Leadership: Executive Body

 

 

Mahabub Hossain
Executive Director

Mahabub Hossain is an internationally renowned development economist. Prior to joining BRAC, Dr. Hossain was the Head of the Social Sciences Division and Programme Leader, Rainfed Ecosystems Programme of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines. He was also the Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) from 1989 to 1992. Dr. Hossain, is known for his substantial contributions to research on development economics and agriculture policy in South and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Hossain obtained his Masters in Economics in 1969 from Dhaka University and his PhD in Economics in 1977 from Cambridge University, UK. Throughout his distinguished career, he has authored/co-authored eleven books and research monographs and contributed more than 140 papers in refereed journals and edited books. He was awarded the first Gold Medal from the Bangladesh Agricultural Economist Association (in 1985) in recognition of outstanding contribution to understanding the operation of rural economy in Bangladesh.

Dr. Hossain, a Bangladeshi national, was born in 1945 in Nadia, West Bengal, India.

 

Muhammad A (Rumee) Ali   
Managing Director, Social Enterprises & Investments

Muhammad A. (Rumee) Ali served at different levels in local and international banking sector. Prior to joining in BRAC, he served as the Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank. With his appointment as Country Head and General Manager of Grindlays Bangladesh in March 1997, Mr. Ali became the first Bangladeshi to head a major international bank in Bangladesh. In July 2000, following the takeover of ANZ Grindlays by Standard Chartered Bank, Ali was appointed the CEO of the Standard Chartered Group in Bangladesh, heading both Standard Chartered Bank and Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank. His banking experience includes stints in India, United Kingdom and Australia. Mr. Ali was elected a Fellow of the Bangladesh Institute of Bankers in 2001.

Mr. Ali is a director of the boards of several organisations including the Governing Board of PKSF and is also a member of the Global Steering Committee of the ‘Performance Based Grants Initiative’ of the International Finance Corporation. He is a member of the Better Business Forum and the Technical Advisory Committee of Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund. At present he is the Vice Chairman of Bangladesh Association of Banks.

He received a number of awards including C. R. Das and Atish Dipanker Gold Medal for Banking in 1995 and 1999 and ‘CEO of the Year’ awarded by Junior Chamber International, Bangladesh and Bangladesh Management Institute in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

Mr. Ali received his B.A. (Honours) and M.A. in Economics from Dhaka University and was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1951.

 

 

S N Kairy
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)


S. N. Kairy, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), BRAC Group (BRAC and BRAC International), was born in 1957. Immediately after completing his M.Com. in Accounting from Dhaka University, he joined the Accounts Section of BRAC in April 1982.

Mr. Kairy has worked at BRAC at various positions - he progressed through the roles of Chief Accountant, Finance Manager, Director Finance & Accounts and achieved his current position on May 01, 2011.

He supervises the overall financial control and management over the sources and applications of funds for BRAC activities, both development and commercial. His responsibilities include ensuring effective financial control, transparency and accuracy of financial data and reporting. He is responsible for ensuring the effective Procurement and Asset Management of BRAC Group.

Mr. Kairy is currently serving on the Board of BRAC Bank Limited as a Director nominated by BRAC. He is also the Chair of the Board Audit Committee of BRAC Bank Limited.

 

 

 

Faruque Ahmed
Deputy Executive Director International Programmes

Faruque Ahmed has taken over the responsibility of Deputy Executive Director of BRAC International from March 1, 2012. Prior to this, Ahmed was the Director of BRAC Health Programme for 10 years and played a critical role in shaping its overall health strategy. He is an experienced implementer of effective health projects in partnership with government, other NGOs and private sectors. Under Ahmed’s leadership, BRAC Health Programme has scaled up national partnerships for Tuberculosis and Malaria control, and has implemented innovative community based programmes like maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition, eye care and many other critical public health interventions in Bangladesh. Prior to joining BRAC, Ahmed worked for Health Nutrition and Population team of the World Bank office in Bangladesh as Senior Operations Officer. He started his career as a research and planning officer in 1975, after which he worked in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Addition to these, Ahmed serves as a member of the working group of Bangladesh Health Watch – a civil society initiative, Vice Chair of Bangladesh Country Coordination Mechanism for Global Funds for AID Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and a member of the World Bank Civil Society Consultative Group on Health, Nutrition and Population. Formerly, he represented the civil society for the GAVI Alliance Board. He completed Masters in Health Sciences from John Hopkins University and Masters in Economics from University of Dhaka.

  

Directors

 

 

 

Ahmed Najmul Hussain

Mr. Ahmed Najmul Hussain, Director of BRAC’s Procurement, Estates and Management Services department, was born in 1948. He did his graduation in Management from Police Staff College, UK.

