Arifur Rahman has been elected chairman of Premier Bank during its 314th board meeting on Thursday, said a press release.
He is founding vice-chairman and entrepreneur shareholder of the bank.
He brings over four decades of experience in health, military medical services, banking and business leadership.
He is a graduate of Dhaka Medical College and he built a distinguished career in Saudi Arabia, where he earned recognition as physician and adviser.
Beyond healthcare, he has founded and led numerous initiatives in banking, industry, and philanthropy. These include Samorita Hospital, The Shoes BD Limited, Denim Polymer Industries Limited, Always On Network Bangladesh.
He also serves as chairman of the International Institute of Global Studies, Society for People鈥檚 Advancement and editor of The Ambassador, a diplomatic magazine.
The newly formed board with Arifur as chairman is as follows: executive committee chairman Syed Faridul Islam, audit committee chairman Md Forkan Hossain, risk management committee chairman Md Sajjad Hossain, independent directors Sheikh Morshed Jahan and M Nurul Alam.
According to the release, he has played a significant role in promoting Bangladeshi human resources abroad, creating employment opportunities for millions of workers. His contributions were highlighted in the 2004 UNDP report.
He was also instrumental in mobilising international support for Bangladesh, including securing SAR 230 million from the Saudi government to build cyclone shelters in Barishal.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent eight months in Sweden, where he collaborated with Professor Ola Winqvist of the Karolinska Institute鈥攄iscoverer of the nasal COVID vaccine 鈥� to facilitate Bangladesh鈥檚 first government-approved clinical trial of the vaccine.
