Year in Review 2019

Acquisition International - Year in Review 2019 13 Achieving success as CFO takes someone very special indeed. During Tanwir Rahman’s time at ASA International, he has taken the company through the process of joining the London Stock Exchange and seen it grow into one of the largest and most profitable micro-finance international institutions. Following his success as Finance Professional of the Year 2019 earlier in the year, we took a closer look at his education, career and the company that has triumphed during his time as CFO. anwir Rahman strikes an unassuming figure in an ever- expanding list of companies and CFOs, but behind his smart exterior is a fine financial mind able to anticipate the ways the markets change, what demands this will put on the company and how best to invest to ensure that the business is able to maintain a profitable approach. Attending Boise State University on a full tennis scholarship (he was ranked 165 by the IFT – International Tennis Federation in 1986), Rahman spent five years gaining his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration majoring in Accounting. Thereafter, he completed his CPA (Certified Public Accountant) through AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). During this time, he worked as an intern in the accounting department in the Morrison Knudsen Corporation (later URS Corporation), A Fortune 500 company, working his way all the way up to full-time accountant with certificate of appreciation. At the end of four years of service, Rahman was finally promoted to the well-deserved post of senior accountant and stayed at the company until 2002. This was followed by two years at Bovis as a Senior Accounting Manager in San Francisco. Taking the opportunity to move from the USA to Dhaka, Rahman performed a seven-year stint at BRAC, the biggest NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in the world. Here he created opportunities across eleven countries in Asia and Africa, working as a Director of Finance for BRAC International comprised of a charity and a for profit wing. During his time working for BRAC International, Rahman was able to oversee the sustainability of both a not-for-profit group Stichting BRAC International and a for-profit organization BRAC International Holdings based out of Netherlands. This process took one and a half years of work, but ultimately, the success experienced here allowed his next move to the Unique Group, where he stayed briefly, before coming across ASA International. Becoming CFO of this company couldn’t have been better timed for Rahman. Having secured a $20M loan from the OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) and another $ 20M from BMGF (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and several renowned institutional investors, there was the perfect opportunity to really make a difference to the firm and establish an approach that could set the course for the future of the business. ASA International termed by Forbes magazine to be the Ford model of microfinance had already become renowned for its microfinance institutions, providing small and socially responsible loans to entrepreneurs of low-income. Most of these are women, spread across Asia and Africa. A major step for Rahman, and ASA International, came with the decision to float the company on the London Stock Exchange. Announcing this decision in June 2018, Rahman guided the A Fine Financial Mind T company through the process and following the completion of a successful IPO, ASA International was accepted into the LSE’s hallowed halls on July 18th, 2018. The result was admission to the premium segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and trading on the main market of the LSE. With the company’s 1,812 branches serving over 2,3000,00 clients with a gross loan portfolio of $419.5million, it’s no wonder that the business rapidly gained traction on the LSE. This triumph was a sign that Rahman’s work for this distinguished company was paying dividends. Elevating the successful ASA model to new heights, Rahman was able to take advantage of the success of this fast- growing, decentralized, easily replicable and scalable model. This achievement has allowed ASA International Group Plc to develop even further, garnering support from a range of different countries as the business expands. Tanwir Rahman has worked his way up from the bottom, accomplishing his dreams through hard work and incredible commitment. It’s evident from his success that this hard work has allowed him the opportunity to grow and develop experience in a variety of different and challenging circumstances. Drawing on all this expertise has been necessary in his role as Group CFO for ASA International Group Plc, where he continues to oversee the development and growth of one of the largest organisations of its type in the world. Contact: Tanwir Rahman Company: ASA International Group Plc Web Address: www.asa-international.com