Prior to joining BRAC in 2001, Mr. Hussain worked in a variety of law enforcement capacities. He was Lieutenant to Major in the Pakistan and Bangladesh Army, Superintendent of Police in seven districts, Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, and Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Mr. Hussain’s other positions include Chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and Team Leader of the Community Road Safety Initiatives Project of the World Bank.

While at BRAC, Mr. Hussain has worked on a variety of projects related to Road Safety, Advocacy, Vocational Training, Procurement, Transport, Construction, and IT Systems.

Mr. Hussain has received a variety of awards, including the Good Service Badge of the Police Department in 1994, and the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, UK in 2002.

 

 

 

Anna Minj

Ms. Anna Minj is Director, Social Development Programme.Ms. Minj did her Postgraduate level Study program in Project Planning & Management from IDPM, Manchester University, UK. She obtained her Masters (M. Sc.) in Zoology - Fisheries.

She started her career with Caritas Bangladesh as Program Officer, Child Care & Orphanage Management from August 1987 to January 1991. Then she worked as Project Coordinator, Integrated Women’s Development Program (Currently known as Gender & Development Program) from January 1991 to April 2002 in the same organization. Thereafter she worked as Gender Advisor - Programming from April 2002 to March 2003 in CARE Bangladesh and as Gender Equity & Diversity Coordinator from April 2003 to August 2006 and March 2007 to August 2008. Between 2006 & 2007 she worked as Volunteer Support to CAFOD, UK. Very recently she was working as Head of Human Resource & Gender Equity and Diversity from September 2008 to April 2009 in CARE Bangladesh.

 

  

 

Asif Saleh

Mr. Asif Saleh joined BRAC on February 2011 as the Director of Communications for BRAC and BRAC International. He is also Head of the BRAC Social Innovation Lab. He assists the Chairperson in coordinating the activities of BRAC, BRAC International and in maintaining close liaison with BRAC USA and BRAC UK.

Prior to joining BRAC, Mr. Saleh served as a policy specialist for Access to Information Programme (A2i), a UNDP funded project based at the Prime Minister's Office and facilitated various ICT initiatives for the development sector.

Asif Saleh served as an Executive Director at Goldman, Sachs until he decided to return to Bangladesh and work in the development sector.   Over a career span of 12 years with Goldman, Sachs in New York and London, he served in various management roles in Equities and Asset Managetment Division of Goldman, Sachs. His previous work experiences were in Glaxo Wellcome, NorTel and IBM.

Mr. Saleh is also the founder of Drishtipat, a global organisation focusing on human and economic rights of Bangladeshis. In 2008, Mr. Saleh was recognised for leadership by Asia Society though their Asia 21 programme and by Bangladeshi American Foundation. He writes regularly for leading dailies in Bangladesh and in international magazines on various issues.

Mr. Saleh has a Bachelors in Computer Science and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.

 

 

 

Babar Kabir

Dr. Babar Kabir joined BRAC as the Director of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme on August 2007. Mr. Kabir is also the Director of Disaster, Environment and Climate Change (DECC).

Mr. Kabir is an environmentalist, who obtained PhD in Hydrogeology in 1986 from Azerbaijan State University, Baku, USSR. He has made significant contribution in the Sustainable Environment Development & Management Programme and has experience of working in several Government Institutions, UN, Multilateral and Bilateral Development Agencies, NGOs, International and National Consulting Firms. Prior to joining BRAC, Mr. Kabir was working in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of Bangladesh as Programme Coordinator, Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP).

Mr. Kabir started his career as a Research Associate at the Azerbaijan State University, Baku, USSR. He has authored eight articles in National and International journals. He has co-authored a chapter on ‘Mitigation Strategies’ of the WHO monograph on Arsenic initiated by WN ACC. Mr. Kabir, a Bangladeshi national, was born on October 21, 1957 in Karachi, Pakistan.

 

 

 

Faustina Pereira

Dr. Faustina Pereira joined BRAC in September 2007 as the Director of the Human Rights and Legal Services programme.

Dr. Pereira is a lawyer, a human rights activist and an author. She obtained her Doctorate in International Human Rights Law in 1998 from the University of Notre Dame, USA, and completed her Post-Doctorate in 2002 from the National University of Ireland, Galway, as a Bank of Ireland Fellow. Prior to joining BRAC, Dr. Pereira served as the Director of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK).

Dr. Pereira, an internationally published writer has authored the book "The Fractured Scales: The Search for a Uniform Personal Code", which was awarded a Gold Medal by the Asiatic Society. In 2006, she was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She is a Bangladeshi National, born on September 29, 1969 in Chittagong.

