Eminent entrepreneur A Rouf Chowdhury passed away due to prolonged illness at his residence in Dhaka this noon. He was 86.

Chowdhury had his dynamic foothold in the print media; he was one of the directors of Mediaworld Limited, the parent company of The Daily Star.

He was also the founding chairman of Rangs Group and Sea Resources Group.

Chowdhury is survived by his son Romo Rouf Chowdhury and two daughters Romana Rouf Chowdhury and Sohana Rouf Chowdhury. 

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Gulshan Azad Mosque today after Asr prayers.

The body of Chowdhury is now being taken to his ancestral home in Bikrampur, where he will be buried after Isha prayers.

Chowdhury was one of the sponsor directors of Bank Asia Limited.

Chowdhury did his graduation in Business Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He had a wide range of experience in several industries including automobile, telecom, pharmaceuticals and petroleum.

He was the resident manager of two American pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh.

Being in the senior management position in Jamuna Oil Company, Chowdhury contributed for 15 years to the market development of petroleum products in Bangladesh.

Both Rangs and Sea Resources Groups, which are comprised of 35 companies, were formed under his dynamic leadership. The huge success of the companies of the two groups during a short span of time substantiates his charismatic leadership and progressive mindset.