BUILD’s Board of Trustees plays an influential role in terms of transformational leadership, coherent strategy, and bringing innovative skills into the fold. Following are the incumbent trustees for 2021-22.
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Nihad Kabir, Barrister-at-Law, Senior Advocate, former President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has taken over as the Chairperson of the Trustee Board of Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) for the year 2022-23. She succeeds Abul Kasem Khan, former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), who was the Chairperson of BUILD for 2020-21.
Nihad Kabir is a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. She is the Senior Partner of Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad and Associates, a leading law firm in the country. She is an independent director on the Board of Square Textiles Limited, and a Director of Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), among others. She has previously chaired the Boards of BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage Limited and BRAC EPL Investment Limited and has been a board member of Bkash, Brac Bank and several other listed companies. She is a Senior Fellow and Board member of BIDS, a member of the Board of Governors of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, and Chairperson of Ain o Salish Kendra, a legal aid institution.
Nihad has been a member of the National Pay and Services Commission and the National Education Policy Committee, Government of Bangladesh. She was also the Chairperson of BUILD for 2017.
The president of DCCI, Barrister Md Sameer Sattar, is the head of Sattar and Co., a legal consultancy firm. Sattar and Co. is one of the leading firms in Bangladesh and advises purely on corporate and commercial law matters, dealing with local and foreign investments. In Bangladesh, Sattar’s consultancy and advisory roles primarily involve, inter alia, strategic advice on matters involving company laws, corporate governance, banking and securities laws, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions. He also provides transactional and regulatory advice in the media, communications, and technology sectors. During his time in London, Sattar worked in several leading international law firms focusing on commercial/business disputes and international arbitration. Sattar has worked on commercial arbitrations conducted in all major venues worldwide arising out of a broad range of transactions, including foreign investment, public concessions, energy, natural resources, mining and exploration, banking and financial services, international trade, construction and shareholder disputes.
Md. Saiful Islam is the president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka (MCCI) for the year 2022. Previously he was the president of Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB). Islam is one of the leading industrialists in the country, having 35 years of business experience in various fields like shipbuilding, leather goods manufacturing, dredging and hospitality etc. He has started his business carrier in 1986 in the shipping sector, such as ship-chartering, ship-owning, ship-repair, among others. With his brilliant ideas and hard work, Islam has spread his business wings to other industries like leather goods. In 1997, he established a joint venture company, Picard Bangladesh Limited, in conjunction with Picard Lederwaren GmbH Co. & KG, Germany, which manufactures and exports leather goods and is a winner of multiple prestigious export trophies.
Mr Mahbubul Alam is the President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) for 2021-23 and the Chairman of M. Alam Group. Mr Alam is the former Chairperson of BUILD, Vice-President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Former Director of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vice-President of the Confederation of Eastern Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Governing Board Member of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Board Member, Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), Bangladesh Railway Container Service Ltd. and Custom Excise and VAT Training Academy, Chattogram, Member of Advisory Committee of Chittagong Port Authority, Director of the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICCB), Executive Board Member of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute and also working as Consul General of the Republic of Mali.
Mr Abul Kasem Khan was the Chairperson of BUILD for the year 2020-21. He was President of DCCI in 2010, 2017 and 2018. He is Managing Director of AK Khan Telecom Limited and Director of AK Khan & Co. Limited. Mr Khan is currently a Director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI) for the year 2021-2023. He is also a Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund (BICF) member. He was also a Director in Titas Gas & Distribution Co. Ltd (TGDCL), TM Bangladesh Ltd (AKTEL) and Dhaka Stock Exchange Ltd (DSE). He was also a Member of NCMID (National Committee for Monitoring Implementation of Doing Business Reforms) in 2018.
Mr Syed Mohammed Tanvir is the Vice President of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). He is also the Managing Director of Pacific Jeans and serving as the Independent Director at the Chittagong Stock Exchange.
Mr Afsarul Arifeen is the Secretary General of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). He previously served the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) as the Secretary.
Mr Farooq Ahmed is currently the Secretary General of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka. He is also currently serving Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) as the Secretary General.
Engr. Mohd. Farque Ahmed is the Secretary of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).
Mrs Ferdaus Ara Begum is presently working as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BUILD. She has served as the Secretary of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) — a leading and reputed Chamber in the country as well as acted as the head of the DCCI Research Cell for several years. She also worked as Executive Director of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and gathered experiences working with SAARC countries.
