Latifur Rahman’s chehlum held
Chehlum of Latifur Rahman, the late chairman and managing director of Transcom Group, was held at his Gulshan home after Maghrib prayers today.
Family members, relatives, close friends and well-wishers attended the event.
Prayers were held for the departed soul and Almighty's blessings were sought for the afterlife. Prayers were also held for Latifur Rahman's daughter, Shazneen Rahman, who lost her life in the hands of brutal killers in 1998 and for his grandson Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who was one of the Bangladeshi victims of the terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in 2016.
Rahman passed away on July 1, 2020 at his ancestral home in Cumilla, after a prolonged bout of lung related illness. He was buried at Banani Graveyard on that day.
He was an iconic figure in the business world and highly respected nationally and internationally for his ethical business practices for which he received many global and regional awards.
He was founding director of Mediaworld, the owning company of The Daily Star, and chairman of Mediastar, the owning company of Prothom Alo, both leading English and Bangla newspapers of the country. He was a driving spirit behind establishment of The Daily Star.
Rahman was a member of the executive board of ICC-Paris, vice president of ICC-Bangladesh and member of Brac's governing body. He was a member of the Bangladesh Better Business Forum and Advisory Committee on World Trade Organization.
Rahman was also president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka for seven terms and of Bangladesh Employers' Federation.
He was also chairman of the Bangladesh government's Trade Body Reforms Committee and a member of Bangladesh Bank's executive board.
Rahman was an honouree of "Oslo Business for Peace Award 2012" and was awarded Business Executive of the Year 2001 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh. He had also been honoured with the "SAARC Outstanding Leader" award and Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented by the UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce and Industry.
Rahman started his career in 1966 in his family-owned jute mills in Chandpur district. He worked as an executive in the mills until 1971. He established Transcom Group in 1973 after W Rahman Jute Mills, the major earning source for the Rahman family, was nationalised in 1972. In the 1980s, Rahman became the sole importer and distributor of Nestlé products in Bangladesh. In the 1990s, he bought Smith, Kline & French, and a US-based pharmaceutical, later known as Eskayef.
He was married to Shahnaz Rahman. Together they have three daughters: Simeen Hossain, Shahzreh Huq, (late) Shazneen Rahman and a son, Arshad Waliur Rahman.