Board of Trustees

Dr. S. M. Akbar

Treasurer

Dr. S. M. Akbar has over 40 years of experience at various levels with different international banks and joint venture financial institutions in different countries of Asia and Europe. He attended international management training programme on different areas of Banking and Finance. He had demonstrated remarkable skills in turning around sick enterprises. He has also gained field level experience in managing operations of small and medium micro finance organisations of Bangladesh.
Dr. Akbar has been awarded by different organisations for his outstanding management contribution in banking, including Gold medal for outstanding contribution in investment banking. He was member of various chambers of commerce and trade bodies including Foreign Investors Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries. He is also member of various social and voluntary organisations including Red Cross, Anjuman Mafidul Islam and Mother & Child Hospital.
Dr. Akbar achieved an MBA from UK and a PhD from USA.

Professor M. Moynul Haque PhD

Member

Prof. Dr. M. Moynul Haque has more than 39 years experiences in the field of education and research. Currently, he is serving in the Department of Agronomy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur. He also served as Dean (Faculty of Agriculture), Registrar, Director (Planning and Development), Director (Outreach Program), Director (Transport), Additional Director (Institutional Quality Assurance Cell), Head of the Department and Syndicate Member of the university. Professor Haque was awarded certificate of scientific achievement by BARI-ACIAR in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research and development of pulses. He also developed 10 high yielding varieties of different crops popularly cultivated in the country. He supervised 45 MS and PhD students and published 145 research articles in different national and international journals. Professor Haque has been associated with RDRS Trustee Board since 16 April 2016.
Professor Haque has MS and PhD degree in Agronomy. He is also fellow of different international institutions including IRRI, Philippines; Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre, Taiwan; Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Danish Plant Directorate, Denmark; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi and MTC Global, Bangalore, India.

Philip Biswas

Member

Philip Biswas has specialization in organization Development & Management, Microfinance Operation & Management, and Children Scholarship Program. He is Founder Executive Director of Rural Reconstruction Foundation (RRF). He has served as member of Board and Executive Committee of different national and international forums and organizations. Mr. Philip has joined in RDRS General Board on 23 December 2019.

Philip Biswas has Bachelor Degree in Arts from Notre Dame College, Dhaka. He has also a Diploma in Development Studies from Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University, Canada.

Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury

Member

Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury is the Honorary Advisor of the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM). He has a long professional career in the field of Development. Mr Chowdhury has started his career with BRAC as a field worker in 1976 and became Director BRAC Microfinance Programme, Training Programme, and later BRAC International Programme. During his splendid professional career, he was a Consultant to the Family Bank (Bank Ul Ushra), Khartoum, Sudan to develop Microfinance program for the Bank, a consultant to UNICEF, East and South African Region to develop Strategic Plan document for the UNICEF funded organisations held in Mauritius, Africa and conducted many workshops, developed strategic plan document and training courses in microfinance, management, group dynamics, team building and many other subjects for National and International Organisations in Bangladesh and abroad. He was also a consultant to Shree Project of DFID to conduct a study on Saving systems of the extreme poor. Involved in developing BRAC Post-Graduate Diploma Curriculum in Leadership and Management jointly with School for International Training (SIT), USA, Organisation of Rural Association for Progress (ORAP), Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Mr. Chowdhury has joined InM in 2013 as Director Education Programme. While in InM he developed and implemented a six-month Diploma in Microfinance Programme of twenty-one credits. Trained over 300 mid and senior-level microfinance staff of MFIs, Banks and Government officials.

Mr. Chowdhury was awarded Honorary Citizenship by the Municipality of General Trias, Cavite, Peoples Republic of Philippines. Professional member of the Microfinance Network (MFN), Mexico 2006-2009, General Body member of InM from 2019-2020, Lifelong member of Dhaka University Alumni Association, General Board Member of Association of Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Association for Realisation of Basic Needs-ARBAN and Uddipan.

Mr. Chowdhury has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka and another M.A. in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands. He was awarded a certificate on Strategic Leadership for Microfinance from Harvard Business School, USA. Awarded certificate on Boulder Microfinance Training, Naropa University, USA organised by CGAP, World Bank. Awarded certificate on Micro Banking Internal Control Practices, in Jakarta, Indonesia organised by the Bank Rakyat Indonesia.

