OUR PRIDE SAMSON H. CHOWDHURY

Samson H. Chowdhury was recognized as a Global Business Leader in his country. He had been awarded with various national and international recognitions from various business association. He was considered as a Commercially Important Person (CIP) in Bangladesh. Chowdhury ventured into a partnership pharmaceutical company with three of his friends in 1958. When asked why the name SQUARE was chosen he recalled: “We named it SQUARE because it was started by four friends and also because it signifies accuracy and perfection meaning quality” as they committed in manufacturing quality products. That company is, as of 2012, a publicly listed diversified group of companies employing more than 28,000 people. The current yearly group turnover is 616 million USD.

Chowdhury was born on 25 September 1926. He studied at Senior Cambridge. He completed a management training course jointly sponsored and conducted by University of Dhaka and Harvard University. After completing his education he returned to what was then East Pakistan and settled in Ataikula village in the Pabna district, where his father was working as a medical officer in an outdoor dispensary. In 1952 he started a small pharmacy in Ataikula village which is about 160 km off capital Dhaka in the north-west part of Bangladesh. He was a practising Christian of Protestant (Baptist) faith. Among his children, the middle son Tapan is a notable figure in the industrial sector of Bangladesh.

He served as a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance from 1985 to 1990. In addition to being a BWA vice president, Chowdhury served in other areas of the global Baptist organization, including on the BWA General Council, the Executive Committee, the Baptist World Aid Committee, the Promotion and Development Committee, and the Memorial Committee. Chowdhury was elected president of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) a dozen times, and was honorary general secretary for 14 years, between 1956 and 1969. He was a president of both the National Church Council of Bangladesh and the National Evangelical Alliance.

In 2012 Samson H. Chowdhury died  at the age of 86. He did a lot for our country and inspired us to be a patriot. But now a days a few people know about him properly. We should give him proper respect and learn lessons from his life as well.

Positions:

§  Chairman, Square Group

§  Chairman, Mutual Trust Bank board of directors 

§  Chairman, Astras Ltd.

§  Honorory Member, Kurmitola Golf Club

§  Former Vice President, Baptist World Alliance, 1985-1990 

§  Former Chairman, Micro Industries Development & Services (MIDAS)

§  Chairman, Transparency International, Bangladesh Chapter, 2004–2007

§  President, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerece & Industries, Dhaka in 1996 and 1997

§  Vice-President: International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh

§  Former Director, The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerece & Industries (FBCCI)

§  Member, Executive Committee of Bangladesh French Chamber of Commerce and Industry

§  Director, Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh

§  Chairman, Central Depository Bangladesh Ltd

§  Member, Advisory Committee of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries

§  Founder President, Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies

Accolades:

• “Business Executive of the Year” by American Chamber in Bangladesh in 1998.
• “Best Entrepreneur of the Country for the year 2000 – 2001” by the Daily Star and DHL Worldwide Express.
• "Special contribution in country's industrial and commercial sectors for the year 2003" by "Merchantile Bank Award 2003"
• For Uncompromising Business Ethics, Honesty & Transparency of the year 2005 by "Banker's Forum Award - 2005".
• Recipient of ICAB National Award “Best Published Accounts and Reports 2006 in the Manufacturing Sector”.
• Recipient of NBR Award one of the Highest Tax-Payers in 2007-2008.
• Recognized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) as one of the top ten tax payers of the country since 2005.
• Recipient of CIP (Industry) 2009-2010 status by the Government of The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.