Archives: Board of Directors

Sami Ahmed is the Managing Director and CEO of Startup Bangladesh Limited (SBL), a flagship Venture Capital Company of Government of Bangladesh. Startup Bangladesh Limited invests in startups in the seed and growth stage and is also involved in policy formulation, supporting targeted and strategic impact investments for the Government, and in supporting the growth of the startup eco-system. Prior to joining Startup Bangladesh Limited, Mr. Ahmed was the Policy Advisor and team leader of the Leveraging ICT (LICT) Project of the Bangladesh Computer Council, ICT Division. Mr. Ahmed’s core responsibilities included Bangladesh IT-ITES Industry promotion and talent development. He has also played a vital role in many policy reforms for the ICT sector. He was the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Association for Software and Information Services (BASIS) and was instrumental in many policy reforms for the industry and in organizing key ICT events in the country. Mr. Ahmed also worked at the a2i Project of the Prime Minister’s Office where he was part of many national initiatives under the Digital Bangladesh platform and played several roles including leading the Innovation team. Mr Ahmed has also worked in the private sector in various roles: as Chief Operating Officer, Head of MIS and as a startup co-founder.

Mr. Ahmed is also a member of the Smart Bangladesh Taskforce, which is chaired by the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Email: samiahmed@startupbangladeshvc.gov.bd

Mr. Arif Khan is at present the Vice Chairman of Shanta Asset Management. Mr. Khan has played a pivotal role in the field of finance both in public and private sector of Bangladesh and has over 30 years of experience in the financial sectors of Bangladesh.

Prior to joining Shanta Group, he was the Managing Director and Chief Executive of IDLC Finance, where he previously served for 15 years and held key positions, including the role of the deputy managing director. Before joining IDLC as the MD and CEO, Mr. Khan served Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) as a commissioner. During his stint with BSEC he pioneered several reforming initiatives as a capital market regulator under guidance of Honorable Chairman and Ministry of Finance including Stock Exchanges Demutualization, Corporate Governance Code for Publicly Listed Companies, Public Issue Rules, Listing Regulations, Equity Research Rules and many more.

Mr. Khan graduated in Finance and Banking from the University of Dhaka and later completed his MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). He was the president of Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of Bangladesh and is the founding President of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers’ Association (BMBA) and CFA society, Bangladesh.

Mr. RANAJIT KUMAR, at present, the Executive Director, Bangladesh Computer Council, ICT Division, Bangladesh. Prior to that, he served as Additional Secretary at the same Division. He started his career on 25 April 1994 as Assistant Commissioner and Magistrate at Kurigram District. He is a member of Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) cadre and belongs to BCS-13th batch. He obtained B.A (Hons.) and M.A from Department of Political Science, University of Dhaka.

Mr. Kumar has served in almost all the core posts of the field administration like Magistrate, Assistant Commissioner (Land), UNO, ADC in different parts of the country. Besides, he served as NTRCA Secretary in Education Ministry and NBR Secretary in Ministry of Finance. He also worked in Ministry of Fisheries And Livestock, Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Religious Affairs.

In his long service career, Mr. Kumar participated actively in different meetings, workshops, seminars, regional, bi-lateral and multilateral meetings on different negotiations in the country.

Mr. Kumar was born in Barishal City, Bangladesh. In personal life, Mr. Kumar is married and blessed with one son and one daughter. His vision is to serve the country.

Mr. MD SHAMSUL AREFIN, at present, the Secretary of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division. Prior to that, he served as Secretary, Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division. Also, he served as Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary at the same Division. He started his career on 1 April 1993 as Assistant Commissioner and Magistrate at Manikganj District. He is a member of Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) cadre and belongs to BCS-11th batch. He obtained B. Com (Hons.) and M. Com from Department of Finance, Dhaka University.

Mr. Arefin has served in almost all the core posts of the field administration like Magistrate, Assistant Commissioner (Land), UNO, DC in different parts of the country. Besides, he served as Deputy Director, Accommodation Directorate, Senior Assistant Secretary, Food and Disaster Management Ministry, Deputy Secretary-Economic Relations Division, Director-Rajdhani Unnayon Kotripokhho (RAJUK). He also worked as Assistant Commissioner (Land), Thana Election Officer and Returning Officer of National and Local Govt. level elections.

In his long service career Mr. Arefin participated actively in different meetings, workshops, seminars; regional, bi-lateral and multilateral meetings on different negotiations in the country and abroad.

He has experiences in preparation, monitoring and evaluation of Annual Performance Agreement (APA), National Integrity Strategy (NIS), and Grievance Redress System (GRS). He participated in a number of training courses both at home and abroad. He took part on “Special Training on Good Governance” in India, “Professional Development Program” in USA, “Project Management” in Australia etc.

He visited several countries including India, Japan, Canada, USA, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, China. He joined different seminars and workshops as speaker or panelist.

Mr. Arefin is married and blessed with two sons. His vision is to serve the country.