‘Being a good businessman will help you in sports’

Obeid R Nizam, a prominent business persona in Bangladesh, a director at Honda Bangladesh, was recently elected as one of the directors of Bangladesh Cricket Board. In conversation with The Business Post’s Samiur Rahman, Obeid expressed his ideas about taking up his new role.

The Business Post: You have been elected as a BCB director for the first time. How would you like to contribute to Bangladesh Cricket?

Obeid R Nizam: I have a lot of experience working in the local cricket. I worked with the teams taking part in the Dhaka league and the BPL. With the experience I have gathered through the years, I can contribute a great deal to Bangladesh cricket. Whatever the responsibilities, the board president Nazmul Hassan will allow me with the senior colleagues on the board, I am ready to take and will do my best to perform accordingly.

TBP: You have been the CEO of Dhaka Dynamites. How do you think you can make BPL a more competitive and more structured tournament?

Obeid R Nizam: The way I look at it is a bit different. BPL is right up there, behind the Indian Premier League. We formulated BPL in Bangladesh after watching the IPL’s formation. Of course, there is always room for improvement. I am sure they are working on it.

TBP: BPL went through continuous chopping and changing, something we don’t see in IPL, CPL or PSL. Don’t you think things need to be constant if you want to make BPL more competitive?

Obeid R Nizam: These things happened for various reasons. If I have to describe that now, I have to go way back. These things happened due to various reasons and all the franchises agreed to that when the amendments were made. If the BPL does happen in January, we have to sit together. As a franchise representative, I will be there and discuss and decide which rules we want to play under.

TBP: As a franchise, you faced many problems which the BCB could not solve. But now, as you are BCB director, will you bring those solutions?

Obeid R Nizam: Of course, that’s what I said. Now that I am sitting on the board, that takes priority over anything else. When the policies will be decided by the BPL governing council, if we have anything to say, we will discuss it during the board meetings. What BPL governing council decides, we have to abide by it anyway, no change in that.

TBP: Could there be any possible conflict of interests as you are the CEO of a BPL franchise, and now you are also a BCB director?

Obeid R Nizam: I don’t think so, it’s a change of hat. I will be sitting on the board; I will decide on the policy and all wthat. But when I am sitting on the Dhaka Dynamites board, I will be working on how to run the team properly, how to make them champions. I don’t think that will not be a problem. You see other board directors also sitting there and running a franchise.

TBP: You have been a very successful businessman also. You look after the local distribution of Honda in Bangladesh. Do Sports help you to be a better businessman?

Obeid R Nizam: Being a good businessman will actually help you to do better in sports. Wherever we play, BPL or the Dhaka League, we have brought everything under a corporate structure. My superior Shayan F Rahman, will not accept anything less. As we do business, it is easier for me to run a sports team.

TBP: How does success in Sports and Business interconnect?

Obeid R Nizam: There is one simple rule. The way I run Honda in Bangladesh is the same way I run the franchise team. Numbers don’t lie, and we keep the details of expenditure. We have put it all in a financial structure. Which player to pick, how much to spend on players, how much on equipment, practice sessions, matches- it’s all budgeted for. I have been maintaining these things for a long time, and as I said, anything less won't be accepted.