestyle was shifted in only ten years. During this period, we not only acquired 70% of the market, but we also started exporting worldwide. Looking at the data stats, this is quite evident that people love our brand, and we are hopeful that we will be able to acquire 100% of the market share someday soon. We are optimistic that we will be the brand of people’s choice in Bangladesh and in 25-30 other countries in the world. In the last 12 years, we have changed people’s perceptions, and in the next 12 years, we aim to accelerate a step further in retaining consumer satisfaction.

5. While recruiting new talents, what skills do you prioritize the most, and what opportunities does Walton provide them? 

Mr. Golam Murshed: I prefer loyalty over anything. I believe if you’re loyal, bringing out the inner potential is just a matter of time. So we expect a combination of commitment and talent. There was a time when candidates were not eager to work in local companies, which is not the case anymore. Nowadays, our retention rate is relatively higher compared to the previous scenarios. Previously the talents tended to go abroad, which is not the case anymore. As the industry grows, the talents are also seeing new opportunities within the country; therefore, new leaders and initiators are growing. Previously we used to talk about Silicon Valley, and now with the emerging startup scene, we have something of our own to speak of. That is the change we are witnessing currently. Speaking of Walton, we are presently doing a future leader program through which we are hunting talents. I hope to see new emerging conglomerates like us, which will contribute to the economy’s growth and create more working opportunities for the youngsters so that our homegrown talents do not go abroad and spend their abilities on a foreign companies development. Of course, as an emerging industry in our country, we need to take assistance from abroad. The good news is we have started our research operation in Korea; we have completed our company formation works in the USA and

We are establishing our research office in Texas. So we are trying to integrate foreign expertise with our local talents to bring the best out of our products.

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: the common scenario among the youth is they tend to shift their jobs within very short intervals. I think this is something that requires to be changed as it creates a hurdle in their development. They should have an adaptive mentality to handle any challenges to move further towards a successful career. Regardless of what you do, whether it is a startup, a job, or a business, give it time and give yourself time to grow within the process.

6. What does your typical day look like, and how do you maintain a proper work-life balance? 

Mr. Golam Murshed: As we work in the same industry and the same segment, we do not struggle much to understand each other. Speaking of balancing, we mostly share the problems and try to resolve them together. So there is no specific routine for maintaining work-life balance. We just communicate and balance it how it’s necessary. We love our work, feel joy working together, and enjoy the after-work time together.

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: Same goes for me as well. As we both prefer to spend our time in our workstations, we mostly interact there during our work. Our mutual understanding and the same drive for our profession help us to keep a proper balance.

7. Apart from your work, how do you both like to spend your leisure? 

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: As we both go through a very hectic schedule; we hardly have any leisure time for ourselves. But during our leisure time, we prefer to watch movies, Tv- Series, etc.

Mr. Golam Murshed: Despite both of us being sporty, as she is pretty busy with her activities, she does not have much time to play any sports. But I still try to take some time to play badminton table tennis after I am done with my work. We also have an indoor gym where I usually visit. Besides that, we often watch tv and series after we are done with our work. During my vacations, I prefer to see the unexplored places of my country. But we often have to visit abroad for business purposes and understand their culture as well.

8. What vision do you both carry, and where do you like to take Walton as a brand in the next five years?

Mr. Golam Murshed: As I am assigned as the managing director of Walton, I want to add some value to this company, and the first thing I intend to do is make Walton a global brand. We are continuously striving towards doing so. Our vision is to establish Walton as a brand in 27 countries by 2027, and within 2030, we want to be among the global top 5 brands in this particular industry. I am working alongside my teams on this vision and determinedly striving to uplift the values.

Ms. Tahmina Afrose Tanna: We are continuously striving towards the same vision of making Walton a recognized brand all over the globe.

Along with Walton, I want to introduce brands that will serve the masses of our country, and we are already working towards that goal. I think Bangladesh has vast business potential in the food industry, medical equipment & IT. We are optimistic that we can contribute to the development of our country at a broader scale with our upcoming initiatives.