Naser Ezaz Bijoy elected as president of FICCI, Neil Coupland vice-president

The Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has announced Naser Ezaz Bijoy as the president-elect for the period of 2022-2023.

The announcement was made at FICCI’s 58th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on Sunday. At the AGM, the chamber also declared Neil Coupland as the vice-president-elect, along with its newly-appointed executive committee members.

Naser Ezaz Bijoy is a career banker working with Standard Chartered Bank for 29 years, in Asia, Middle East and Africa. He is currently serving as chief executive officer, Standard Chartered Bangladesh. He also serves on the boards of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Foundation Bangladesh; Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dhaka; The British Business Group (BBG) among others.

Neil Coupland is the managing director of United Dhaka Tobacco Company Ltd, a member of Japan Tobacco International Group. Born and brought up in Kolkata, India, Neil has lived in 17 countries. Working for JTI Neil has served as general manager in Romania, Poland, Central America & Caribbean. Back in Bangladesh for his second time he lives in Dhaka with his wife and two young daughters, the youngest of which was born in Dhaka 6 months ago.

Commenting on the election, Naser Ezaz Bijoy said, “As we celebrate 50 years of our nationhood, we are standing at a juncture when we have the opportunity to make our own history and write the next chapter. Attracting and nurturing investments from both local and foreign sources will remain a critical pillar of our success. I am honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading this mission on behalf of FICCI, and excited to build on the achievements of my predecessor.”

Neil Coupland said, “Having served as an executive committee member with FICCI last year it is an honor to be elected as Vice President for the next year. I will endeavor to represent FICCI under Naser’s leadership backed up by a very distinguished executive committee. Our collective desire is to be at the forefront of the drive to propel Bangladesh to new levels of development and prosperity for all.

Rupali Chowdhury, president, FICCI, said, “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to serve as the president of FICCI for the past two years. This has been a rewarding and interesting experience. With the help of my wonderful Executive Committee Members, we were able to achieve different milestones even during the pandemic. I am Congratulating the newly elected President, Vice-president and, the Executive Committee. I hope the new EC will continue the advocacy to build improved partnerships and collaboration with the government agencies to facilitate the vision 2041 and continue to uphold the image of FICCI. Furthermore, I would like to wish them great success in the coming future.”

The FICCI, the apex chamber for all multinational companies of Bangladesh, held the president and vice president election on November 30. A 15-member strong executive committee was also elected.

Here is the list of the full office bearers:

1. Naser Ezaz Bijoy, chief executive officer, Standard Chartered Bank
2. Neil Coupland, managing director, United Dhaka Tobacco Co Ltd
3. Abdur Rashid, managing director & country head, SGS Bangladesh Ltd
4. Ala Uddin Ahmad, general manager, MetLife Bangladesh
5. Anirban Asit Kumar Ghoh, managing director, Bata Shoe Co (Bangladesh) Ltd.
6. Ashish Goupal, managing director, Marico Bangladesh Limited
7. Deepal Abeywickrema, managing director, Nestle Bangladesh Ltd
8. Jahangir Saadat, managing director, Youngone (CEPZ) Ltd
9. Mahbubur Rahman, chief executive officer, HSBC Bangladesh
10. N Rajashekaran, managing director & Citi country officer, Citibank NA
11. Riad Mamun Prodhani, managing director & country president, Novartis Bangladesh Ltd
12. Shwapna Bhowmick, country head, Marks & Spencer Plc
13. Wu Li Chuan, managing director, LSI Industries Ltd
14. Yasir Azman, chief executive officer, Grameenphone
15. Zaved Akhtar, managing director, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd