Premier Bank appoints new chairman
Dr Arifur Rahman, founding Vice-Chairman and entrepreneur shareholder of Premier Bank, has been unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Bank.
The decision was taken at the Bank's 314th Board Meeting held on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
A renowned physician and entrepreneur, Dr Rahman brings over four decades of experience in healthcare, military medical services, banking, and business leadership. A graduate of Dhaka Medical College, he built a distinguished career in Saudi Arabia, where he earned recognition as a trusted physician and advisor.
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Dr Rahman has played a key role in promoting Bangladeshi human resources abroad, creating employment opportunities for millions of workers—a contribution highlighted in the 2004 UNDP report. He also mobilised SAR 230 million from the Saudi government to build cyclone shelters in Barishal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he collaborated with Professor Ola Winqvist of the Karolinska Institute to facilitate Bangladesh's first government-approved clinical trial of a nasal COVID vaccine.
Beyond healthcare, Dr Rahman has founded and led Samorita Hospital, The Shoes BD Ltd, Denim Polymer Industries Ltd, and Always On Network Bangladesh. He also chairs the International Institute of Global Studies (IIGS) and Society for People's Advancement (SPA), and serves as Editor of The Ambassador, a diplomatic magazine.
Looking ahead, he outlined his vision to position Premier Bank as a "Three C Bank"—Consumer, Corporate, and Conservative—with a focus on service, sustainability, and growth.
The newly formed committees of the Board will be chaired as follows:
- Dr Arifur Rahman – Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Syed Faridul Islam – Chairman, Executive Committee (former AMD, United Commercial Bank)
- Md Forkan Hossain – Chairman, Audit Committee (former Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank)
- Md Sajjad Hossain – Chairman, Risk Management Committee (former DMD, Bank Asia)
- Sheikh Morshed Jahan – Independent Director (Professor, IBA, University of Dhaka)
- M Nurul Alam, FCS – Chartered Secretary, Independent Director
