MGH Group Chairman Ghaziul Haque passes away

M Ghaziul Haque, chairman of MGH Group and founding director and former chairman of Eastern Bank (EBL), died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka yesterday. He was 92.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Gulshan Central Azad Mosque in Dhaka after Maghrib prayers, after which he was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard, according to a press release issued by EBL.

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He is survived by his wife, Sultana Haque; son Anis Ahmed, incumbent chairman of EBL; daughter Anila Haque; and a host of relatives, friends, admirers and well-wishers.

Born in 1934, Ghaziul belonged to a generation of Bangladeshi business leaders who built their careers in trading and shipping.

MGH Group, a Singapore-headquartered multinational conglomerate with operations in more than 23 countries, has interests in integrated supply chain management, total cargo management (TCM) for low-cost carriers, global distribution systems for airlines, cross-border freight trains, satellite fulfilment centre (SFC) operations, FM radio, tea and rubber plantations, food and beverage, and commercial banking.

Ghaziul was also closely associated with the development of EBL. He joined the bank’s board in 1993, a year after it began operations following the restructuring of the former Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) in Bangladesh.

He went on to become one of the bank’s longest-serving directors.

He served two terms as EBL chairman, from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2018. During his tenure, EBL emerged as one of the country’s prominent private commercial lenders and was an early adopter of online and internet banking and modern card products.

He graduated from Chittagong Government College before enrolling at the University of Dhaka in 1955. He began his professional career that year with British company Bird & Co Ltd and rose to the position of managing director in 1976, when the company was transformed into Birds Bangladesh Limited.

In 1980, Ghaziul left the company to become an entrepreneur, joining Chattogram-based shipping company Aquamarine Ltd as a partner.

A decade later, he and his partner formed Maersk Bangladesh Ltd, a joint venture with Copenhagen-based shipping giant Maersk Line. He served as chairman of the venture until 1997, making him an early figure in bringing one of the world’s largest shipping companies into a formal local partnership in Bangladesh.

Throughout his career, he played a significant role in the development of business and entrepreneurship in Bangladesh and the region.