Q What do you think of the conference so far?
A The Mobility Conference is fantastic, a great platform to have. Firstly you have people from all over the world, so this is unique. You have a platform for discussing ideas collectively, which you don’t otherwise get and we’re all here, so it’s easier to do. You also get given an incredible amount of knowledge because one of the key things in this mobility game is being up to date as to what is going on. So we’re all starting to come up to speed on what exactly is going on and how we should deal with it.

Q What can clubs learn from each other in an environment like this?
A It is a great place to get ideas off each other, to share our programmes that we’re running. We have clubs of different sizes, so although the Bangladeshi club is microscopic at the moment compared with Japan or Germany, there are other clubs we are on a par with that are just developing. So we get an opportunity to share horizontally with clubs of a similar size, but we also get to share vertically with clubs of a bigger size.

Q You have just attended the applied learning session, what did you think of that? A We were talking about leadership. Our instructor was saying that he wasn’t looking at this process in terms of figures, numbers, or competencies, he wasn’t thinking of it as a science, more as an art. So what he was essentially saying is, we are by instinct selfish but if we stay in a mode of always rewarding ourselves and not taking risks there’s no growth. But at the same time if we have to act in a way that is unusual to us, act in a way that is unselfish, then there is a toll. So you must balance that toll with restorative methods that keep you at peace and capable of performing.

Q What lessons will you take back to Bangladesh?
A There will be two things I think. One will be the awareness of what big business is doing in terms of disruption. I think this is key because unless we analyse what is left in the market or what we add, then I think we may just be going down a dead end and then end up wasting time and resources. So we need to make everyone aware of the playing field that we are heading towards.
I think another one is how we will enter the space. The FIA has always been traditionally a champion of the consumer but we have to do more than this. For instance, the UK’s AA is now setting up two companies, one for the second hand car market and the other for tyres. They felt they could better serve the interests of the consumer in this area than anyone else, so this is something where our clubs and the entire network can add greater and unique value, to a market place that is becoming increasingly crowded.