The tech world is rapidly evolving and leaders like Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury are at the forefront, leading this transformation. As the President of VSL Networks LLP, Tarik along with his team has been developing technologies for over a decade with partners to converge networks at low cost and ensure high-speed internet delivery.
We had a great opportunity to sit down with Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury and have a conversation about his journey – from business to the industry and his visions as a leader in this field.
Join us as we delve deep into Tarik’s journey, a visionary leader who is redefining the tech space.
Early Life And Educational Background
We started the interview by asking, “Can you please provide us with some information about yourself, including your early life and education?”
Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury shared, “Born in a traditional Muslim Family of Bangladesh with deep roots to a rich heritage, my father was a Textile Engineer from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland where he was sent by JP Coats (later Coats) in the early 50’s, yet it was my mother who took all-out efforts to ensure our education be taken care by the best institutions of Bangladesh. I had the opportunity to attend a top Catholic Missionary school and college in Bangladesh but missed out on studying abroad in the USA due to certain limitations. Obtaining my degrees in Management locally, I discovered my interest in entrepreneurship. Unsure of settling down on any particular industry, I learned that a degree alone would not suffice. Instead of tutoring children which was a source of pocket money for young University Students, I pursued a part-time job selling electronics on commission.
I avoided traditional sales methods and instead initiated a unique venture encouraging fellow students, investing in small shops near the University to sell stationery and photocopies. My goal was to offer sustainable business opportunities and provide products from my portfolio to meet their needs. Despite not achieving high sales volume initially, my innovative approach left a lasting impact, benefiting a few individuals whose lives were transformed. Following graduation, I heeded my father’s advice to gain entry-level experience in any suitable business organization, learning essential practices for future success. In his words “In any venture the participants are members of the society and to succeed in your approach you need to know the values they live upon.”
Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury added, “After realizing that traditional industries and established companies had limited opportunities for growth beyond a steady salary, I decided to join a small yet professional organization focused on serving international brands of clothing manufactured in Bangladesh. My job description was diverse, involving tasks such as negotiating with customers and factories, managing supply chains, ensuring quality control, overseeing shipments, and handling negotiations.
This experience in the apparel industry inspired me to explore other sectors like agriculture and food, but a unique opportunity to work as a Distributor for Nokia shifted my focus towards the tech world. Attending global conferences highlighted the importance of technology in various industries, leading me to focus on technology adaptation and connect with industry leaders like Vern Fotheringham, John Humprey, Nigel Hopper, Daniel Victor Los Santos, Trond Johannessen, William Patrick Cortes and many more. In 2008, I co-founded a Singapore entity with my friend Nigel Hopper to integrate technology solutions from global vendors such as Harris Stratex, L3 Communications, Meta Switch (Later Microsoft), Telrad and many more, providing strategic insights for expansion in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.”
Presence Of VSL Networks
Eager to learn more about Tarik’s business, we inquired, “Could you tell us about your company and its presence in your region?”
Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury said, “Our company VSL Networks LLP. was initially registered in Singapore as Global Cellular Solutions LLP. During inception, our primary goal was to trade devices (Fixed Wireless Phones, Fixed Wireless terminals, Mobile Phones, Routers, etc.) but my focus was integrating communication solutions and we successfully delivered to a few countries with Point to Point Radios, Voice Compression, and Decompression (DCME) equipment as well as Voice Solutions like Session Border Controls (SBC) and Voice Control Gateways.
One of our breaking projects was in 2012 when we delivered a complete International Voice Gateway and Inter-connectivity solution from Meta Switch (Now Microsoft) and Telco Bridges. This project was unique in the sense that it was the first-ever project of Meta-Switch in the region beating competitors like Genband, Huawei, and ZTE. Meta Switch was later acquired by Microsoft and now operates by that name.”
Currently, our focus area is 4G /5G Private Networks, integrated converged networks (Including Satcom) and 5G Broadcasting Solutions based on Multicasting. Our key market at the moment is focused on Tactical Broadband Solutions replacing the age-old narrow voice and limited-only systems with a complete field deployable combat-ready broadband solution to enable different security agencies in readiness for tactical electronic warfare of the next generation. Our company is working closely with regional and local System Integration partners in Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Jordan, the USA, and Canada to implement reliable broadband private networks in 4G and 5G.
Besides private networks, we have also played a role in developing solutions to free the internet from large video files placing contents in caches of home devices through a broadcast stream that synchronizes with your broadband network to offer the best low-cost solution for internet service delivery. Currently our partner companies ‘Synthesis Cloud’ and ‘Ruralink Broadband’ are building the first active 5G broadcast network in the USA.” He added.
The Impact Leader, We asked Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury
We also wanted to gather Tarik’s perspective on being a successful leader. So, we asked, “In your opinion, what qualities make a successful leader in your industry?”
He responded enthusiastically, “The qualities that make anyone a successful leader in any industry would be, to be open-minded and flexible in learning the traits of the trade as well as the behavioral pattern of partners, end users, and all individuals involved in the process who belong to different stages of the socio-economy. A true leader makes a positive impact by empowering their own team to take ownership of the deliverables, driving sustainable growth, and contributing to social development beyond just CSR or volunteer work. They inspire and support their team to achieve their best, fostering a culture of responsibility and inclusivity.
From the Government owned enterprises to small businesses to tech-driven corporations, all can play a significant role in social development as long they create a positive change in society that turns predicaments into values. The only way to become a true leader is to experience the lifestyle of all segments of the people that make up our society and to try to embrace their conditions in your heart. A successful leader would put himself in the shoes of everyone involved with him to motivate them towards a common goal.”
Staying Ahead Of The Curve
To understand how Tarik’s business responds to the dynamic market conditions, we inquired, “How has your organization responded to the ongoing digital revolution and tech-driven changes?”
Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury replied, “Our company has always been at the forefront of the digital revolution participating in developing technologies to serve different segments of the digitalization and automation of lifestyle components. We address the basics of the digital revolution by creating purpose-driven private networks that serve various industries and organizations both inside the Government including the Public Safety and Military Networks as well as the sensitive private organizations like ports, airports, sea ports, power plants, etc.
Without a proper network, the application management becomes unable to serve its purposes or act accordingly to the sustainable growth of the industry. We have also for more than a decade developed technologies with partners to converge networks in low-cost high-speed internet delivery by using a multicasting model in combining the Broadband and Broadcast technologies outlining the first ‘Fog Computing’ model that would soon play a very important role in content delivery through edge caching which would help future technologies like Autonomous vehicles to see the sunlight of real-life application.”
Message To Beginners
Lastly, seeking guidance from the experts, we asked, “What advice would you give to someone just starting in your field?”
“I would always suggest to anyone to always keep an open mind for learning. To make any significant impact in technology the first thing to learn and keep learning would be the behavioral patterns and lifestyle upgradation of all human being because they are the ultimate users, customers, or consumers.
Every Individual has a different story, a different mindset and to understand them, one needs to get closer to them with humility and humbleness. At the same time, keep themselves updated on the development of different technologies to understand the gap between development and application which would assist them to strategize to mitigate or minimize this gap. This would be their intellectual property curved out of experience, knowledge, and wisdom. Technology is to serve the human race, to give a voice to the unheard but you have to understand their language.” Tarik concluded.
Follow Tarik Al Mamun Chowdhury on LinkedIn.
Find VSL Networks LLP on LinkedIn and visit their website http://vsl-networks.com/
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