Zaved Akhtar, new chairman of Unilever Bangladesh

Zaved Akhtar has been unanimously elected as the chairman of the board of directors of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, the country's leading fast moving consumer goods company, with effect from August 28 this year.

The decision came from the company's 194th board meeting held on August 27.

The current CEO and managing director of the company, Akhtar will succeed Kedar Lele, who has served UBL as chairman since 2020.

Akhtar will continue to lead the Bangladesh business as managing director while assuming his new role as chairman of the six-decade-old company, Unilever said in a statement today.

He will also be a member of the Unilever South Asia Leadership Team.

On this occasion, Rohit Jawa, president of Unilever for South Asia and CEO and managing director of Hindustan Unilever Limited, said: "I would like to thank Zaved for his outstanding leadership of our Bangladesh business. His efforts towards strengthening business outcomes through superior brands for our consumers, and at the same time, driving Unilever's Compass Commitments, are indeed commendable."

"I am delighted to welcome Zaved to the Unilever South Asia Leadership Team as the new Chairman of Unilever Bangladesh. I am confident that under his leadership, Unilever Bangladesh will grow stronger and continue to partner the country in its growth journey."

Akhtar joined Unilever Bangladesh in 2000 and he has worked in different roles in local, regional, and international capacities in his career spanning over two decades.

After successful completion of multiple international assignments, Akhtar was appointed as the CEO and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh in 2021.

He is a graduate from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University.

He has also been trained in IIM Ahmedabad, India and INSEAD, Singapore.