 

 

 

Ishtiaq Mohiuddin

Mr. Ishtiaq Mohiuddin is the Director of Microfinance. He started his career as Computer Resource Coordinator at Veterans Upward Bound (UVB) in Hammond, Louisiana, USA (1990-1992). Then he worked as Management Accountant, Manager- MIS and also as Programme Coordinator at BRAC (1994-1999). Thereafter he worked as Operations Manager, FINCA South Africa (Jan 2000-Feb 2001). Mr. Ishtiaq also worked as Country Director, FINCA Malawi (Mar 2001-Apr 2002). He was also the Regional Manager at Caribbean Microfinance Ltd (CML) (Aug 2003- Sep 2005). Mr. Ishtiaq worked as an Independent Consultant from October 2005- December 2007. Prior to joining BRAC he was working as Credit Analyst of Scotiabank, Toronto in Canada.

 

 

 

Kaosar Afsana

Kaosar Afsana has been working at BRAC in Bangladesh for over 19 years, currently, as the Director Health. She is a Professor in James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Bangladesh. Ms. Afsana is an MD with MPH in International Health from Harvard University and PhD in Public Health from Edith Cowan University, Australia. Over the years she has directly been involved in designing, implementing and undertaking research in the leading projects of BRAC on reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health and nutrition and m-Health in urban slums and rural districts of Bangladesh. Ms. Afsana authored two books, 'Disciplining birth. Power, knowledge and childbirth practices in Bangladesh' and 'Discoursing birthing care. Experience from BRAC, Bangladesh' and published articles in peer reviewed journals and books. She has been awarded with many prestigious awards including the Woman of Distinction Award 2011 by the NGO Committee of the Women Status, New York for her contribution to maternal health and women's empowerment, Presidents' Prize for the best thesis on Asian topic by Asian Studies Association of Australia, D.K. Agencies India’s award for the best Australian doctoral thesis on an Asian subject  and the 2003 University Research Medal and the Faculty Research Medal for the best PhD thesis from Edith Cowan University. Ms. Afsana represents BRAC in many national and international organizations as a member and plays a special role in providing technical support and policy decision-making in women and child health and nutrition.

 

 

 

Moushumi  M. Khan

Moushumi  Khan is the Director of Legal and Compliance. She earned her J.D. (law) degree from the University of Michigan Law School in the United States in 1996 and a Master’s in Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2008 where she was also a Zuckerman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership. She received an A.B. degree in Critical Social Thought, cum laude, from Mount Holyoke College in 1993 and was awarded a Certificate in General Course in the Government Department of the London School of Economics in 1991.

 

Ms. Khan has over 14 years of experience in the non-profit, economic development and law sectors. She defines herself as a bridge and a community builder. She has advised non-profit organizations such as the Grameen Bank and InterAction. She has served as a legal counsellor to companies, including helping them design effective public/private partnerships, employee diversity policies, mediate conflicts between employers and their employees and the larger community.  Most recently  she was in private practice in New York City for almost a decade concentrating on civil rights and corporate law. Her clients included the local Bangladeshi and immigrant populations, public and private institutions, among others. She is a co-founder and the first President of the Muslim Bar Association of New York. She is a leading emerging voice on entrepreneurship, interfaith and immigrant identity issues, writing and speaking frequently on these topics. Ms. Khan grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

 

 

Safiqul Islam

Dr. Safiqul Islam, Director of BRAC Education Programme received his PhD in Economics from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1985.

Prior to joining BRAC in 1987, Dr. Islam was Research Associate at Center for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and Pacific (CIRDAP), a multi-government research organization. At BRAC, he held different positions, including Senior Research Economist at the Research and Evaluation Division and Programme Coordinator at the Monitoring Department till 1995, when he joined BEP. Meanwhile, he also worked for UNICEF in Pakistan during 1997-8 as a consultant to the Government of North-West Frontier Province on different aspects of Non-Formal Education. He was seconded to SIDA to work for the Directorate of Non-Formal Education of the Government of Bangladesh during 2001-2. He was the Head of PACE (Post-Primary Basic and Continuing Education) and BEP at BRAC before his current position as Director.

 

 

 

Saieed Bakth Mozumder

Mr. Saieed Bakth Mozumder, Director of BRAC’s Tea Estates division, was born in 1946. He studied history honours at Dhaka University.

Prior to joining BRAC in 2003, Mr. Mozumder worked as Assistant Manager and Manager at the tea company, James Finlay & Co. Ltd. He was Visiting Superintendent and then a General Manager in the National Tea Co. Ltd. Mr. Mozumder became General Manager of Tea Holding (Transcom Group) in 1993. He was also employed by HRC Group to develop two estates under Tea, Rubber & Afforestation as General Manager, and subsequently as Executive Director of Plantation.

Mr. Mozumder was Secretary of Balisera Planters’ Club, and represented the Bangladeshiyo Cha Sangshad on a variety of Boards and Committees. He was also Director of the Board and Executive Committee of One Bank Ltd.

 

 

 

Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury

Mr. Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury is the Director of BRAC International Programme.

