Isabelle Zsoldos (R), Former Cultural Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, hands over IVLP completion certificate to Md Tajdin Hassan. Photo: Courtesy of Md Tajdin Hassan

Md Tajdin Hassan started exploring marketing trends soon after he graduated from BRAC University. He won the YWN Marketing Excellence Award 2020 from the Asia Marketing Federation under the category, 'Top Outstanding Youth Marketer of the Year'. Currently, Tajdin is the Chief Strategy and Digital Transformation Officer at The Daily Star.

 He participated in the 2019 International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the USA under the 'Youth and Civic Engagement' category.

"Meeting 19 other young leaders was very inspiring. Their stories of trying to bring about positive changes in the world have stayed with me," shares Tajdin.

At the IVLP, he explored methods for empowering the youth through networks, exchanges, and opportunities as well as elevating youth voices.

After returning from the IVLP, Tajdin initiated youth-based activities in Bangladesh through Torun Digital, a platform he co-founded with Sonia Bashir Kabir, Founder of SBK Tech Ventures and SBK Foundation, and Shuvashish Roy, Head of Business of The Daily Star.

Through collaboration with different universities and events such as Youth Skills Summit and Business Competition Library, Torun Digital has successfully reached out to youngsters. The platform also provides internship and freelancing opportunities to students, equipping them with hard and soft skills.

Tajdin strongly values cross-mentorship, and believes that although young students may lack experience, they always bring fresh perspectives to anything they work with.

In 2020, he founded Mission Save Bangladesh (MSB) with Imran Kadir from The Daily Samakal and Adnan Imtiaz Halim from Sheba.xyz, to support daily wage earners during the coronavirus pandemic. The organisation provides daily wage earners with food packages and other basic necessities. MSB has collaborated with Dabur, Dano, IPDC, and Pathao, among other organisations that share the same objectives as them.

"We also share success stories of social workers to inspire others to serve the community," Tajdin adds.

MSB received the Joy Bangla Youth Award in 2020 for collecting nearly BDT 20 million, and helping over 0.1 million people. International media outlets, such as Washington Post, Yahoo News, and Toronto Stars, have featured the organisation's initiatives.

Being a keen reader himself, Tajdin has co-authored the books, "Personal Branding", "The Transition", and "Think Like CEOs". He also shares significant insights for the youth into topics like marketing, e-commerce, sustainability, and social welfare, on his blog.

"Watching the news only presents an account of what happened. However, I believe it limits our capacity to build upon our existing knowledge of events. On the other hand, reading expands our horizons and imagination," says Tajdin. "In this digital era, we need to consume video content as well as build a habit of reading to inspire positive changes."

Tajdin believes that young changemakers can function as the building blocks in the growth of Bangladesh. "I only wish to give youngsters a slight push. Dreams do come true, but the courage to act towards achieving one's goals is important for building a modern yet humble society," he concludes.

The author is trainee reporter, Arts & Entertainment, The Daily Star. Email: ashley@thedailystar.net.