Vote of thanks by M. A. Behrouse Ispahani, IPL Managing Director

I would heartily thank you all, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, for your gracious presence at this event. It is indeed a great pleasure on our part to have this privilege of your company in our midst this evening. This is a pleasant occasion for us. The International Publications Limited (IPL) that owns the Financial Express (FE) notes with a great deal of satisfaction that the FE has completed its 17th year, and stepped into the 18th year, of publication. This publication of the IPL has proved itself to be a successful venture. From its modest beginning, the FE consolidated its position in the country's print media world. It now stands on a solid foundation, maintaining its distinctive character as a financial daily. The journalists and all other employees of the FE deserve full credit for its commendable steady growth, under the leadership of its Editor, Mr. Moazzem Hossain. We deeply appreciate their contributions and extend them our warm congratulations. We do also acknowledge of the valuable support and cooperation of the valued patrons and well-wishers that they have extended to the FE over the years. We are confident that they would continue to do the same in the coming years for sustained growth of the FE as the country's business daily. The IPL is strongly committed to making all efforts to facilitate further expansion and full blossoming of the potential of the FE. We, in the IPL, are all aware of the needs for the FE's steady march onward, in full appreciation of the fact that its readership has witnessed a marked growth in the recent years. It is indeed, a great feat on the FE's part that it has now emerged as the second largest national English daily in Bangladesh. We would like to share this joy with you all. On our part, we, in the IPL, do strongly believe in complete editorial independence of the FE. We have never interfered in the editorial policy and news coverage as well as focus of the FE. We are firmly committed to upholding this principle. The editor of the paper is vested with full powers as its CEO to deal with all matters of editorial policy and decision-making, in accordance with the standard norms and practices in the domain of journalism. With these words, I thank you all, once again, for joining us to-day in this event.