CEO of Bata Shoe Company

Tribute / A friend in need

He was here only for his job. When the Liberation War broke out, he could have slipped out of the country to safety. But William AS Ouderland, who came to East Pakistan in the 70s as the CEO of Bata Shoe Company, chose to join the fight for the independence of Bangladesh. It was because of the “love and affection” he “felt for the Bangalee people”, as he once wrote in a letter to a friend.

March 26, 2016
March 26, 2016

A friend in need

He was here only for his job. When the Liberation War broke out, he could have slipped out of the country to safety. But William AS Ouderland, who came to East Pakistan in the 70s as the CEO of Bata Shoe Company, chose to join the fight for the independence of Bangladesh. It was because of the “love and affection” he “felt for the Bangalee people”, as he once wrote in a letter to a friend.