Former Chairpersons
Former Chairpersons
Below are the former Chairpersons since BUILD’s inception in 2011.
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Below are the former Chairpersons since BUILD’s inception in 2011.
Listen to the pulse of the private sector development. Read our bi-monthly newsletter, Connect.
Asif Ibrahim is the vice chairman of Newage Group of Industries, a business house involved in manufacturing and exporting ready-made garments, textiles and plastic products from Bangladesh.
Asif Ibrahim is the chairman of Chittagong Stock Exchange PLC. (CSE). He is a director of Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) and Central Counterparty Bangladesh Limited (CCBL). Asif Ibrahim is also a director of the Bangladesh Institute of Capital Market (BICM) and a governing body member of the Bangladesh Academy of Securities Markets (BASM). He is also a member of the board of governors of the Capital Market Stabilization Fund (CMSF).
Asif Ibrahim is a director of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), holding the responsibility of ports and shipping of BGMEA. He is also one of the conveners of Resurgent Bangladesh, a platform to help develop policies and guidelines for the economic recovery of Bangladesh from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Asif Ibrahim is an executive council member of UNESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) and is the chairman of the ESBN Taskforce on Disaster and Climate Risk Reduction. He is a member of the board of advisers of BRAC Business School under BRAC University. He is also a core committee member of the Citizens’ Platform for SDGs Bangladesh, representing the private sector.
Asif Ibrahim is a former president (2011-2012) of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) & former founder chairman (2013-2016) of Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD), a Public-Private Dialogue platform to enable policy reforms for an improved investment climate in Bangladesh. He also served as the president of the Bangladesh Professional Golfer’s Association (BPGA).
Asif Ibrahim served as a board member of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2012-2015) and was the chairman of the Privatization Standing Committee of FBCCI. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF).
Asif Ibrahim was a director of the Bangladesh Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BPCCI) and Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTCCI). He has also been on the board of the France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFB).
Syed Nasim Manzur was the Chairperson of BUILD for the year 2016. He is the Chairman of Landmark Footwear Ltd. and Founding Director of Apex Footwear Ltd., Quantum Consumer Solutions Ltd., Blue Ocean Footwear Ltd., Apex Investments Ltd, and Sunbeams School Ltd. He is also a Director of Apex Tannery Ltd., Apex Pharma Ltd., Grey Advertising Bangladesh Ltd., Apex Enterprises Ltd., Pioneer Insurance Co. Ltd., International Publications Ltd., Progeny Technologies Ltd., and Advisor of the Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB). He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees, BRAC University.
Mr Manzur is an avid art enthusiast and takes a keen interest in promoting art and culture through the Society for Promotion of Bangladesh Art (SPBA). He is also an Executive Member of an internationally acclaimed Non-Government Organization called Friendship, which provides health and educational services in remote and inaccessible chars of the country’s northern region through self-propelled floating hospitals and riverine ambulances. He is the former President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and is a regular guest speaker at the National Defence College (NDC), Mirpur, Dhaka.
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.
Omar Hazzaz is the president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI). Born to lawmaker Abdul Latif, he brings a diverse background, having completed his high school education in Chattogram and studied Marketing and Corporate Communication at Sunway University in Malaysia.
Omar’s business ventures include shipbuilding, maritime construction, property management, commodities trading, and a food processing company. As CCCI president, he aims to strengthen connections with member organizations, address sector-specific issues through sub-committees, and promote consistent communication. Acknowledging government investments in Chattogram, Omar recognises challenges faced by projects like the Mirasarai Economic Zone, Matarbari Seaport, Tunnel, and Bay Terminal. He focuses on developing proposals to attract Indian and Chinese investments, fostering business growth, and safeguarding regional entrepreneurs’ interests.
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.