Hello, my name is Moin Chowdhury, and I am the Finance Director of the Chars Livelihoods Programme.  Given my diversified background, I have always considered the development sector as the ultimate place for rendering services to the people of my country. I see the Chars Livelihoods Programme (CLP) and myself as a natural fit. I did not grow up thinking “Oh, my ambition in life is to work with CLP.” That desire was the result of being interested in extreme poverty reduction in Bangladesh; and having been exposed to sufferers in developing nations like Bangladesh. However, I have always been fascinated by CLP’s multifaceted activities associated with poverty eradication.

My career began by wearing a uniform in the Bangladesh Army and after sixteen years of service, I opted for voluntary retirement and pursued an MBA from the United Kingdom in the Cass Business School, City University, London. At first  I worked as a principal consultant for Frost & Sullivan and later decided to return to Bangladesh and apply my skills to the development sector in which my interest had grown during time served in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone.

Although I was always comfortable with my previous jobs, I still aspired to work for the reduction of poverty in Bangladesh.  The most appealing part was the notion of serving such noble causes as helping poor families as well as being a contributing factor in human and economic development – the moral reward is beyond comparison. I am honoured that Maxwell Stamp PLC employed me as a consultant to join forces with the other senior management members of the CLP.

In CLP, the Finance Director (FD) fills a key position in the organisation, and drives the programme with active support from other divisions. Moreover, as the crucial interface between IMOs in the fields and the secretariat, the FD has a highly visible and prominent role to play. I’ve been the FD for a little over five months now and am still working along a steep learning curve. Diligence, perseverance and relationship management are the required attributes to be successful in running my division.  

Another aspect I love about my job is that the subject matter constantly changes and remains always interesting and stimulating. Within a short period of time I have familiarised myself with the key issues and jargon of the robust programme of the CLP. I like becoming a “mini-expert” on a wide range of topics. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work in the field as well as at headquarters. Working in the field is a completely different experience altogether; it can often be under very harsh conditions but does allow contact with the problems of the participants and helps to make a real difference through working at the grass-roots level where it’s most needed. The CLP is a place where learning never stops. I make a point of taking advantage of its skilful employees to learn new lessons every day. It has been a tremendously interesting journey so far!

Working within DFID’s Value for Money (VfM) ambitions is one of the more important tasks asked of me. As a new director wearing the FD’s hat, I truly value the concept of “maximising the impact of each pound spent to improve poor people’s lives.” VfM doesn’t mean we only do the cheapest things, but that we achieve a better understanding of costs and the results we try to achieve. This involves a process of continuous improvement. VfM can only be achieved when all across the organisation are accountable for what they do, how they do it and challenging them to make things more professional and with outputs significantly greater than inputs backed by the VfM 3Es (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) framework.

I believe in the principles of the “Reduction of Extreme Poverty” and I embrace this as a charter in the everyday work that the CLP carries out in the most remote places in Bangladesh. No matter what function we undertake at the CLP, we share a common goal of making a difference to somebody’s life and helping them to find their voice.

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