Mohammad Hatem, managing director of MB Knit Fashion Ltd, will now serve as the president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), after serving as executive president since the last AGM.
In an emergency board meeting on Sunday, current president AKM Salim Osman resigned from his position of the president and board director of the apex trade body of the country’s knitwear manufacturers, citing personal reasons and illness.
According to BKMEA sources, Salim joined the meeting virtually and announced his resignation.
Osman had been president of BKMEA since July 22, 2010. Since then, the association has not staged a competitive election, though the association held elections in advance of each election, with nomination papers coming from a single panel.
Salim’s resignation comes after the Sheikh Hasina government was overthrown earlier this month in the midst of a widespread unrest. Salim was also a member of parliament for Narayanganj-5.
In an immediate reaction, Mohammad Hatem said that their priority will be to work with the central bank to resolve financing issues for the industry and working with NBR to minimize the customs law and procedures related to some issues.
“We will also work with the government to resume talks with EU trade negotiations to continue preferential trade benefits in that trade zone,” he further said, adding that they will also work for the US market.
In the emergency board meeting, the BGMEA board also elected Fatullah Apparels Ltd's Managing Director Fazlee Shamim and Micro Fibre Group's Managing Director Engr Md Shamsuzzaman as its executive president and vice president respectively.
As the organization's founding member, Hatem also held the position of director from December 1996 until April 20, 2002.
Later, he held the office for six terms as vice president and the final 1.5 terms as executive president.
For the last five years, Ehsan was the vice-president of BKMEA. He also held the position of director for multiple terms prior to that.
Shamsuzzaman also had three terms as the association's director.