DSE gets first female MD

Nuzhat Anwar has been appointed as the new managing director of the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

This is the first time that a female candidate has taken over the charge of the prime bourse. The position at the Dhaka Exchange had remained vacant since May last year following the departure of the last managing director, Dr ATM Tariquzzaman.

Several circulars had been issued, but no one was hired at the end of the recruitment process.

Prior to the appointment, which was approved by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), she worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she held multiple senior leadership roles across Africa and South Asia, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

Anwar brings over two decades of experience working in financial markets, banking, and development finance. Her positions included resident representative for Liberia and Sierra Leone, senior country officer for Bangladesh covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, and acting cluster manager during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent transition period.

Anwar also served as an IFC country officer in Botswana and Namibia, where she played a key role in establishing IFC's presence in Gaborone and advancing a sustainable investment programme.

She offers deep expertise in capital management, treasury and liquidity, transaction services, portfolio optimisation, and market advocacy.

Anwar holds a master's degree in commerce (finance) from the University of Dhaka.

On her appointment to the DSE, the bourse's board chairman, Mominul Islam, said, "We are pleased to receive the approval of BSEC for the appointment of Ms Anwar as the new managing director.

"We are confident that Ms Anwar, with her excellent leadership traits, vast experience in the financial sector at home and abroad, and deep passion for transformation in the country's capital market, is the right candidate to lead the DSE in the days ahead."

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