Profiles Of Business Icons

Clockwise From Top- Left: Nasir A Choudhury, Saiful Islam , Kaniz Almas Khan, Samson H Chowdhury at the helm of Square Pharmaceuticals , helal ahmed chowdhury, managing director of Pubali Bank

The Daily Star and DHL Express have awarded three outstanding business leaders, one financial institution and one enterprise. Here is a short guide to give you an idea of who they are:
Nasir A Choudhury
RECIPIENT OF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Born in the Assam province of undivided India in December 1934, Nasir A Choudhury is the managing director and chief executive of Green Delta Insurance Company Ltd (GDIC).
After obtaining a master's degree from Dhaka University, he began his career as a management trainee at Pakistan Insurance Corporation on September 24, 1958. Later, he was posted at the insurer's regional office in Chittagong in 1964, after completing training at Eagle Star Insurance Company in London and Munich Reinsurance Company in Germany.
In 1985, when insurance was allowed in the private sector, he, along with some friends, who were mostly working abroad, floated Green Delta Insurance Company Ltd. It started operations on January 1,1986. It was the only company in Bangladesh that was floated and run by professionals.
In May 1973, Choudhury was appointed in-charge of underwriting and re-insurance of Sadharan Bima Corporation in which he continued in various capacities till February 1983.
GDIC was incorporated as a public limited company with a paid-up capital of Tk 30 million. The company listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange on January 12, 1990 and on Chittagong Stock Exchange five years later.
Saiful Islam
BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

A mariner by education, Md Saiful Islam retired from his job at Bangladesh Shipping Corporation in 1986 to bet his fortunes on business.
The same year, he set up a small office at Motijheel in Dhaka to render technical services to ocean-going ships and supply spare parts for vessels. But the venture did not augur well initially.
It was the Gulf War of 1990 that presented a window of opportunity, as the turbulence shifted overhauling and technical works of ocean-going vessels to his company. He never looked back since then.
In 1990, Islam established Al-Islam Apparel Group under a joint venture. Seeking more value-added businesses, he established a German-Bangladesh joint venture, Picard (Bangladesh) Ltd, in 1997 to produce leather goods under the brand name of Picard.
It was in 1994 when Islam launched his most successful venture so far: shipbuilding. Western Marine Shipyard Ltd is one of the largest shipyards in Bangladesh. It began its own journey in 2000.
The company is in action in the global arena, exporting new ships.
The company with $50 million in fixed assets has witnessed almost 80 percent growth in the last three years.
Kaniz Almas Khan
OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN BUSINESS
Persona Managing Director Kaniz Almas Khan is regarded as a leading beauty expert in Bangladesh. Her journey as an entrepreneur began in 1990 with a salon named Glamour, run by nine workers. MIDAS Financing helped her jump start the salon with a Tk 2 lakh loan. In 1998, a new brand name was established, Persona, which since then has evolved into the country's largest beauty care company.
The brand ambassador for Sunsilk since 1991 and currently the same for Meril, Kaniz set up Persona Hair and Beauty Ltd at Dhanmondi in Dhaka in 1998.
The companies presently operating under the Persona brand name as private limited companies are Persona Hair and Beauty Ltd and Persona Beauty Care Ltd.
Now it has four beauty salons, four spas, two men's grooming salons, two gyms, a photo studio, a beauty institute and a fashion and lifestyle magazine under the two companies with an estimated 1,300 employees, 99 percent of whom are female.
The annual turnover of Persona was around Tk 14.64 crore in 2008-09, almost double from Tk 7.73 crore a year ago. With a working capital of Tk 3.61 crore, the company is affiliated with Eastern Bank, Bank Asia, The City Bank and United Leasing for credit transactions.
Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd
BEST ENTERPRISE
With an annual turnover of $164 million, Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh.
Under the leadership of Samson H Chowdhury, Square Pharma started its journey in 1958 under a partnership. Now, Tapan Chowdhury is the managing director of the concern that was registered as a private limited company in 1964 and converted to a public limited company in 1991.
It mainly produces active pharmaceutical ingredients, agro vets, pesticides, herbal and neutraceuticals. Tablets, capsules, liquids, ENT preparations, dry syrup, suppositories, inhalers, basic chemicals and aerosols are some of its products.
The company exports products to different countries, including those in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, that accounted for $5.5 million in export earnings in 2008-09.
Square Pharmaceuticals won the National Export Trophy two times -- the Gold Award in 2003-04 and Silver Award in 2004-05. With reference to its annual report of 2008-09, the company employed a total of 3,811.
Management practices are clean and transparent at Square Pharmaceuticals.
Pubali Bank
BEST FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
Pubali Bank is the largest private sector commercial bank with 386 branches countrywide. It is also the first banking venture by local entrepreneurs.
The bank emerged in the then East Pakistan as Eastern Mercantile Bank Ltd in 1959. Then, 60 percent of the bank was owned by Bengali entrepreneurs and the rest 40 percent by the State Bank of Pakistan.
After independence, the bank was nationalised as per government policy and renamed Pubali Bank. It was denationalised in 1983 to form Pubali Bank Ltd.
During inception, the bank had Tk 5 million in authorised capital. As on September 30, 2009, the bank has Tk 3,822 million in paid-up capital.
The bank declared 30 percent dividend in 2008 and witnessed more than 25 percent profit on average in the last five years.
The financial institution recently got permission from Bangladesh Bank to open two exchange houses in the UK and Malaysia. It has also applied to expand coverage in Italy, the USA, United Arab Emirates, Spain and Singapore.
For the first time, the bank was also allowed to open two offshore banking branches at Gulshan in Dhaka, and at Agrabad in Chittagong.