Staff Correspondent

Forty young entrepreneurs (under the age of 40 years) have been awarded for their contribution to the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry at simultaneous events – Fashion Tech Week and 40 under 40, in Dhaka.

Apparel Resources Group, India organised the Fashion Tech Week, and Apparel Online Bangladesh (AOB) organised the “40 under 40” at a city hotel on Wednesday night.

Md Siddiqur Rahman, former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and industry and trade affairs secretary at the central committee of the Awami League; Shehryar Burney, executive director of Yellow Retail; Asif Ibrahim, vice-chairman of Newage Group and former president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI); and Sharif Zahir, managing director of Ananta Group, handed over the awards to the deserving winners and expressed hope that such inspirational steps would further motivate the young achievers to perform more aggressively.

Nearly all the award winners are associated with the apex RMG groups, a few of which are Akib Rahman, director of Hams Group; Maisha Abdullah, director of Mitali Group; and Usama Sorwar, chairman of Usama Textile Ltd.

From esteemed founders to valuable managing directors, like Usama Sorwar, Abrar Hossain Sayem, CEO of Merchant Bay, the winners also include budding and promising professionals like Rezwan Habib, head of Business Operations, DBL Group, and Harsh Kumar, business development manager, CLO Virtual Fashion INC, to mention a few.

Appreciating the spirit of young entrepreneurs, Apparel Resources Director Mayank Mohindra said, “We salute these young flag bearers of the apparel industry who have contributed their best to ensure the growth of not only their businesses but also created opportunities for the entire supply chain.”

He added that Apparel Resources would continuously support the RMG industry with its various initiatives, be it global sourcing and technology events or networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Apparel Resources Director Bhumica Bansal said, “The '40 under 40' initiative will motivate the young generation to excel and ensure the tremendous growth of the RMG industry. We are thankful to all the stakeholders who were part of this prestigious initiative.”

Other speakers said Bangladesh is on its way to becoming a “Smart Country” by 2041 and the young generation is a key force in building a truly “Smart Bangladesh.”

And to felicitate the tremendous efforts of these amazing young stalwarts who have put their heart and soul into the stupendous growth of the important RMG business, Apparel Online Bangladesh (AOB) has come up with the debut edition of its highly anticipated “40 under 40” awards.

Spotlighting the seasoned and vibrant next-gen leaders in the RMG Industry, the sparkling event proved to be a momentous occasion, bringing together distinguished industry luminaries, valued stakeholders and rising stars to celebrate excellence and foster significant collaboration.

Bangladesh’s RMG industry has been overjoyed with the “40 under 40” initiative. The award ceremony was a tremendously proud moment for all the award winners as their struggles and successes were applauded and appreciated by the dazzling audience from the RMG industry.

Many of the high-spirited young entrepreneurs shared how adventurous and meaningful their journey of business was and the changes they brought to their organisations which proved highly instrumental for the tremendous growth of their trade and created significant employment opportunities for thousands of Bangladeshi people, empowering them financially as well as socially.