Anwar Group Founder and Chairman Anwar Hossain no more

Anwar Hossain, founder and chairman of Anwar Group of Industries, breathed his last on August 17.

He died at the age of 83 at Labaid Hospital in Dhaka.

The veteran businessman had been suffering from dementia and old-age complications, according to the posts shared by the company on different social media platforms today.

Namaz-e-janaza of Hossain, the late parliamentarian from Dhaka-8, will be held at 10:30 am on Thursday at Baitul Aman Jam-e-mosque in Dhanmondi road 7.

He was the founder chairman of Anwar Group of Industries, The City Bank Limited, Bangladesh Finance and Investment Company Ltd and founder director of City General Insurance Company Limited.

Hossain, the renowned industrialist and successful business icon, was the chairman of the DCCI Foundation for a long time.

He also successfully served DCCI as director in the term of 1976-78, 1982-83, 1984-85 and 1989-90.

During his lifetime, he was the trustee of Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT), which is now RAJUK, in 1983-87.

Moreover, he was engaged in various socio-cultural organizations.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Rizwan Rahman expressed his deep condolences at the demise of Hossain.

The DCCI president, in a statement, said that we have lost a guardian and a great iconic figure in the business arena of Bangladesh.

He also said that Anwar Hossain was an idol to the second generation entrepreneurs of the country.

With his passing away, the entire business community and Dhaka Chamber has lost a maestro in this sector, Rahman said.

Hossain's preeminent contribution to the socio-economic development of the country will be remembered and cherished forever, he added.

Rahman also prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and expressed his deep sympathy to the members of the bereaved family as well.

Born in 1938 in a family with legacy of business in Dhaka at Lalbagh, Anwar Hossain began his journey in business arena before his 20s.  

After working as a novice at different cloth shops belonging to other persons to learn the business by practically working under a disciplined manner and able supervision, he started cloth business of his own at a shop – number 220 - at Chawkbazar of Dhaka in 1953. 

"By converting some silver coins given by my mother I started afresh in the name of Anwar Cloth Store," said Hossain in an interview published in the Commercial History of Dhaka by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in 2008. 

Later he bought a weaving factory in Rohitpur.  

By 1960, he took an office in Karachi, Pakistan in order to expand business. Gradually, he became known as a businessman in Karachi, Lahore and Layalpur. 

Hossain established Anwar Silk Mills in 1968 and started marketing the 'Mala Sari' made from the factory.  And Mala Sari became a much-talked about product at that time. 

"Mala  Sari almost  became  the synonym of the Bengali woman," said Hossain recalling experience in an interview.

Manwar Cutleries is another which got recognition as brand thanks to acceptance from consumers both domestic and international market.

The subsequent period saw expansion drive by Hossain in diversified areas. 

Today, Anwar Group of Industries, which has legacy since 1834, has 18 companies and these are involved in making and catering 36 products and services, including textiles, jute, cement, steel, banking, insurance, automobiles, housing, infrastructure and furniture.

Anwar Group has 14,000 employees at this moment.  

Anwar Hossain did not confine himself with the domain of business of his own. He took leadership role and served as director of DCCI four terms during the 70's and 80's.

He played pioneering role in establishing bank and insurance at the private sector apart from industry. 

The City Bank was set up in 1983 as a private sector bank as an outcome of the efforts initiated by him. 

It is the first fully private sector bank. Following the establishment of The City Bank and the IFIC Bank with partial of the government, a number of banks and insurance companies were set up in the private sector.

He was also elected as a lawmaker from Dhaka-8 in the fourth parliamentary elections of 1988.

Hossain had contribution to the introduction of mobile phone in the country. 

He could convince the military dictator HM Ershad about the advantage of mobile phones, which is now a common communication device among all the people in the country.

As he grew older, he began to bring his successors to the business and gave them management responsibilities. 

Today, his son Manwar Hossain leads the group as Group Managing Director while son Hossain Mehmood  heads as managing director of textiles division and Hossain Khaled looks after jute, automobiles & real estate division.

As a successful business person, he suggested new generation to maintain business ethics.

"That is the main key and main capital as I watched it everywhere, when traveling across the world," Hossain once said.