BAYLA to host apparel summit on AI, sustainability, competitiveness

The Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Alliance (BAYLA) will host a two-day summit later this month, bringing together more than 1,500 industry leaders, policymakers, executives and young professionals to discuss the future competitiveness of Bangladesh's apparel and textile sector.

The BAYLA Future Summit 2026, themed "Think Beyond Today," will be held on July 20-21 at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka. Organisers announced it at a press briefing on Saturday.

The summit is expected to attract over 1,500 participants, including more than 500 chief executives and senior corporate executives, as well as over 20 local and international speakers. Discussions will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), Industry 4.0, sustainability and ESG, finance and IPO readiness, entrepreneurship, policy reforms, global sourcing trends and data-driven decision-making.

The programme will feature keynote addresses by Kutubuddin Ahmed, Chairman of Envoy Textiles Ltd; Faruque Hassan, former President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA); Mashrur Arefin, Managing Director and CEO of City Bank PLC; Dr M Masrur Reaz, Chairman and CEO of Policy Exchange Bangladesh; Nuzhat Anwar, CEO of LankaBangla Securities; Hasnaeen Rizvi Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Data Bird; Lisa Ramershoven, Programme Manager at the German development agency GIZ; and Fazle Shamim Ehsan, Executive President of BKMEA, who will discuss the industry's opportunities and challenges in the coming decade.

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