Apon, is an award-winning omni-channel fintech service aggregator serving industrial workers in Bangladesh. Through Apon service points workers get access to all daily necessities at a discount price and financial services. Focused on workers and their families’ health and well being Apon is on a mission of transforming lives 4 million workers in Asia. currently, Apon is serving more than 70,000 workers through its 13 service points.

JITA; A joint venture social business of CARE enterprise and Danone.communities. Managing a rural sales network of underprivileged ladies in Bangladesh. It aims to create access to quality product and services for hard to reach consumers in Bangladesh. JITA has an innovative team of marketing, social and business research, rural activation and manages innovative market development social engagement models to maximize social and business benefits. With his leadership Jita secured 35% growth per year from its inception.

While playing different role at CARE for last 4 years Saif always kept a good eye on his first initiative ‘Rural sales program’ for which he was the Project Manager. In 2009 CARE given the initial go ahead to Saif for identifying scaling opportunity for RSP as 60% of his job beside supporting SHOUHARDO Program. During this period saif developed the first business plan for RSP, prepared for investment and secured 1 million dollar initial investment form Danone.communities. Beside expanding the sales of its main partners Unilever, Square Toiletries ltd, Bata, Grameenphone Lal-teer seeds etc he has built a network of 1200 sales ladies form 600 and prepared the pilot project lucrative for investment and sustainability. Before joining the new company as CEO he was the interim project manager for 6 month while he managed the transition of the project to a company. Beside this core project Saif designed and implemented a project on access to information for rural people called “Tothyo Tori” (information boat). The purpose of the boat equipped with all modern communication technology was to provide access to agriculture and livelihood related information for waterlogged population of certain parts of Bangladesh. The project was which has got National ICT award in 2010 and Manthan award in e-business and enterprise category in 2010.

His role was to develop partnerships with business and design market-based interventions. He has developed several models such as innovative employment creation models through engaging private sector, input market strengthening through micro franchise and enterprise development and service development for producers and off farm entrepreneurs for both supply and demand side of the equation. He brought around 100K USD fresh support from private sector in these areas ad build some exceptional model in enterprise development which was documented as success example of SHOUHARDO at the Mid term evaluation of the project during 2009. Beside this core job he continued his endover on engaging private sector in development for several other CARE projects. Some of them are Developed partnership with ‘Grameenphone’ for access to information, ‘Creation private Ltd. (a local firm engaged in exporting crafts)‘ for Income generation and employment. ACI (Local renowned manufacturer of medicine and consumables) on special free health camp for poor women in disadvantaged areas of Bangladesh regions, ‘Synergy’ (Local producer of kraft and home furnishing items for local market) for follow matt production through skill building and contract employing rural poor women in Monga area.

As a recognition to the initial success of designing, implementing a private sector partnership model for income generation for rural poor women saif was promoted and transferred to head office to support the Economic development team of CARE Bangladesh. Besides managing the rural sales program he has been assigned with a fresh innovative project on corporate social responsibility in Bangladesh. Conducted a research on CSR scenario of Bangladesh and presented a paper to CARE about the untapped opportunity in private sector for supporting development initiatives, Based on this paper CARE took CSR as an strategic focus on CSR and CARE initiated first CSR forum on responsible business called SAFORB (south Asian forum for responsible business) of which care was the founding member and seven other organization from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India joined as member. He was also managed “The Partnership Brokering Project” which Aimed to strengthen cross-sectoral partnership that can help both development and private sector organizations to work for the society in a mainstreamed way such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Assist 14 organizations in developing their capacity to become CSR service provider in the market as a part of ongoing Partnership Brokering Project. Under this project he was trained and became a partnership broker form IBLF.

Developed and implemented a rural marketing and sales model for CARE Bangladesh through engaging Private Sector Companies to create livelihood and u opportunity for rural poor women. During this initial years of exposure with NGO work and working directly in the field created deeper understanding for Rashid about the broader development context, poverty issues and challenges. It also created the thrust for developing sustainable solution. This has become one of the highly celebrated Corporate and NGO partnership model for care later on. His specific role was to developing business plan for individual sales women/poor participants in the rural areas of CARE, developing operation model of partnership, development marketing and sales plan, facilitation of rural penetration model development and developing door to door marketing strategy etc.