Iffat Ahmed

Boulders and chips, these are the tools of this young but impressive lady who is the director of the company Green and White Ltd., which was established in the year 1951. Her name is Iffat Ahmed. She is the first woman in our country to be working in this kind of field and when I asked how she came into this profession, the woman said in a warm voice, "It wasn't a deliberate decision to come into this profession, which is a male dominated hardcore business. After doing my honours in Accounting from Dhaka University, I got married to the person I loved. Since I did not come from a very conservative minded family it was easier for me to make my life's decisions. It was after the sudden death of my father that I had to enter this job. My father was a great and dynamic man who established this business in the early years. But his death was a great shock to us. I never really had the time to mourn. There were serious financial crises at work and someone needed to handle those effectively since my siblings were away in America. It was then that I made up my mind to take over this business, as my father always dreamed of making his work internationally recognized. It was from him that I learnt all the techniques of running this business out of sheer curiosity. The whole idea of working with stones, granite, and boulders really appealed to me. Since I had an inquisitive nature since childhood, I knew practically everything that was required to run the business. But still it was difficult, as at first I was only a housewife. So the big leap that I had to make from one world to the other wasn't that easy."

When I asked what specifically drove her, inspired her to succeed despite the challenges involved, Iffat said seriously, "I needed to prove a point to myself, to believe that I could be useful, successful and capable. Many factors, both in my professional and personal life, at that point brought about the need for reassurance, and I really needed to be endorsed. The woman in me was seething inside! That emotion had to be requited, and the only solution was to prove to society, my business peers and mainly to myself, that I could do it!"
Now being a mother and a single parent, she has more responsibilities than one. She tries to be a good mother, a capable housekeeper and an efficient business official. She knows her priorities well and works accordingly.

Iffat is a strong believer in fate. She knows nothing is possible in life without the will of god. She is ambitious but at the same time very much down to earth. When I asked how important it is for a woman especially in a male dominated profession like hers to be well turned out, the lady said in very cheerful voice, "I usually spend very little time on my looks. I usually prefer to stay natural rather than looking all made up at 6:30 in the morning. There isn't any skin care regime that I follow since I always have to stay really busy. But yes, I believe it is very important for a women to be well groomed and attractive, not only for her own sense of self confidence, but also, let's be honest, for the human race that has always been visually biased. I believe that we should celebrate our femininity no matter what profession we are in, and look beautiful."

Currently, Green and White is involved in supplying boulders and chips to India. Iffat also worked on big projects, such as supplying building materials for the Jamuna bridge, the Rupsha bridge and even got contracts from the Bangladesh railway. After her work, this hardworking and passionate woman loves to spend time with her friends and family. When I asked her what was her wish for the coming year, the lady concluded in a very clear voice 'do more and more work'.

Source: Excerpt of Women In the Construction Industry by By Sarah Zermin Huq; Photo: Zahedul I Khan (The Daily Star News)