Shadmanul Islam

Scholar background

Shadmanul Islam has over eight years’ experience working in the footwear industry. He is the Quality Auditor for VF Asia Sourcing Bangladesh Liaison Office. VF Corporation is an American global apparel and footwear company with more than 30 brands across three categories: Outdoor, Active and Work. Shadmanul is responsible for setting up quality control procedures and conducting audits for Timberland PRO's footwear division in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh.

His career in the industry started in 2014 when he joined Fortuna Footwear as a management trainee in the Production Division, before taking on Quality Assurance and Quality Control positions at Youngone Group. He later worked as a QA Inspector for Wolverine Worldwide for two years, where he was in charge of maintaining USA quality standards for the manufacturing of two million pairs of footwear per annum.

Shadmanul earned his bachelor’s degree in Footwear Engineering at the Institute of Leather Engineering & Technology at the University of Dhaka in 2014.

Personal statement

If anything, the Covid pandemic has taught us that having knowledge of one area of trade is not enough to survive. Diversifying your skill sets is now a must. Globalization has already brought the world much closer than before, and the competition grows more intense every day.

I consider myself very fortunate to be working for a company that promotes the personal development of their employers through partnerships with organizations like the Hinrich Foundation, which nurtures young talent and transforms them into the global trade leaders of tomorrow.

I have been in the footwear business for more than eight years now, mostly in manufacturing. As a result, I was not seeing  the bigger picture within my industry. I realized I needed to acquire a better understanding of the business side as well. The RMIT Masters of Global Trade Program will enable me to gain that knowledge from one of the best institutions there is. The Hinrich scholarship I’ve been awarded will inspire and  encourage me to work even harder during the course. The knowledge I will gain, and the growth opportunities that will result from taking this program, will allow me to achieve any goal.

The vast and diverse Hinrich Foundation community will provide me the support I need to advance my future professional endeavours, my ability to make the best decision for my employer and to fulfil my goal of becoming a successful Global Trade Leader.