Luxembourg appoints Bangladesh designer Nasreen Zamir as first-ever Honorary Consul in Dhaka

One of the leading Bangladeshi designers, Nasreen Zamir, has been sworn in as Luxembourg’s first-ever Honorary Consul in Dhaka in a move that opens new avenues for bilateral trade and investment.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 9 June 2016, 11:39 AM
Updated : 9 June 2016, 02:33 PM

The government of the Grand Duche of Luxembourg has appointed Zamir, Founder and Managing Director of Nasreen Zamir and Associates, to represent the country.

The western European country, landlocked by Belgium, Germany and France, is known as Europe’s most powerful investment management centre.

It is one of the first European countries that recognised independent Bangladesh in early 1972. But there is no active engagement between the countries since there is no mission in each other’s capital.

The new honorary consul, after taking oath at the Netherlands embassy in Dhaka on Thursday, told bdnews24.com that she was delighted to take up the role.

 “I look forward to giving a new beginning to the relations,” she said, adding that apart from trade and commerce, exchanges in higher education would be an area of her interest.

After studying political science at the Dhaka University, Zamir pursued her higher studies in interior design in Ottawa.

Nasreen Zamir

Her husband Muhammad Zamir was a former ambassador and chief information commissioner. Her father Muhammad Delwar Hossain was a recipient of the prestigious Ekushey Padak for social work.

She is well known as an interior designer, businesswoman and entrepreneur. Her company has designed interiors of all the top hotels in Dhaka. She has online stores for home furnishing and accessories manufactured in Bangladesh.

Zamir said through her design she promotes not only ‘made in Bangladesh’, but also ‘designed in Bangladesh’.

She is also associated with the management of a school for over 3000 boys and girls in Tangail that had been founded by her family.

Her company promotes the ‘Heritage Art of Bengal’ by providing a portion of her business profits to support local artisans and homegrown craftsmen.

“My aim is to bring Luxembourg to Bangladesh and also to send our products to Luxembourg,” the honorary consul said.

Netherlands Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere and Deputy Head of Mission Martine Vanhoogstraten were present at the swearing in ceremony.