Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury made Chief Adviser of Daily Industry

Staff Correspondent: Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a former Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, has been made Chief Adviser to the Daily Industry, bringing with him decades of expertise in diplomacy, academia, and public service.
He will also work as Chief Advisor of some other organizations and institutions which are related to the daily includingGlobal Economist Forum (GEF), a general consultant member organization the United Nations.
Chowdhury’s distinguished career began with an impressive academic record. After attending St. Gregory’s High School and Notre Dame College in Dhaka, he graduated with High First Division in both the Matriculation and Intermediate of Arts public examinations. He continued his education at the University of Dhaka, where he earned a Political Science Honours degree, standing First in First Class. He then moved to the Australian National University in Canberra, where he completed both his MA and PhD in International Relations.
His entry into public service was equally notable. During the pre-independence period, Chowdhury excelled in the Superior Civil Service examination, securing the top position in what was then East Pakistan. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) in 1969, embarking on a career that would lead him to international prominence.
Chowdhury’s diplomatic assignments took him to key global locations, including Bonn, Doha, Geneva, and New York. As Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN), he assumed several high-profile roles, such as Chairman of the WTO Council on Trade Policy Review, WTO Committee on Trade and Development, and President of the Conference on Disarmament. At the UN, he held significant leadership positions, including Chairman of the Committee for Social Development and Chairman of the UN Information Committee.
In 2000, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), assisting in the organization of the Third UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in Brussels. He later became the Chairman of the UN Second (Economic Committee) in 2003.
Returning to Bangladesh, Chowdhury served as Foreign Adviser in the Fakhruddin Ahmed cabinet, where he was also responsible for the Overseas Employment and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs ministries. Following the 2009 change in government, he joined the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore as Principal Research Fellow, a position he held until 2020. During this period, he also taught at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University, and at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Chowdhury’s deep familial connections to diplomacy and public service underscore his own commitment to these fields. His elder brother, Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, served as Foreign Secretary, while another brother, Enam Ahmed Choudhury, was also a secretary. Additionally, his brother-in-law, freedom fighter Lieutenant Colonel Syed Abdul Hai, was one of the high-ranking Bangladeshi Army officers killed during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
In his new role as Chief Adviser of Daily Industry, Chowdhury’s breadth of experience is expected to contribute significantly to the publication’s journalistic integrity and scope. His global outlook, coupled with his extensive diplomatic background, positions him as a strong guiding force for the publication’s future.