July 2006- to date: Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director, bdnews24.com (and Director and a stakeholder of its owning company Bangladesh News 24 Hours Ltd), Bangladesh's largest 24/7 news provider by reach (Source: Google Analytics) and content.
President
Recognition/Awards/Notable international activity
2019 June – Lone participant from Bangladesh in 26th World Editors Forum, 71st World News Media Congress, Glasgow, United Kingdom. This is described as “a unique (annual) gathering of chief editors, publishers and CEOs passionate about media freedom and taking action to ensure a sustainable news industry”.
2019 May – Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany
2017 June – Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany
2016 October − Chair, Panel discussion on "Threats and Opportunities in the Age of New media and Innovation", one of the two sessions at Asia Media Conference organized by International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC)
2016 June − Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany
2016 May − Chair at World Press Freedom Day colloquium organised by UNESCO, Dhaka
2015 September − South Asia Economic Conclave, New Delhi, India − Speaker and Panel Discussant with other senior editors from the region
2015 June – Lone participant from Bangladesh in 22th World Editors Forum, 67th World News Media Congress, Washington D.C., United States. This is an annual gathering of global editorial and industry leaders seeking to promote freedom and work on constantly evolving news industry.
2014 November − South2South Media Dialogue, Cape Town, South Africa. Named as one of the "14 leading innovators" in digital media from across the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle-East, was part of the team that developed a global "manifesto" that would "help guide the innovative use of digital technology in the Global South". The manifesto, developed by the 14, is now "a set of principles and guidelines to assist others planning to use digital technology and the Internet to foster Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
2013 October − Senior Editors Conference, New Delhi, hosted by ICRC. Spoke on Future challenges of humanitarian action through the eyes of the Media
2010 June − Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany
2009 December − UN Climate Summit, Copenhagen, Denmark. A UN-mandated Observer nominated by the All-Party Parliamentary Committee
2009 June − Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany
2008 July − Asian Centre for Journalism, Manila. Speaker on the innovative business model of bdnews24.com in presence of top journalism professors from around the world
2008 July − FOBANA, New York. Attended and spoke as Special Guest
1999 November − Durban, South Africa. Commonwealth Editors Symposium; represented Bangladesh and then covered the Commonwealth Summit.
1996−97 − Based in Paris for about a year, did research/investigation in five major areas affecting the integration of Europe and produced journalistic pieces.
1994 − "Studied Japan" as a Fellow of Japan Foreign Press Centre
Recognition/Awards/Notable activities in Bangladesh
2017 − Member (representing the civil society and the media), Technical Advisory Committee to Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund (administered by The World Bank Group),
2015 − Member (nominated) of the National Committee to review the draft policy for online/Internet-based media (did not take part in meetings)
2012 − Member (nominated) of the National Committee to draft policy for online/Internet-based media (did not take part in meetings)
2008 − Member, National Committee to draft policy guidelines for news agency services
2007 − Member, National Task Force to protect the rivers in capital Dhaka
Career/Employment history:
July 2005-June 2006: Freelance journalist and consultant (Both in UK and Bangladesh)
05 Feb 2000 to 30 June 2005: BBC World Service, London.
Produced and presented news and current affairs programmes; produced/presented special reports on major international developments, did features and weekly business/economic magazines. Anchored the monthly 'Debate' programme dealing with the most controversial issue of the day.
August 1998 to January 2000: Joint News Editor, The Daily Star (one of Bangladesh's leading national newspapers): Planning, editing and co-ordinating the news output on a daily basis; managing the newsroom operation and overseeing the layout of front and other key news pages.
March 1999 to January 2000: News Editor, Weekend Edition, The Daily Star:
Planning and editing the paper and leading the Special Edition team; conducting 'Interview of the Week' (a broadsheet full-page interview with a leading newsmaker on a recent controversy/debate)
August 1997 to July 1998: Assistant Editor and Head of Business/Economy Desk, The Daily Star, Dhaka. Supervising business/economic reporters and sub-editors responsible for the four-page section of Business/Economic news and analysis; leading the coverage of major economic events
September 1996 to June 1997: Worked for Paris-based Europ, a quarterly journal published by Journalists in Europe Foundation in Paris, covering European issues as a Fellow of the foundation
April 1996 to August 1996: Socio-economics and communication consultant to a leading NGO working in vast areas affected by river erosion in Bangladesh − helping develop written and unwritten material to gather popular views on a proposed multi-dimensional agricultural/irrigation project. It was the first time in Bangladesh that people likely to be affected were consulted prior to the designing of such a project.
Co-author of a report to the Inspection Panel of the World Bank, which co-funded Bangladesh's single biggest infrastructure Jamuna Bridge project. The report outlined the case for the several hundred thousand who would be affected by the massive enterprise.
March 1995 to April 1996: Assistant Editor/Leader Writer, The Financial Express; also worked as Special Correspondent covering/writing/analysing major events
October 1993 to March 1995: Senior Correspondent; The Financial Express, Dhaka
Major areas of work included diplomacy, trade, politics, parliament, and investigative stories on oil and gas negotiations, economic infrastructure and corruption in major business deals.
1991 to March 1993: Diplomatic Correspondent, The Daily Star, Dhaka; covered international conferences and summits, reported on stories on foreign trade and economic relations; also undertook feature investigations across a wide range of issues.
1989 to November 1991: Assistant Editor, Sunday Express, Dhaka
1988: Team Leader, Save the Children Fund (UK), studying the effectiveness of a scholarship programme for school children in remote rural Bangladesh. The project entailed lengthy visits to areas affected by massive river erosion and extreme poverty.
1987: Researcher for a major publication (on Population Research) by the National Institute for Population Research and Training, Bangladesh
Training/Fellowships/Conferences:
Journalism training in Dhaka, London, Paris and Tokyo
International training:
March 5 to March 9 2001: Broadcast Journalism 3, BBC World Service Training
December 2000: Presentation and Advanced Presentation, BBC World Service Training
May 22 to May 26 2000: Broadcast Journalism 2, BBC World Service Training
14 Feb to 25 Feb 2000: Broadcast Journalism 1, BBC World Service Training
November 1999: Represented Bangladesh at Commonwealth Editors Symposium, Durban, South Africa
Sept 1996 to June 1997: As a Fellow of Paris-based Journalistes en Europ, studied European affairs, especially political, economic and social transformation − in the context of the EU taking the path towards a closer, stronger and bigger union. Travelled across Europe and wrote articles for a quarterly magazine called Europ; the issues included aviation safety in Europe, corruption in English local government, dispute between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar, integration of European transport system, plight of young people in the post-Communist Hungary etc.
May to June 1994: Fellow of Japan Foreign Press Centre; studied Japan "at first hand" through seminars and travel across Japan
September-October 1993: Investigative Journalism, US Information Service, Dhaka
Academic qualifications:
1988: MA in English Literature, University of Dhaka
1987: BA (Honours) in English Literature (major), Political Science and International Relations (subsidiary subjects), University of Dhaka