Showkat Aziz Russell

Showkat Aziz Russell is a prominent Bangladeshi business leader who serves as the President of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) for the 2025-27 term, having been formally elected on 18 December 2025. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Amber Group, one of Bangladesh's leading textile and diversified conglomerates, and the Managing Director of Amber Cotton Mills Ltd and Amber Denim Mills Limited.

🏢 BTMA Presidency

The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) is the apex trade body of the country's primary textile sector, representing 1,878 member mills with approximately $23 billion in investment and providing employment to millions of workers across the textile value chain. As BTMA President, Showkat Aziz Russell leads the association's advocacy on behalf of Bangladesh's backward linkage textile industry — the critical supplier base that supports the country's $38+ billion readymade garment (RMG) export sector.

Russell had been serving as the president of the association following the political transition of August 5, 2024, and was formally elected for the 2025-27 term in December 2025. The BTMA elections saw the formation of a new executive committee with three vice-presidents:

• 🧵 Md Shamim Islam — Managing Director, Jamuna Group
• 🧵 Md Abul Kalam — Managing Director, Chaity Group
• 🧵 Shafiqul Islam Sarker — Managing Director, Purbani Group

💼 Amber Group Leadership

As Chairman and Managing Director of Amber Group, Showkat Aziz Russell leads a diversified business conglomerate with operations spanning textile manufacturing, apparel retail, electronics, and banking. Key companies under the Amber Group umbrella include:

• 🏭 Amber Cotton Mills Ltd — Cotton yarn manufacturing
• 👖 Amber Denim Mills Limited — Denim fabric manufacturing (a concern of Partex Group affiliations)
• 🧵 Amber Group textile operations — Vertically integrated textile manufacturing
• 🏬 Apparel retail — Diversified retail operations
• 💻 Electronics distribution — Consumer electronics
• 🏦 Banking sector investments — Financial services

🎓 Institutional Roles

Beyond his BTMA presidency and Amber Group leadership, Showkat Aziz Russell holds several institutional positions:

• 🏛️ Chairman of the Governing Body — National Institute of Textile Engineering and Research (NITER)
• 🤝 Member, BTMA Board of Directors — Long-standing contributor to the association's governance
• 🏭 Active in Bangladesh's primary textile sector — Represents the backward linkage industry that supports RMG exports

🌐 Strategic Context: BTMA Under His Leadership

As BTMA President, Russell leads the association at a critical moment for Bangladesh's primary textile sector, which faces multiple challenges:

• 💰 Working capital constraints — Textile mills facing liquidity pressure due to banking sector stress
• 🔥 Energy cost increases — Gas prices doubled on January 30, 2026, raising production costs significantly
• 📉 NPL crisis in textile sector — Many member mills struggling with non-performing loans
• 🌍 Global competition — Competing with textile producers in India, China, Vietnam, and Pakistan
• 📋 Policy advocacy — Engaging with NBR, Bangladesh Bank, and Ministry of Textiles & Jute on sector support
• 🏭 $23 billion sector investment — Protecting member mills' invested capital and ensuring sector sustainability

Under Russell's leadership, BTMA has been actively advocating for policy measures to strengthen the primary textile sector, including budget proposals for FY2026-27, incentives for local yarn production, and addressing the structural challenges facing textile mills. The association's 1,878 member mills represent the backbone of Bangladesh's textile export value chain, producing yarn, fabric, and other textile inputs that feed into the country's dominant RMG export industry.

📍 Contact Information

BTMA Office: Empori Financial Center, Level-11, House # 06, Road # 93, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212