Home ›› 06 Apr 2023 ›› Corporate
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) expressed deep shock and sorrow over the death of its former trustee board member, a leading woman entrepreneur and former advisor to the caretaker government Rokia Afzal Rahman.
Renowned woman entrepreneur Rokia Afzal Rahman who was also a member of TIB General Assembly breathed her last in Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in the early hours of Wednesday.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman in a condolence message said that “The death of Rokia Afzal is an irreparable loss for the country. Her role to ensure good governance and brave and active participation in the anti-corruption social movement was exemplary. She will be the cradle of inspiration for all of us as a hardworking and patriotic person.”
“Rokia Afzal Rahman was a trustee board member of TIB from 2012 to 2018. We are grateful for her righteous contribution to TIB”, he said.
On behalf of the TIB Board of Trustees, Management, Members and Active Citizen Group (ACG), Youth Engagement and Support (YES), Socheton Nagorik Committee (SONAK), we pray for the salvation of the departed soul and convey their profound sympathy to Rokia Afzal Rahman’s bereaved family members, Iftekharuzzaman added.
The 82-year-old Rokia Afzal’s body will arrive in Dhaka on Thursday evening. She is survived by numerous relatives and well-wishers, including two daughters and a son.
Rokia Afzal was an advisor to the caretaker government of Bangladesh in 2011. She started her career in the banking sector and served as the first woman bank manager of then-East Pakistan. She started business in the agriculture sector in 1980 as chairman and managing director of RR Cold Storage Limited.
She was the chairperson of Mediaworld Limited which owns The Daily Star and chairperson of MIDAS Finance. At the same time, she was a shareholder director of Media Star and ABC Radio.
Rokia Afzal Rahman was the founding president of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs (BFWE).
Along with being a member of the board of directors of Grameenphone Ltd, Bangladesh Lamps Ltd, and Marico Bangladesh, Rokia was the vice president of the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh and a trustee board member of Transparency International Bangladesh.
Her long career included serving as a board member of Bangladesh’s central bank and the president of the Bangladesh Employers Federation.
Rokia was the founder chairman of Presidency University and former chairperson of Asian University for Women. She was also a member of the Business Advisory Council at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission Asia and Pacific, and South Asia Women’s Network.
Rokia received several international and national awards for her contributions to the business sector.
