Shammi Akter’s start as an Accounts Assistant in 2008 at Tradefaire was an auspicious beginning to her career. It would lead her on the path to many promotions, paving the way to her being named CEO in 2020. How she relocated from Bangladesh to a company in Braeside, Victoria, was an interesting journey…
Straight out of university after completing her master’s degree from Dhaka University, Shammi started working for Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women in Bangladesh from 1999. This organisation provides microfinance to disadvantaged women who would otherwise be unable to access financial support to get on their feet and become entrepreneurs. In two years, she became a manager and was responsible for supervising 40 branches for their sales target. When she started, there were 80 branches, now there are 250.
In 2005, Shammi decided to move with her husband and young daughter to Australia to gain a master’s in accounting from Central Queensland University. They then decided to permanently live in Melbourne, where they felt it would be a great place to raise their then two children.
After volunteering in an accounting firm for a short period to familiarise herself with the way companies worked in Australia, Shammi decided that she would apply for roles in her field. Little did she know that her first interview would change her life. At Tradefaire, she found her match. Encouraging and supportive, her first role defined her life and career in Australia. According to Shammi, “This family-run business is like family to me.”
When Shammi started at Tradefaire, there were only three people: The Founder, James Saunders, one employee in accounts and a Salesperson. There are now 55 employees across ten locations. Because they supply off road tyres to the agricultural market as well as supply and service to the earthmover, quarries, mining and port sectors, they are considered an essential service and could stay open in regions that were in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tradefaire started in 1992, supplying premium quality tyres, tracks and fitting services and have grown into a leading tyre supplier in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. As Shammi explains, they now are covering more of the market segment and supplying through multiple distribution channels. They are one of the biggest tyre and track specialists in Australia.
The path to becoming a CEO was not obvious at first. However, James promoted Shammi from Junior to Trade Accountant and then Commercial Manager in 2012, when the business started to see itself grow even further. By July 1 2020, she was made CEO.
Shammi was encouraged to join The CEO Institute by James, and although reluctant at first, she feels grateful for the experience now. “It is good to hear from people from other industries. I have been in the same industry for so long, that it is beneficial to see how other CEOs deal with issues, concerns, and share milestones. I feel like I have learned how to be a better CEO by being empathetic, but also firm when necessary. I am more broadly covering all areas of the business and working on how the company can improve. This, I think is already benefiting the business and has expanded my role.”
As most other industries have found, the pandemic has affected Tradefaire’s ability to keep the supply chain going at the same level. It was initially stressful for Shammi, as she felt the responsibility as a newly minted CEO to make sure the company came through to the other side without a huge impact. Those working in the office are now working from home and Shammi finds that she now checks in quite a bit more with her employees, making sure they are being productive but managing a work-life balance and that they have the tools and guidance necessary to get their job done. She finds herself reaching out to everyone in the business a lot more than she used to.
There were some issues with order fulfillment during COVID-19, but the fact that Tradefaire held a good amount of stock on the ground worked out for them. “Thankfully, we were in a business that was able to continue deliveries, although not at the same speed as we would normally.” Being an importer, Tradefaire also had shipping issues due to strike and congestion in various Australian ports as well as overseas ports.
Shammi sees the next five years for Tradefaire as very promising. She says, “There are big players and small players in this industry. Tradefaire is a large player and we would like to reach the top through increasing our market share.” It is also particularly important to her that they recruit and retain people that can engage with customers and build towards stronger and sustainable relationships. Another area of growth for Tradefaire will be through digital marketing. Though digital marketing was not a priority, now that contact with the end user is increasing, an online presence is paramount.
According to Shammi, being a good leader involves “motivating others to work towards a common goal, communicating efficiently with all stakeholders, keeping up to date on current news, going to meetings at The CEO Institute and learning from others. All of this has been hugely helpful to me in my role as CEO.”
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