Mohammad Fazlul Azim
Mohammad Fazlul Azim (born 1945) is a Bangladeshi industrialist, business magnate and former politician.[1] He is the chairman of Azim Group, a company with concerns in the garments sector. He was an independent member of parliament of the Jatiyo Sangshad.[3][4][5][6] Azim was the only independent lawmaker in the parliament during that term in the Jatiyo Sangshad.[7] He also served in the parliament from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[8]
Mohammad Fazlul Azim | |
---|---|
মোহাম্মদ ফজলুল আজিম | |
Born | |
Nationality | Bangladeshi |
Alma mater | Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (1965, B.Sc)[1] |
Occupation | Industrialist and politician |
Years active | 1975 – present |
Political party | Bangladesh Nationalist Party[2] |
Children | Two sons and one daughter |
Website | azimgroup |
Education
Azim completed his high school education at Noakhali Zilla School.[9] Azim is a graduate of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He graduated in 1965 and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in mechanical engineering.[1]
Career
Business
Azim is a pioneer in Bangladesh's ready-made garments industries. He founded the Azim Group in 1975.[4]
The first factory of the Azim Group was Azim Mannan Garments Ltd., which was named after Azim himself and his former partner Major (Retd) Abdul Mannan.[4] In 2014, the Azim Group had an export turnover of over US$220 million.[4] The Azim Group now has 23 garments factories and 3 backward linkage factories. Azim has also expanded his business overseas by setting up a sourcing and marketing hub in Hong Kong and a liaison office in New York City.
The Azim Group has a packaging and paper business as well. The company has a factory which produces cartons and paper for the packaging of its goods.
Mohammad Fazlul Azim also served as vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA),[10] the largest trade association in the country representing the ready-made garment industry, particularly the woven garments, knitwear and sweater sub-sectors with equal importance.[11]
In 2018, Azim was part of a high-level business delegation led by Commerce Minister of Bangladesh, Tofail Ahmed, for a three-day visit to Cambodia.[12] The delegation attended a bilateral meeting with business leaders from Cambodia, headed by the Cambodian Commerce Minister.[13][14]
Politics
Azim is a former member of parliament (MP) of Bangladesh. He was originally elected as an MP from the constituency Noakhali-6 in the 1996 Bangladeshi general election under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).[15] However, in the 2001 general election he came in third and was not reelected.[15] For the 2008 Bangladeshi general election, Azim ran as an independent candidate as he did not receive the party ticket from BNP.[16] Yet he still won,[17] making him the only independent lawmaker in the parliament during the 2008–2014 term.[18] Alongside his role as an MP, Azim was a member of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Water Resources [1] and the Standing Committee on Ministry of Textile & Jute. In 2018, Azim announced his interest to participate in the 2018 general election[19] and he received the nomination from the BNP to compete for Noakhali-6.[20] In his political career, he served as an MP for two terms.[1]
Legacy
Azim has an all-female college under his name called Prokousholi Mohammad Fazlul Azim Mohila College. The college is located in Mohammad Fazlul Azim's hometown Hatiya which is in Noakhali District.[21]
References
- "Constituency 273". Parliament of Bangladesh. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- "BNP to take time to select single candidate for each seat". The New Nation. 28 November 2018.
- "Special Report: How textile kings weave a hold on Bangladesh". 3 May 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2016 – via Reuters.
- Anas, A.Z.M. (21 January 2015). "Learning to take the wheel of family firm". The Finanacial Express. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- "Bangladesh Takes Step to Increase Lowest Pay". The New York Times. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- "Bangladesh fears exodus of apparel firms after Disney exit". The Financial Express. Noida. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- "Fazlul Azim MP wants voluntary retirement of Muhith". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- "Noakhali Zilla School". Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- "Bangladesh to become No.1 apparel exporting country soon". The Daily Observer. BSS. 13 December 2014.
- "BGMEA at a Glance". BGMEA.
- "Tofail leads business team to Cambodia". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 25 April 2018.
- "Tofail leads high-level trade team to Cambodia". The Daily Observer. 25 April 2018.
- "Bangladesh to sign trade deal with Cambodia: Tofail". The Daily Star. 27 April 2018.
- ""Parliament Election Result of 1991,1996,2001 Bangladesh Election Information and Statistics". Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
- "Many BNP reformists left off party ticket". bdnews24.com. 29 November 2018.
- "Bangladesh Parliament Election - Detail Results". Amar Desh.
- Chalmers, John (2 May 2013). "Special Report: How textile kings weave a hold on Bangladesh". Reuters.
- "BNP nominates 800 candidates". The Daily Star. 27 November 2018.
- "List of Colleges" (XLS). Secondary and Higher Education Division. 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2017.