He joined BRAC in 1976 and has worked at the organisation in different capacities in various departments. He was Faculty Member and Trainer in the Training Division of BRAC and Administrator of BRAC’s Integrated Development Project (Sulla Project) in Sulla in Sylhet District. He has almost twenty-nine years of experience in working for poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor.

Mr. Chowdhury holds BA (Hons) and MA in Economics from Dhaka University as well as MA in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in Hague in the Netherlands.

 

 

Sheepa Hafiza

Ms. Sheepa Hafiza, Director of Gender, Justice & Diversity and Advocacy, was born in 1956. She obtained her Masters in International/ Intercultural Management from the School for International Training (SIT), Vermont, USA, a Post Graduate Dilploma in NGO Leadership and Management from SIT in collaboration with the Global Partnership in NGO studies, and M.A. in Public Administration, University of Dhaka.

Prior to joining BRAC in 1990, Ms. Sheepa Hafiza worked as a teacher and language facilitator at Westgate Hill Pilot High School, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Uk. She was the co-author of BRAC technical Manual: An Action Learning Approach to Gender and Organisational Change. She has conducted numerous seminars, workshops and lectures related to organizational development.

 

 

 

Sukhendra Kumar Sarkar
Mr. S K Sarkar is the Director of Administration and Risk Management. Born in 1949, he received a Masters in Management from the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, The Philippines and Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) from Rajshahi University. Prior to joining in BRAC, Mr. Sarkar was in teaching profession.

Mr. Sarkar entered BRAC as the Field Motivator of the Sulla Project (An Intergrated Rural Development Project) in 1973. He progressed through positions serving as Area Manager, Regional Manager, Programme Manager, Project Administrator, Programme Coordinator and Director. Mr. Sarkar became Director of  the Rural Credit Programme in 1992, Director of Monitoring and Audit in 1994, and was elevated to his current position in 2003. In addition to his current position in BRAC, he is also holding the position as Treasurer of BRAC University.

Throughout his career at BRAC, Mr. Sarkar dedicated himself in many noteworthy projects. These include: the Oral Therapy Extension Programme, Child Survival Programme, Women’s Health Development Programme, the Rural Credit Programme and the Management Development Programme.  

 

 

 

Tamara H. Abed

Ms. Tamara Abed, Director, Aarong, BRAC Dairy and Food Project (BDFP) and Ayesha Abed Foundation (AAF), joined Aarong in 2002 as GM, Design and Product Development. She became Head of Aarong and AAF in June 2005. In May 2006 she was given responsibility of BDFP and became Director in January 2007. She completed her MBA in Finance from Columbia University and B SC. (ECON.) from London School of Economics and Political Science. Tamara started her career as an investment banker in Peregrine Capital Ltd. in Dhaka and then also worked in Goldman Sachs in New York in Mergers and Strategic Advisory. She also worked in BRAC’s Urban Programme for a year in 1998. Tamara is currently serving on the Board of BRAC Bank as a Director nominated by BRAC.

 

 

 

Tanwir Rahman

Mr. Tanwir Rahman BRAC's Director, Finance, was born in 1971. He is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). He obtained his bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Boise State University. He worked as an intern in Morrison Knudsen Corporation’s (now URS Corporation). After his graduation, he worked as a full time accountant in the same organization. After passing his Uniform Certified Public Accounting in 1999 he was promoted as Senior Accountant.

Through his fifteen years career in the financial management and reporting arena in United States of America he worked in various capacities, as the Divisional Controller for HBG (Hollandsche Beton Groep) Royal BAM, Assistant Controller for Mitchell engineering, Senior Project Accounting Manager for Bovis Lend Lease. Before joining BRAC he worked as Controller for Allied Container System.

He was ranked 165 in the world per ITF (International Tennis Fedaration) 1986 Junior Tennis Ranking. He brought trophies for Bangladesh from Brunei Darussalam and Sri Lanka while representing Bangladesh internationally. He was offered a full tennis scholarship to attend Boise State University and he competed in division-I tennis with various universities in the United States of America representing his university.

 

W.M.H Jaim

Dr. W.M.H. Jaim joined BRAC in June 2011 as the Director of Research and Evaluation Division.

Dr. Jaim is an agricultural economist who was working as a professor in Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensing prior to joining BRAC. He has worked as Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Bangladesh Agriculture University from 2000 to 2002. He worked as Executive Editor of Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics from 1999 to 2001. He also worked as the Head of the Department of Agriculture Economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University from 1994 to 1996.

Dr. Jaim has a vast experience as a researcher and consultant for several international organisations. He is also a visiting fellow of Kyoto University & Hokkaido University- Japan and University of Sussex- UK. Dr. Jaim is the author of numerous articles in national and international journals.

Dr. Jaim obtained his PHD in Agricultural Economics in 1983 from the University of London.