Dr. Rubana Huq

Dr. Rubana Huq is a distinguished Bangladeshi businesswoman, poet, academic, and motivational speaker who serves as the Chairperson of Mohammadi Group, a diversified family business conglomerate that began with ready-made garment (RMG) exports and has since expanded into software, digital distribution, real estate, and power generation. She is also the Vice Chancellor of Asian University for Women (AUW), an international university in Bangladesh, and a former President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) — the first female to hold that position in four decades.

🏛️ BGMEA Presidency — Historic First

Dr. Rubana Huq served as President of BGMEA from 2019 to 2021, making history as the first female occupant of the post in four decades. During her tenure, she led Bangladesh's apex garment industry association through a challenging period that included the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and evolving sustainability requirements in the international apparel market. Her presidency represented a significant milestone for women's leadership in Bangladesh's dominant export sector.

As BGMEA President, she represented the global manufacturers in the UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action for the period of 2021-22, positioning Bangladesh's RMG sector at the forefront of global climate action in the apparel industry. This role placed her at the intersection of trade policy, sustainability, and international climate negotiations — areas where Bangladesh's garment industry has increasingly sought to demonstrate leadership.

💼 Mohammadi Group Leadership

As Chairperson of Mohammadi Group, Dr. Rubana Huq leads a family business conglomerate whose journey began with exporting ready-made garments and has since diversified into multiple sectors:

• 👕 Ready-made garments (RMG) — The group's founding business, exporting apparel to international markets
• 💻 Software — Technology and IT services
• 📱 Digital distribution — Digital content and media distribution
• 🏠 Real estate — Property development
• ⚡ Power generation — Energy sector investments
• 📺 Media — The group's latest diversification includes media ventures

Under her leadership, Mohammadi Group has maintained its RMG export base while expanding into higher-value sectors, demonstrating the diversification trajectory that many Bangladeshi garment exporters are pursuing as the country prepares for LDC graduation and evolving global trade conditions.

🎓 Academic Leadership

Dr. Rubana Huq currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Asian University for Women (AUW) — an international university in Bangladesh dedicated to educating women from across Asia. Her role at AUW reflects her commitment to women's empowerment through education, complementing her business leadership in a sector where women make up the majority of the workforce.

Her academic credentials and affiliations include:

• 🎓 PhD in English Literature — Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• 🏛️ Associate at the Asia Center — Harvard University
• 📊 Executive-in-Residence — Stern, New York University

📝 Literary Achievements

Beyond business and academia, Dr. Rubana Huq is a published poet and literary figure:

• 📖 SAARC Literary Award — Won for her poems in 2006
• 📖 First book of poems — Titled "Time of My Life"
• 📖 Monsoon Letters — Continuing a literary magazine with Bangladeshi writers since 2006
• 📖 Former CEO of TV Southasia — A collaborative platform of South Asian electronic media based in Kolkata
• 📖 FOSWAL Bangladesh Chapter — Set up the Bangladesh chapter of Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
• 📖 WRITE Foundation — Formed the foundation which hosted its SAARC Literary Summit in February 2014

🏆 International Recognition

Dr. Rubana Huq has received significant international recognition for her multifaceted contributions:

• 🌍 BBC 100 Women — Consecutively featured in 2013 and 2014, recognizing her as one of the world's most inspiring women
• 🌍 UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action — Representative of global manufacturers (2021-22)
• 🌍 Harvard University Asia Center — Associate
• 🌍 New York University Stern — Executive-in-Residence

🌟 Multifaceted Leadership

Dr. Rubana Huq's career represents a unique combination of business leadership, academic excellence, literary achievement, and international advocacy. As a woman leading one of Bangladesh's RMG export groups — a sector where women constitute the majority of the workforce but have historically been underrepresented in leadership — she has broken significant barriers. Her BGMEA presidency, combined with her role at AUW and her international academic affiliations, positions her as one of Bangladesh's most prominent female business leaders on the global stage.

Her continued engagement with the RMG sector through Mohammadi Group, combined with her academic and literary pursuits, reflects a holistic approach to leadership that spans commerce, education, and culture — making her a distinctive voice in Bangladesh's development discourse.