Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan (Jun) and Maria Howlader were elected president and secretary general respectively of the Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) for a two-year term (2024-2026).

Rafi Bhuiyan, managing director of NewVision Solutions Limited, was previously secretary general of the JBCCI for three consecutive terms, according to a press release.

He is currently serving as an infrastructure adviser to the embassy of Japan in Bangladesh.

Bhuiyan is also vice-president of Pan Asian Research Institute, a Japan based think-tank, and managing director of InnoTech Ltd, Japan, an IT company.

Meanwhile, Maria became the first female secretary general of the chamber.

She is managing partner and founder of Howlader Maria & Co, a chartered accountancy firm that is a member firm of Kreston Global.

She was also re-elected as a board member of the JBCCI for two consecutive terms, covering 2022-2024 and 2024-2026.

She is currently also serving as the vice-president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh and holds the position of independent director at various companies.

Kenji Kimura, chief representative of MUFG Bank's Dhaka office, was elected as treasurer, while Anwar Shahid, managing director of MAS Consultants, and Hiroaki Oura, general manager of ITOCHU Corporation's Dhaka liaison office, were elected as vice-president 1 and vice-president 2 respectively.

The other directors are Yuji Ando, Md Jahangir Alam Sharker, AKM Ahmedul Islam Babu, Atsushi Hirakuri, Hiroshi Uegaki, Manabu Sugawara, Md Shariful Alam, Mohammed Sohel, Nayeemur Rahman, Rabiul Alam and Saori Fujimoto.

Founded in 2004, JBCCI has been a pivotal organisation, fostering economic collaboration and mutual growth between Japan and Bangladesh. With a strong network of members, the chamber is dedicated to promoting bilateral trade, investment, and cultural exchange.