Anna Minj

Member

Anna Minj is a seasoned professional in the development sector with extensive ground-level experience in leading multi-sectoral program planning and management. She specializes in poverty reduction, integrated holistic development, women’s empowerment, livelihood security, ultra-poor graduation, gender equality mainstreaming, and Indigenous people’s rights. Anna has a proven track record in program development, policy and strategy formulation, and driving successful operationalization with measurable results and impactful changes. Her expertise in gender programming and mainstreaming is evident at both organizational and programmatic levels.

She has held senior positions at prestigious national and international organizations, including CARITAS, CARE Bangladesh, and BRAC, the world’s largest development organization. She excels in leading diverse teams and has actively participated in numerous national and international forums.

She is the Chairperson of the National Coalition of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh, Vice-Chair of SIL International Bangladesh, and an executive board member of several development organizations. Her past roles include Chairperson of the Bangladesh Community Radio Association, executive board member of Stromme Foundation-Norway, convener for Girls NOT Brides Bangladesh Chapter, and the Engaging Men & Boys Alliance, Bangladesh.

Currently, she is the Director of Programmes at BRAC International, an organization operating in 14 countries across Asia and Africa. BRAC International implements a wide range of programmes focused on education, health, youth empowerment, ultra-poor graduation, early childhood development, agriculture food security, and climate change. She holds a postgraduate degree in Project Planning and Management from the University of Manchester, UK, and an MSc in Zoology/Fisheries from Jagannath University, Bangladesh.

Dr. Yasmin Hemayet Ahmed

Member

Dr. Yasmin Hemayet Ahmed is an accomplished public health and organizational development expert with nearly 40 years of experience in research, program development, management, and consulting. She is the former Managing Director of Marie Stopes Bangladesh, where her leadership transformed the organization from a modest team of 50 to a national entity of over 2,000 employees, serving more than one million clients annually.

Dr. Ahmed’s tenure at Marie Stopes International as Vice President and Senior Regional Director for Asia and Asia-Pacific allowed her to guide 16 country programs, fostering innovation, sustainability, and cross-cultural collaboration. Her expertise spans strategic planning, program evaluation, facilitation, and policy dialogue. Since 2012, she has worked as a freelance consultant, contributing to national and international projects with organizations like USAID, UNFPA, BRAC, and DFID.

Her significant projects include developing long-term strategic plans for Marie Stopes Bangladesh and BRAC’s Health, Nutrition, and Population Program, leading evaluations of midwifery and maternal health initiatives, and designing responses to humanitarian crises, such as the Rohingya influx in Bangladesh.

Dr. Ahmed serves on the boards of esteemed organizations like Social Marketing Company and Bangladesh Health Watch, where she drives advocacy, organizational development, and policy reforms.

A medical doctor by training (MBBS, Dhaka Medical College), Dr. Ahmed has consistently championed innovative and sustainable solutions in public health and organizational management. Her legacy of leadership and impactful work continues to inspire and shape the global health landscape.

Ferhana Ferdous

Member

Ferhana Ferdous has been working in the development sector for over 24 years. She is currently the Director at Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). At TIB, she leads anti-corruption social movement at 45 locations in Bangladesh and supports a network of over 10,000 volunteers.

Before joining TIB, she served in leadership roles at well-known organizations like Save the Children, WaterAid Bangladesh, Manusher Jonno Foundation, ActionAid Bangladesh and PROSHIKA. She played an active role largely in policy advocacy, campaign and capacity-building. She also authored handbooks on the Right to Information Act and contributed to international climate change research.

Ms. Ferhana holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Chittagong. She has also received advanced training in advocacy, media communication, and data quality assessment from institutions based in the UK and Netherlands. She is well-versed in planning, budgeting, and building partnerships across sectors.

Imrul Kayes Muniruzzaman, PhD

Secretary & Executive Director

Imrul Kayes Muniruzzaman has over 36 years of leadership experience in development, holding key positions such as Deputy Chief Executive of SKS Foundation, Director of WaterAid Bangladesh, Director & Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh, TA Consultant for a local government project (RD-9), and Statistician at WFP.

His expertise spans livelihoods, microfinance, gender empowerment, climate resilience, WASH, governance, and humanitarian response. He has contributed to policy advocacy, large-scale research, and strategic program management across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Academically, he holds an MBA from IBA, Dhaka University, a Ph.D. from Jahangirnagar University, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Michigan State University, USA, under the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship in Agricultural Economics. He has represented Bangladesh at global forums, including the Humanitarian Network and Partnership Week (Geneva, 2023) and World Water Week (Stockholm, 2016).

Dr. Imrul has made significant contributions to research and knowledge management, with several journal publications and as a co-author of two books.