Background
Fazlur Rahman is the Chairman and Managing Director of the business conglomerate City Group which owns 50 percent share of Somoy Television. He established the company in 1972. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh.
Business Interests
Fazlur Rahman is the Chairman and Managing Director of a number of companies under the umbrella of City Group. Companies affiliated with City Group include City Economic Zone Limited, City Auto Rice and Dal Mills, Khan Brothers Ship Buildings Ltd., City Tea Estate Ltd., Shampa Flour Mills Ltd., Rahman Synthetics Ltd., CSI Power & Energy Ltd., City Sugar Industries Ltd., City Seed Crushing Industries Ltd., Deepa Food Products Ltd., City Feed Products Ltd., VOTT Oil Refiners Ltd., Farzana Oil Refineries Ltd., Shampa Oil Mills Ltd., City PET Industries Ltd., City Navigation Ltd., Hasan Containers Ltd., Hasan Printing and Packaging Ltd., Hasan Flour Mills Ltd., Hasan Plastic Industries Ltd., City Fibers Ltd., City Vegetable Oil Mills Ltd., City Oil Mills.
Fazlur Rahman is the Chairman of Somoy Media Ltd. which runs Somoy TV. City Group holds 50 percent share of the media company. He is also the Chairman of Jamuna Bank Limited and Dhaka Insurance Limited. Mr. Rahman also holds the Chairmanship of Asgar Ali Hospital.
Mr. Rahman was the Chairman of Bangladesh Sugar Refiners Association and Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association.
Fazlur Rahman is a life member of the Trustee Board of Anjuman Mofidul Islam and a member of the managing committee of Gandaria High School, Dhaka.
Family Ties
Fazlur Rahman is married to Hamida Rahman. They have two daughters and one son. Although Hamida Rahman does not hold any position on the board of directors of City Group, she is involved with the management of several affiliated companies of City Group. Their two children Md Hasan and Shampa Rahman, are directors of City Group. Their other daughter holds a senior management position in several sister concerns of City Group.
Recognition
In 2006, Fazlur Rahman was honored as the ‘DHL-The Daily Star Business Person of the year 2005’. Mr. Rahman and City Group’s brand Teer were recognized as one of the ‘World’s Greatest Brands and Leaders 2017-18’. He was awarded the “Best Taxpayer” of the fiscal year 2018-19 by the government of Bangladesh.
Legal Cases
On May 22, 2019, Dhaka South City Corporation’s Safe Food Inspector Kamrul Hasan filed a case against City Group Chairman Fazlur Rahman as the business group did not withdraw its products which were part of the 52 unsafe food items ordered to be removed from the market by the High Court. Later an arrest warrant was issued against him. On June 25, 2019, Fazlur Rahman surrendered and appealed before the court. The court granted him bail taking into consideration his age.
In 2010, Narayanganj District Administration and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) demolished illegal portions of various structures on the River Shitalalkkhya. However, the district administration allowed 10 top business groups, including City Group, three months’ time to remove their structure at their own cost. In 2016, a delegation of BIWTA found evidence of grabbing river Shitalakkhya by City Group and issued notice to the company.
Sources
City Group, Know us, July 31, 2020
Rahima Food, Directors’ Profile, Accessed on July 31, 2020
Asgar Ali Hospital, Board of Directors, Accessed on July 31, 2020
Prospectus of Dhaka Insurance Limited, Accessed on July 31, 2020
The Independent, Pran, City Group MDs get bail, June 25, 2019.
The Daily Sun, BIWTA team finds evidence of grabbing of Shitalakkhya by City Group, August 25, 2016.
The Daily Star, 18 structures on Shitalakkhya demolished, June 02, 2010.