Humaira becomes first female MD of a commercial bank

Humaira Azam has become the first female managing director of a commercial bank in Bangladesh after Trust Bank appointed her to the top job.

Trust Bank, a private sector lender, took the decision on Monday and the hiring is subject to the approval of the central bank.

Previously, the highest post that some female bankers went on to hold at commercial banks was acting managing director.

Among the specialised state-run banks, the government had appointed Mahtab Jabin as the first female CEO of Probashi Kallyan Bank.

Humaira started her banking career as a management trainee officer at ANZ Grindlays Bank in 1990.

Later, she worked at various local and foreign banks, and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs).

In 2009, she was appointed as managing director of IPDC Finance Ltd. She was given the top job at a time when the NBFI was facing troubles because of a large amount of defaulted loans.

She played a vital role in helping IPDC Finance to make a turnaround from the dire straits.

She also served some other banks, including HSBC Bangladesh and Standard Chartered Bangladesh.

She joined Bank Asia in 2012. She served the lender as a deputy managing director.

Trust Bank recruited her as an additional managing director in 2018. Currently, she is serving the private commercial lender as an acting managing director.

Humaira obtained her honours and master's degrees in international relations from the University of Dhaka.