Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, managing director of Designtex Group, has been appointed as the new president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
This change comes after SM Mannan Kochi, who was elected BGMEA president on 14th March for the 2024-26 term, resigned from his position today. BGMEA board swiftly elected Rafiqul Islam to complete the remainder of Kochi’s term.
In an emergency meeting held at a Dhaka hotel, BGMEA board also elected Abdullah Hil Rakib, managing director of Team Group, as the senior vice president, and Asif Ashraf, managing director of Urmi Group, as vice president.
Rafiqul Islam, reacting to his new role, emphasized, “Our top priority will be to restore the confidence of foreign buyers in Bangladesh as the law and order situation is gradually improving. We want to assure our buyers that the country remains the safest place for sourcing apparel items.” In the last BGMEA election, Rafiqul was elected as the senior vice president of the trade body.
Earlier, on 20th August, the Forum—the panel that lost the BGMEA election—called for the dissolution of the current board and the formation of an interim committee to oversee a free, fair, and credible election for the trade body. They alleged that the February election was marred by irregularities and heavily influenced by the then Hasina government. Kochi was also accused of having close ties with the deposed premier and being involved in attacks on students during their movement in July and August. Since the political change, Kochi has reportedly gone into hiding.
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