New role for Latifur

Latifur Rahman, vice-president of International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh and chairman of Transcom Group, has been elected member of the executive board of the Paris-based ICC for a three-year term starting in July.
ICC at its 202nd council held in Geneva on June 27 unanimously elected Rahman and five others as its executive board members, the chamber said in a statement yesterday.
ICC provides a forum for businesses and other organisations to examine and better comprehend the nature and significance of the major shifts taking place in the world economy. It also offers an influential and respected channel for supplying business leadership to help governments manage those shifts in a collaborative manner.
Rahman has served in many important national bodies in various capacities, including president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several terms; president of Bangladesh Employers' Federation for two terms; and member of executive committee of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Bangladesh Jute Mills Association and Bangladesh Tea Association.
In 2012, Rahman was awarded Oslo Business for Peace Award by the Business for Peace Foundation, Oslo, and Business Executive of the Year 2001 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh.
He is also the chairman of Nestlé Bangladesh, Holcim Cement Bangladesh, and National Housing Finance & Investments, a director of Linde Bangladesh and a member of the governing body of BRAC.
Transcom Group, which originated with tea plantations in 1885, is now one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh, comprising 16 private and public companies employing more than 10,000 people. The Group comprises pharmaceuticals, electronics, media, foods, beverages and consumer products.
The other new members elected by ICC are: Maria Fernanda Garza, CEO of Orestia and chair of ICC Mexico; Dennis M Nally, chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International; Yongmaan Park, chairman of Doosan Group; Kasemsit Pathomsak, president of Merchant Partners Securities and chair of ICC Thailand; and Thomas Wellauer, chief operating officer of Swiss Re and chair of ICC Switzerland.