CEO Insights Magazine

There is immense love and care evident in all of Zahida Fizza Kabir's actions, making it impossible to overlook. Her life can be encapsulated in a single word: "Meraki" – the act of doing something with soul, happiness, and love. Zahida wholeheartedly invests herself in everything she undertakes, whether it be her profession, passion, or purpose.

Through her work with SAJIDA Foundation, she brings about the manifestation of health, happiness, and dignity for all. She also strives to create a workplace where people go back home with a smile and a society characterized by peace. Zahida's journey mirrors the remarkable growth and progress of the SAJIDA Foundation since 1993. From its humble beginnings as a garage school, the foundation has evolved into a leading non-profit organization in Bangladesh. In addition to her role as CEO at SAJIDA Foundation, Zahida also serves as the Managing Director of Home and Community Care (HCCL) and Inner Circle (divisions of SAJIDA), which are specialized social healthcare enterprises.

She holds the position of Chairperson at the Psychological Health and Wellness   Clinic and sits on the board of Renata, a company in which SAJIDA Foundation holds a 51 percent market share. Renata, originally Pfizer Bangladesh (a billiondollar pharma company), has transformed into Bangladesh's 4th largest pharmaceutical company, with ten manufacturing facilities that export products to 27 countries. Furthermore, Zahida is a board member of Valor of Bangladesh, a platform dedicated to policy analysis and sustainability across various sectors in Bangladesh. CEO Insights Asia engages in an exclusive conversation with her.

What motivates your routine? Describe your leadership style.

What motivates me to keep going every day is the vision and values of our founder, Syed Humayun  Kabir. His unwavering commitment to giving back to society and his belief that it is our duty to help those who are less fortunate continue to inspire me. I believe in empowering others, whether it's supporting entrepreneurial women in the development sector through financing, education, and health initiatives, or fostering a collaborative culture at HCCL that values input from all team members. With experienced advisors, we prioritize reporting and review meetings to discuss operational insights, market feedback, finances, and risks as part of our governance processes. HCCL maintains a well-defined organizational structure, prioritizes compliance, and conducts three annual audits. These governance practices have been seamlessly adopted from SAJIDA Foundation, which caters to 1.5 million households annually. My leadership approach is centered on building strong relationships with my team, fostering trust, respect, and a culture of collaboration and empowerment.

How would you define Home and Community Care?

I founded HCCL with a noble mission to provide muchneeded assistance to aging family members requiring daily care. Our approach involves collaborating with veteran Canadian Registered Nurses to train  caregivers, and as a social enterprise, we aim to create social impact rather than solely pursuing profit.

Being one of the pioneers in the homecare industry in Bangladesh, our success has been a result of several key factors.

Firstly, we benefit from the healthcare expertise and clinical resources of SAJIDA Hospital — an establishment we have operated for over a decade as one of our high-quality multidisciplinary hospitals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were one of the first to implement infection-prevention processes and expertise in our homecare services through special training and visits from our hospital doctors. Secondly, we have a skilled management team, including over 200 caregivers and more than 12 personnel in the middle and back offices. Thirdly, we were the only home care company to obtain the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems certification to ensure we conduct our operations in the most responsible manner possible. Fourthly, we collaborate with nursing experts from Canada to design our caregiving model and training curriculum. Lastly, we are a technologyfocused company and have developed one of the first homecare/caregiving-related mobile apps for both clients and caregivers to monitor their patient's vitals, report issues, and more.

What is the value addition of your services?

As societal dynamics transition from joint family systems to nuclear family setups and life expectancy increases (it was approximately 45 years in 1971 and is 74 years as of 2023), it is evident that there is a growing need. At HCCL, we have expanded our services beyond just caregiving to offer a comprehensive healthcare experience for our clients. Our one-stop delivery solution provides a wide range of healthcare services directly to the bedside, including home caregiving, home medical services such as doctor visits and teleconsultations, home therapy, and home pathology services that eliminate the need for patients to travel to diagnostic centers or hospitals. With over 600+ types of pathology tests carried out in top diagnostic labs in the country, our clients receive complete report delivery at home.

Where do you aspire to be in the future?

As the founder and CEO of HCCL, I can confidently say that our organization is committed to delivering top-notch homecare services with a strong emphasis on social impact and responsible operations. Looking ahead, we have big plans for the next 7 years. Our primary goal is to make a significant impact on the homecare industry by expanding our services to major cities and providing employment opportunities for caregivers in those regions. We aim to create a safe and convenient setting at home for the effective care and clinical management of patients.

My vision for HCCL's future is to follow the successful private sector-led homecare industry models in India and the Philippines. We aim to combine the thoroughness of Western approaches with the creative models found in Asia to provide comprehensive healthcare services at the bedside. To achieve this, we are expanding our services beyond caregiving and nursing. Furthermore, we aim to improve the representation of capable and compassionate caregivers in the global market by sending them abroad for better work opportunities.

Zahida Fizza Kabir, CEO, Home and Community Care

Zahida earned her Bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of the Philippines, followed by a Master's degree in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Training in Vermont. Additionally, she holds a PG Diploma in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oxford. When not dedicating herself to her professional pursuits, Zahida enjoys spending time with her family, including her two-year-old grandson. She also likes watching movies, listening to podcasts, and exploring scenic destinations, particularly those with a seaside view.