Fazle Kabir, chairman of state-owned Sonali Bank and former secretary of the finance division, will be appointed as governor of Bangladesh Bank, the finance minister said yesterday.

The post fell vacant after Atiur Rahman resigned over the cyber heist of $101 million from the central bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Kabir, now in Washington, will return home on March 18 and join the central bank, Finance Minister AMA Muhith told reporters at the secretariat in the capital.

He began his career in 1980 as assistant traffic superintendent of Bangladesh Railway under Bangladesh Civil Service. Three years later, he joined the Administration Service, according to Sonali Bank website.

During his 34 years in civil bureaucracy, Kabir served in various key positions at different ministries as well as in the field administration.

He served as deputy commissioner and district magistrate of Kishoreganj, joint secretary at the education ministry, director general of the National Academy for Planning and Development, director general of the BCS Administration Academy and secretary of the railway ministry before joining as finance secretary in 2012.

Kabir, who obtained his BA (honours) and master's degree in economics from Chittagong University, also served as director in Janata Bank from 2008 to 2010 and Bangladesh Bank from 2012 to 2014.

He represented Bangladesh in many conferences abroad and actively participated in state-level negotiations at home and abroad. He led the Bangladesh delegation in the finance and budget committee sessions at the United Nations in October 2008.

Kabir acquired professional expertise by participating in a number of in-country training on policy planning and management at Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, and National Defence Course and Capstone Course at the National Defence College.